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Sentimental Park in Arkadia
The palace-garden complex in Nieborów and the sentimental garden in Arkadia are the best-preserved examples in Poland of old rural magnate residences. Its unique and perfectly preserved elements are the gardens, diversified in form and vegetation, originating from different periods, which together with the residential and farm buildings and landscape architecture create an architectural and garden layout of outstanding compositional, landscape, natural, architectural and artistic value.
Sentimental Park in Arkadia
Content
Sentimental Park in Arkadia
General information
Some highlights about Sentimental Park in Arkadia (Poland)
Awards
Registered historic monuments; Memorial of History (pomnik historii).
Type of historic garden
Private residences
Size
14,9600.00 m2
Location
Arkadia koło
Łódź voivodeship, Poland
Coordinates: 52.06658, 20.07020
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Timetables
Check nieborow.art.pl
Tickets
Sentimental Garden in Arkadia:
- 16 zł – regular entrance ticket
- 10 zł – reduced (discounted) entrance ticket
- 1 zł – school children and youth between 7 and 26 years old entrance fee
Palace Garden in Nieborów and Sentimental Garden in Arkadia (joint ticket):
- 28 zł – regular entrance ticket
- 16 zł – reduced (discounted) entrance ticket
- 2 zł – school children and youth between 7 and 26 years old entrance fee
Contact information
Web: nieborow.art.pl
Email: mantczak@mnw.art.pl
Phone: +48 46 838 56 35
Sentimental Park in Arkadia
Historical background
The palace-garden complex in Nieborów and the sentimental garden in Arkadia are the best-
preserved examples in Poland of old rural magnate residences. Its unique and perfectly preserved elements are the gardens, diversified in form and vegetation, originating from different periods, which together with the residential and farm buildings and landscape architecture create an architectural and garden layout of outstanding compositional, landscape, natural, architectural and artistic value. The most outstanding planners, architects, painters as well as builders and craftsmen worked on the construction and extension of the mansion, among them Szymon Bogumił Zug, Enrico Ittar, Pierre Norblin and many others.
Helena Radziwiłł née Przeździecka
The garden at ArBkadia is one of the first and best preserved gardens with a free composition in Poland. The original sentimental garden with a rich philosophical and literary programme, founded by Helena Radziwiłł née Przeździecka in 1778, was slowly transformed into a Romantic garden under her supervision. It was expanded and added to until her death in 1821. In subsequent periods, the garden was slightly transformed, and after World War II it underwent partial reconstruction.
Sentimental Park in Arkadia
Description
The garden in Arkadia, bounded from the west and partly from the south by the Skierniewka (formerly Łupia) Brook, has an elongated, irregular shape. The contexture of the garden's composition is a very rich philosophical and literary programme. Temples, artificial ruins, arcades, an amphitheatre, an aqueduct, a circus, huts, sculptures, columns, urns, sarcophagi, and numerous inscriptions form a variety of scenes intended to evoke certain feelings in the visitor to the garden. The compositional idea was included by Helena Radziwiłł, the creator of the garden, in a guide she compiled for visitors to Arkadia.
The large pond
Arkadia was meant to imitate a mythical Greek land, and architecture was the basic element of the spatial composition. The spatial centre of the site is a large pond with the Isle of Sacrifice, around which the most important buildings are located, including the Temple of Diana and the aqueduct. Plants were an essential accessory and together with the topography they created the scenery, co- created backdrops and frames, and created the garden interiors.
The greenery gave the site an impression of "ageing" by absorbing the buildings. This effect was achieved by introducing fast-growing species and a large number of climbing plants and flower meadows. Today, Arkadia is dominated by native tree species characteristic of riparian and oak and hornbeam communities. The stand, which includes 45 species, has over 3,000 trees, 56 of which are over 120 years old.
Gallery of pointed-arch arcades
The Gothic House is adjoined by a gallery with pointed-arch arcades, probably erected together with the building. It is an artificial ruin running from the House towards the south, down an artificial hill. Fragments of a late Gothic tomb slab with a minuscule inscription were built into the arcades.
Circus
The former circus is located in the southern part of the garden. Designed and built by Enrico Ittar in 1801 on the model of the Roman circus. Only the central obelisk and two extreme cylindrical "metas" have survived to this day, which set the scale of this foundation on the ground. On the obelisk, Princess Helena placed the inscription MUNIFICENTIAE AUGUSTI HELENA POSUIT, dedicated to the Emperor of Russia, Alexander I, to whom she owed the materials – marbles and granites used for the construction of the Circus.
Ittar’s Pillars
Historically, the garden was excited by a gate made of two rectangular blocks of pink Ingrian limestone, called after its designer Ittar's Pillars, which were topped with marble masks in the shape of acroteria (the masks have been removed and secured in the Museum, they will return to the site in the form of copies). Currently, the pillars enclose an alley that leads to a gate with utility functions.
Caretaker’s House
The building located in the northern part of the establishment was constructed after 1936 in the form of an architecturally modest cottage with a brick homestead. After the war, it was adapted for utility rooms.
Sentimental Park in Arkadia
Chronology
- 1774
In 1774, the Nieborów estate became the property of Michał Hieronim Radziwiłł, swordsman of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, and his wife Helena née Przeździecka. In 1780, the village of Łupia (later Arkadia) was incorporated into the Nieborów estate. The new owners added new elements to the Nieborów garden and transformed its eastern part into a landscape layout in keeping with the spirit of the age. In - 1778
Helena Radziwiłłowa established the Sentimental Garden in Arkadia. Work on its decoration continued until her death in 1821. - 1945
The Nieborów estate remained the Radziwiłłs' property until January 1945, when a branch of the National Museum in Warsaw was established on the grounds of the palace and garden complex in Nieborów and the Arkadia garden. The Museum also received part of the farmland, including meadows and pastures, surrounding the Nieborów residence from the east and south. - 1950
The entire layout has been the subject of ongoing conservation care since the 1950s. In the post war years extensive conservation work was carried out here under the direction of Professor Gerard Ciołek, later carried out by the State Enterprise for the Maintenance of Monuments. The individual elements of the layout have been well preserved thanks to the constant and meticulous restoration work carried out by the team of the National Museum in Warsaw and its branch, the Museum in Nieborów and Arkadia. The condition of individual buildings and architectural structures and gardens, although requiring further systematic conservation intervention, is satisfactory.
Sentimental Park in Arkadia
Museum
The palace and garden complex in Nieborów and the sentimental garden in Arkadia are relatively well recognised objects. Over the years, much research work and numerous studies have been carried out here, and many publications and papers have been written about the layout and its elements.
Academic conferences and thematic meetings
Extremely important for the deepening of knowledge about the gardens was the research work of Maria Soborska and Professor Gerard Ciołek, and Museum curators Jan Wegner and Włodzimierz Piwkowski. The Museum organises academic conferences and thematic meetings and publishes its own publications. In addition to the permanent exhibition and temporary exhibitions, the Museum currently holds about 200 educational events per year, attended by an average of 3,500 people. The permanent educational offer of the Museum in Nieborów and Arkadia includes: 11 thematic paths for preschoolers, about 30 for primary school pupils and 13 educational classes for secondary schools.
Ecology and horticulture
There is a great deal of interest in ecology and horticulture classes tailored to the age group, such as: Secrets of Princess Helena's Garden, Unusual Properties of Ordinary Plants, A Fascinating Journey into the World of Trees, The Landed Property – A Family Multi-branch Enterprise, The Work of the Gardener – A Gardener's Guide from Years Past. In addition to the lessons, the schedule of events includes the Night of Museums in May and the European Heritage Days in September, as well as the open-air opera performances held every September.
Cultural and educational events
Apart from the permanent educational offer, the Museum organises occasional cultural and educational events accompanying important museum events, such as the 70th anniversary of the Museum or exhibitions and events dedicated to the history of the former owners of the estate (e.g. 200th anniversary of Helena Radziwiłłowa's death commemorated by naming a new rose species after her), to the creators of the present day Museum (e.g. "The Garden as a complex organism. On the works carried out in the Nieborów Garden by Prof. Gerard Ciołek and his team") as well as the achievements and fate of Nieborów's gardeners (e.g.: the event accompanying the publication of "The Gardener's Report by Józef Borecki" as part of the Museum's series of popular science books.
Sentimental Park in Arkadia
Observations
The palace and garden complex in Nieborów and the former summer residence of the Radziwiłłs in Arkadia are under legal conservation protection by being entered in the register of monuments.
By virtue of the decree of the President of the Republic of Poland, the "Nieborów and Arkadia – palace - garden complex and sentimental-romantic garden" was also declared a Monument of History (Decree of the President of the Republic of Poland of 22.11.2017; Journal of Laws of 2017, item 2274).