Historic homes and estates around Poland

Many of the most aesthetically and historically interesting stately homes in Poland are accessible to the public. You may be able to spend the weekend at a charming bed-and-breakfast located in a refurbished manor house, enjoy lunch in a restored castle’s restaurant, or explore the botanical gardens now maintained on a historic estate. Below are some resources to help you learn more about such properties or to plan a visit

Detail from the panorama of Warszawa in “Civitates Orbis Terrarum” (1617)Maps and databases of stately homes

General databases of historical properties across Poland – including ruined, restored, and adapted stately homes – can be found on Castellan’s page dedicated to comprehensive maps and databases of such properties.

Stately homes operating as hotels

Many of the historic estates within Poland have been lovingly restored for use by the public and now operate as hotels that often include their own restaurants, spas, and banquet or conference facilities. Some have been adapted into exclusive four- or five-star luxury hotels, while others offer more affordable accommodations; some are large facilities, while others are run as more intimate bed-and-breakfasts.

Historic hotel associations

There are a number of nonprofit associations or groups of Polish hotels that are located within castles, palaces, or stately homes. For example:

  • Heritage Hotels Poland (the Fundacja Hotele Historyczne) maintains an English-language website with information on about 30 palaces and stately homes in Poland that are operated as hotels, with photos and links for online booking.
  • Hotele Historyczne Polska (the Stowarzyszenie Hotele Historyczne w Polsce) maintains a Polish-language website with information on over 40 palaces and stately homes in Poland that are operated as hotels, with photos and links to the hotels’ websites.

Databases of hotels housed in historical properties

A number of online galleries and databases have been developed to help travellers discover charming hotels, restaurants, and other facilities that are housed on historical estates around Poland. For example:

  • The Hospitable Historical Hotels website, developed by the journalist and publisher Krzysztof Kaniewski, contains photos and contact information for hundreds of Polish hotels housed in restored palaces, manor houses, and other historical properties, organized geographically by voivodeship.
  • The Insygnus website maintains a map and database (with photographs and information on services offered) for roughly 40 hotels, restaurants, and conference centers housed in historic manors, palaces, villas, townhouses, and castles across Poland.

Review articles by travel writers

A number of travel writers, bloggers, and websites have published articles introducing and reviewing some of Poland’s most notable and appealing hotels that are located within historic castles, palaces, or manors. English-language articles include:

Polish-language articles include:

Booking sites

In addition to Heritage Hotels Poland and Hotele Historyczne Polska, a number of general travel and hotel booking sites include pages dedicated to castles and palaces in Poland, including Travelocity, Polhotels, and Travelmyth.

Stately homes operating as museums

A number of Polish palaces and manors are operated as museums, galleries, or cultural centers that can be visited and enjoyed by the public. Among the most artistically or historically interesting are:

Festivals

Some stately homes that are not normally accessible to the public are opened on special occasions, as part of events like the annual Open Home Festival (Festiwal Otwarte Mieszkania) that takes place in various cities around Poland and the annual Open Garden Festival (Festiwal Otwarte Ogrody) that spans several towns in the Warsaw area.