Sibyl's Palace in Szczodre

The Palace of Sibyl in Szczodre, also known as the "Silesian Windsor," was built between 1685 and 1692 as the residence of the Dukes of Oleśnica from the House of Württemberg. After a major expansion between 1851 and 1867, it acquired a neo-Gothic character with richly decorated façades featuring Tudor arches and crenellations. Today, only fragments of the palace and its surrounding park have survived. The palace and park complex includes an abandoned outbuilding, a theater building that now serves as a residential space, and an English-style palace park. The history of the palace is linked to several dynasties, including the Württembergs, Welfs, and Wettins, as well as to the hospitality extended to Polish kings and numerous important cultural events, such as the presentation of Meissen porcelain. In the interwar period, the palace was a center of social life, featuring a theater and a large art collection. After World War II, its fate took a tragic turn—the building was completely destroyed, and its remains were dismantled in the 1950s and 1970s. A significant aspect of its heritage is that the surviving fragments were entered into the register of historical monuments in 1990. An interesting fact is that a monumental mirror from the palace found its way to the waiting room of Wrocław Główny railway station, serving as a fascinating trace of this historic residence.