The palace complex in Wojtkuszki

One of the most significant examples of the client’s leading role in the choice of architectural forms is the history of the reconstruction of the palace in Wojtkuszki. The estate served simultaneously as a residence, a place for storing and displaying the family’s archives and works of art, and as the site of a photographic studio which brought fame to the Kossakowski estate.

The history of the Kossakowski residence

The Wojtkuski estate had belonged to the Kieżgajł family since the 15th century. In the following century – as a result of the marriage of a member of that family – it became the property of the Zawisz family, and later passed into the hands of the Skorulski family. The period associated with the subsequent owners was particularly interesting; it began with the purchase of the estate in 1764 by Michał Kossakowski, Voivode of Vitebsk and future Knight of the Order of the White Eagle. The purchaser contributed to the development of the estate, amongst other things by commissioning the construction of a brick church.

A relatively large number of accounts have survived concerning the appearance of the main residence in Wojtkuszki prior to its Neo-Gothic reconstruction. The most important information is contained in an inventory drawn up in 1814 and in accounts by family members. Within the town, avenues connecting the key elements of the urban layout stood out. One of these led to a courtyard flanked by the stables and the treasury, near which stood a granary and two ponds. Another, lined with lime trees, led to the farm buildings situated before the grounds belonging to the residence. The entrance to the palace complex was richly adorned, notably by a gate with pillars topped by lion figures, beyond which stretched a spruce-lined avenue leading to the Kossakowski family’s residence.

The wooden building had a regular architectural form: it had a rectangular plan with central projections on both façades (the front and the garden façades). The symmetry of the structure was disrupted only by the side projection. The building was single-storey, with an additional storey built above the central projecting section. The entrance, situated on the central axis and accessed via a porch, led to a hall, beyond which lay the main drawing room overlooking the garden, intended for receiving guests. Among the more important rooms were the study, the library, the archive, the medicine cabinet, and the bedrooms of the various members of the household. The dining room, in particular, had a ceremonial character, its walls adorned with a portrait gallery featuring images of Polish kings. With the development of historicist architecture and the growing prominence of the Kossakowski family, it became necessary to erect a new, brick-built residence – on a larger scale and in a fashionable style.

The new residence: a Neo-Gothic palace

The reconstruction of the residence took place between 1857 and 1862 (although by 1860 the project was sufficiently advanced that plasterwork was already being applied). Bonifacy Pawłowski was in charge of the works; in reality, however, he was implementing designs by the estate’s owner – the amateur architect Stanisław Kossakowski. The aristocrat’s son, Count Stanisław Kazimierz Korwin-Kossakowski, described the project as follows:

“[The modification of] the old palace [was carried out] according to plans drawn up and long studied by my father. One part of the palace is built in the pseudo-Gothic style, whilst the other imitates the Romanesque style.”

These words capture the diversity and picturesque nature of the building’s form, which evokes associations with medieval architecture. One of the main features of the large-scale Wojtkus residence was the gradation in height and the shaping of its individual parts, which resulted in numerous offsets, recesses in the façade or projections – that is, design features suggesting the building’s multi-phase construction (for example, the successive addition of new sections with different window designs). The palace was one of the later examples of the so-called early, ‘Romantic’ historicism, dating approximately from 1830 to 1860. Styles drawing on Gothic motifs gained popularity at that time amongst the wealthy landed gentry of what is now Belarus, Lithuania and Volhynia – and so they were all the more readily adopted on the Kossakowski estate.

The two-storey main block was flanked by polygonal turrets topped with battlements. The irregular shape of the building was enhanced by triangular gables, crenellations, and pointed and ogee arches. Adjoining the main section of the building were: a wing with a tower on a square plan, a veranda (added at a later date) and a conservatory (a significant sign of modernity, fully in keeping with the fashion for growing exotic fruits).

The opulent interior décor was also impressive. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, part of the art collection from the Kossakowskis’ Warsaw residence was moved to the palace in Wojtkuszki – including a considerable number of paintings. In addition to the paintings, other features that were highly regarded included the glass-fronted bookcases and comfortable furniture, which made the residence not only a sight to behold but also a pleasant place to live. Photographs from around 1900 draw attention to the presence of numerous military artefacts (including armour) and high-quality works of artistic craftsmanship (tableware, mirrors, chandeliers and candlesticks). Manuscripts and books formed an important part of the Wojtusko collection: the archive held around 1,000 volumes, whilst the library’s collection comprised approximately 12,500 volumes.

Most of the works of art from the Kossakowski Palace were dispersed during the Second World War, when the building suffered considerable damage. Today, one can admire the remains of the Neo-Gothic architecture, which serve as an important testament to the estate’s history.

‘Wojtkuszki’ Amateur Photography Studio

From the collections originating from Wojtkuszki, a significant proportion of the photographs – of which around 7,000 were gathered at the palace – have survived. The prints are currently housed, amongst other places, in the museum in Kaunas. It is worth pausing for a moment on this point, as it represents a significant episode in the history of the residence in question. In one of the rooms of the ancestral palace, Count Stanisław Kazimierz Kossakowski set up a photographic studio, having imported a camera in 1894. Photographs were taken both inside the neo-Gothic residence and outdoors – sometimes using painted canvas backdrops.

Also associated with the studio was the Count’s colleague, Józef Krajewski, who was involved in efforts to improve the technology in terms of the durability and detail of the images produced. The capabilities of the laboratory, operating under the name ‘Wojtkuszki Amateur Photography’, are evident in the surviving prints: the works are characterised by excellent quality, clarity of form and contour in every shot, as well as very good lighting (regardless of whether the subject was an intimate portrait, a group scene taking place indoors, a forest landscape or a cityscape). Prints from the Wojtkuszki studio gained recognition and were exhibited, amongst other venues, at international exhibitions.