Neudeck Palace
It is located around two kilometers south-east of the town of Neudeck (Polish: Świerklaniec) in the Tarnogórski Góry County in Poland.
In the Middle Ages, the area around today's Świerklaniec was a strategically important point, as the Brynica formed a natural border between Silesia and Poland.
During the Thirty Years' War, the Hohenzollern lost their entire Upper Silesian possessions to the Habsburgs in 1621, who were only able to call them their own for a very short time.
In 1848, Carl Lazarus transferred his entire estate to his son Guido Count Henckel von Donnersmarck, probably the most important scion of the family.
In close stylistic reference to the Château de Pontchartrain, Donnersmarck's new residence was built in the neo-baroque style.
After Manguin's death (1869), Hector Lefuel, then chief architect of the new Louvre, took over the construction management and completed the new building in 1876.
An Irish engineer called Fox was commissioned to design the 250-hectare park in 1865, based on plans by Peter Joseph Lenné, who died shortly afterwards, and his pupil Gustav Meyer.
The place was visited several times by Emperor Wilhelm II, who not only went hunting in the surrounding wooded areas, but also often took loans from the Count.
From here, extensive estates with a total area of 27,500 hectares were administered throughout East Central Europe, above all in Upper Silesia (ownership of numerous mines), but also in Austrian Galicia and in Russian-occupied Congress Poland.
However, the Donnersmarcks were able to save their property under Polish rule, as Guido's son Kraft opted for Poland in the referendum.
Two pairs of lion statues survived, now decorating parks in Zabrze and Gliwice, as well as a wrought iron gate currently at the Silesian Zoological Garden in the Katowice and Chorzów districts of Silesia.
Later, two octagonal Tudor-style towers were added and the previously large windows were reduced in size to match the style.
The central section was provided with a high roof and a small lantern on top, thus elevating the north and south wings of the castle.
A clock and a wrought-iron fence were attached to the west-facing entrance front for guests, forming a semi-circular forecourt.
Statements about the layout and appearance of the interior can only be made on the basis of descriptions, as no photographs or plans have survived and nothing was documented during the demolition.
The Cavalier's Palace (Pałac Kawalera in Polish and Kavalierspalast in German) is the only secular building to have survived the devastation of 1945.
As the last part of the complex, it was built at the beginning of the 20th century as a residence for the younger members of the family and as a guest house in the immediate vicinity of the New Palace.
The almost square building was constructed from brick, which contrasts with the rich stucco crowning of the window frames and the natural stone parts of the façade.
The entrance is formed by an elliptical bay window made of natural stone and decorated with the Henckel von Donnersmarck family coat of arms, preceded by a balcony with arcades Since 1992, the building has housed a hotel with a restaurant.
The preserved neo-Gothic burial chapel of the Donnersmarcks was built between 1895 and 1897 by Julius Carl Raschdorff to the north-east of the old palace.
However, it was not yet saved: Over the next few years, it fell into disrepair again as, for political reasons, it could only be entered for an entrance fee, even by those attending church services, and was therefore hardly used.
