Community Highlights Europe Ogiński Palace, Siedlce

Ogiński Palace, Siedlce

We joined a fine guided tour organized by our sponsors: the IOM, the Warsaw-based relief fund that has already provided a lot of assistance to the residents of the hostel of the Ukrainian war refugees in Siedlce. My wife and I had already been to the Oginski Palace, and had a guided tour in English that was conducted for the young people from Turkey. This time we had the same guide, but a tour in Polish. We were glad we could see more of the palace. Our tour guide Ms.Nathalie told us a lot about the palace and its history. We listened attentively to her story, and I made notes. Then I decided the Palace deserved a special mention in my blog.

The Ogiński Palace is a former residence from the times of magnates’ glory. It is one of those places where history is not an abstract date from a textbook, but a rather concrete scene – with a palace, a garden, owners and guests who for decades set the tone for social life on the eastern borders of the former Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The Palace is a place deeply rooted in history, and at the same time firmly embedded in today's living city.
Walking along the fence and then passing through the gate towards the courtyard for the first time is a bit like crossing the border between a modern city and a world where perspectives, viewing axes and architectural details were thought of much more carefully than they are today.
The palace witnessed many transformations: from a family mansion with six rooms to an aristocratic classicist palace. The basement is the only structure that remained almost intact since the middle of the 16th century, when Siedlce got municipal rights in 1547. The city market was allowed on Tuesdays and Fridays, and that free trade has functioned until today.

The Ogiński Palace, together with Aleksandria Park, forms an extensive palace and park that stretches between Konarski Street, Kościuszko Street and Starowiejska Street, which makes it easy to get here both from the vicinity of the cathedral and from the area of the "Jacek" City Hall. It is this interpenetration of different layers – historical, educational, and recreational – that makes the palace and park complex in Siedlce not only a "must-see on the list", but a place that is easy to include in the personal rhythm of a day spent in the city.
All the visitors usually see of the view of the façade from the courtyard – the classicist portico on columns, the symmetrical wings and a calm rhythm of windows that immediately impose a more "dignified" pace of sightseeing.

The original brick palace was built by Kazimierz Czartoryski, the grandfather of  Aleksandra Ogińska, nee Czartoryska), before 1730. It was built on the site of wooden manors, which were mentioned in 1698. Michał Fryderyk Czartoryski, the son of Kazimierz, administered a complete renovation of the palace that was made in 1769-1770.
When Aleksandra Ogińska became the city owner in August 1775 after the death of her father, she started rebuilding her family mansion.

The real flourishing of the palace took place only when the residence fell into the hands of Aleksandra Ogińska, the granddaughter of Kazimierz Czartoryski. It was she who commissioned a thorough reconstruction of the palace in the years 1779–1781, giving it a more classicist character, with a clear, representative front facing the city. At that time, the upper floor in the front part, a new façade with a monumental portico and two transverse wings were added, which widened the body and gave it a more "courtly" momentum. Stanisław Zawadzki was the author of the reconstruction project. His style is clearly visible in the harmony of proportions and the "theatrical" arrangement of the palace in the garden space. During the time of Aleksandra Ogińska, the palace became an important center of cultural and social life – the residence was visited by important figures of the era, and the Princess herself made sure that the place was alive not only with representation, but also with meetings and events organized here. The symbol of the prestige of the residence was the visit of King Stanisław August Poniatowski in July 1783, when he and his accompanying court members (200 persons all in all) were received on the most lavish scale. That visit confirmed the rank of the Siedlce palace in the network of magnate residences of Poland.

The king was so pleased with the reception that he commissioned Felicjan Wykowski (1758-1803) to collect all the speeches and the script of the reception in the palace and to publish it as a separate book, which was done immediately, in August 1783. Felicjan Wykowski, the author of the book, addressed Prinsess Aleksandra Ogińska in the foreword to the book and wrote, “You, Our Lady Benefactor, grant me the courage to use boldness to describe the reception of Our Most Serene King, My Lord, in Your House. You can't justly blame me for this; for your gentleness, always shunning boasting, in a confidently tranquil silence, wanted to preserve everything that should glorify you universally, through exemplary motives, to truly love the King. I seek no glorious glory for myself, when I have not my own thoughts, but rather the daily toys I have carefully assembled for the King, and I intend to reveal them to the world. Far from hypocritical flattery, I place particular emphasis in this description on what caught my eye and ear while I was in Siedlce at that time. I do what seems most just to me by offering this collection of amusements to Her Highness, Our Lady Benefactor, as a reminder of Her own works, generous endeavors, and beautiful inventions, dedicated to the delight of the King. It is with such heart and such tenderness that I have the honor to write with the deepest respect to Our Lady Benefactor.”

The front façade is the most characteristic element of the palace. It gave the palace an exceptionally harmonious, classicist character. The central part of the façade is emphasized by a portico supported by columns, above which a representative pediment was placed – a solution typical of residences, which were to emphasize the rank of the owners and their artistic taste. On the sides, there are two transverse wings, thanks to which the building gains a more expansive silhouette and naturally surrounds the courtyard, creating a semi-open entrance space. Up close, you can clearly see the rhythm of the windows, the delicate details of the cornices and the sparse decoration, which does not overwhelm, but enhances the impression of elegant simplicity. The whole thing is kept in light tones, which, combined with the greenery of the park and the sky above Siedlce, gives the effect of lightness – especially on sunny days, when the light softly draws shadows under the cornices.
Today the building serves as the representative seat of the University of Siedlce, combining the academic life with the old, magnate architecture. This contemporary function makes the palace not a museum, but a living building where classes, conferences and events take place on a daily basis, and during the breaks between them, students and university employees move through the corridors. Thanks to this, the monument remains in continuous use, which – paradoxically – often serves its preservation better than completely "freezing" it as a purely exhibition object.
The palace became the second classicist palace in Poland of this style. Since the first one was gone soon, the Ogiński Palace remained the only one in its kind in Poland.
Our guide Nathalie told us a lot about Princess Aleksandra Ogińska and her life. Princess Aleksandra, simultaneously with reconstructing the palace, held an inventory of her possessions in the city and its environs.

We were taken to the Big Hall and to the Rector’s Assembly Hall, where you could see the official portraits of all the rectors of the University of Siedlce since 1969. Prof. Mirosław Minkina has been the Rector since 2020.

• 1969-1972: Assoc. Prof. Józef Kozłowski
• 1972–1976: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Jan Poliński
• 1976–1981: Assoc. Prof. Danuta Tyrawska-Spychałowa
• 1981–1987: Prof. Mieczysław Foryś
• 1987–1990: Prof. Jan Trętowski
• 1990–1993: Prof. Jerzy Chmielewski
• 1993–1999: Prof. Lesław Szczerba
• 1999: Prof. Edward Pawłowski
• 1999–2000: Prof. Andrzej Radecki
• 2000–2005: Prof.Antoni Jówko
• 2005–2008: Prof. Edward Pawłowski
• 2008–2012: Prof. Antoni Jówko
• 2012–2020: Tamara Zacharuk, PhD
• 2020–2024: Prof. Mirosław Minkina
• 2024–2028: Prof. Mirosław Minkina

We walked on the ground floor admiring the two big halls and the picture gallery. I had a glimpse of the first floor, where the offices of the Rector are located, and the tours are not held. Like on the ground floor, you can see many old photographs of the palace and the city itself. I saw a beautiful picture on the easel.

According to our guide Ms.Nathalie, the first floor belonged to Princess Aleksandra Ogińska. This is where her mother and service ladies stayed. Princess Aleksandra Ogińska was a very active and sociable lady, and hated staying alone.
The 3D tour of the Palace is here

Our guide showed us these portraits and described them.
Princess Aleksandra Ogińska administered the construction of several two-storey buildings outside the palace for the guests. Since she organized a lot of meetings and cultural events, she ordered the construction of the theater that was completed in 1788. Now the former theater building belongs to the City Registry Office.

Individual visits are usually limited to entering the public spaces – the hall, corridors, and stairwells – and focusing on the architecture and atmosphere of this place, which combines ancient and modern functions. A guided tour offers a completely different quality – where the story of Aleksandra Ogińska, the history of its reconstructions, and the significance of the palace take on concrete form, and individual elements of the interior design gain a context that cannot be discerned from the walls alone. The impression left by such a visit is a mixture of light nostalgia for the era of aristocratic residences and the satisfaction that the place has not been abandoned to its own devices but actively integrates into today's city life.
Our guide took us to the oldest part of the palace - the basement - that dates back to the year the city got municipal rights - 1547. There is a restaurant there now. We saw several charm stones, or good luck stones that are belived to bring good luck and fortune to those people who touch them. You only have to make a wish, or even do without it: the stone sees and knows everything!

The impressions of the visit here are not reduced to one strong "wow" – rather they form a series of calm but expressive images: a façade seen from behind the trees, a bench in Aleksandria Park, a quiet university corridor with high windows. It is this layering that makes the Ogiński Palace easily memorable as a place to which one eagerly returns during subsequent stays in Siedlce – if only to walk down the same avenue in Alexandria once again and look at the residence from a slightly different perspective.

This featured blog entry was written by Vic_IV from the blog Our Stay in Poland.
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