GÅ‚adysze

Gładysze ( German Schlodien ) is a village with 314 inhabitants ( as of 2006) in Poland. It belongs to the municipality Wilczęta in powiat Braniewski, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.

Geography

The village lies between Młynary ( Mulhouse ) and Orneta ( Wormditt ), of two cities each 14 kilometers away, in a hilly landscape, which belongs to the Baltic country back on the river Passarge.

History

The village was mentioned in 1267 as Schloydien. The Old Prussian name refers to " sklaids " and points to a smooth, slippery, watery soil. The noble family Dohna acquired the site in 1643 from the Old Prussian family Werner, in order to round off their lands. Already at that time was located on the western outskirts of the village a modest one-story mansion. Today the remains of the castle there are only to be found.

Castle

Christoph Burggraf and Graf Dohna from neighboring Schlobitten inherited the property in 1688. He probably gave Jean de Bodt the contract to design and construction of a baroque castle, which was built from 1701 to 1704. Originally the palace on a hill near Quittainen should be started, but after two lightning strikes in the laws foundations already planning has changed. The builder moved the new building to its current location, where the single-storey building predecessors had stood.

It was built a two-storey house with H- shaped plan, which was a relatively small country castle with thirteen axes. The building received a facade of brick and plaster strips. The castle had its harmonious proportions and bribed the viewer through the almost restrained, closed design. A central projection with triangular pediment emphasized to both sides of the park and driveway to the main axis of the building. The slated mansard roof rounded this impression from skillfully.

The plant was steadily enlarged and renovated. This was followed by, for example Kavalierhäuser, orangery and gatehouse to the plant to supplement or adjust the respective claims of the residents. Another special Schlodien had a separate kitchen house. This meant that all the food in the summer and in winter had to be worn -capped and protected by the offshore yard in the castle. This kitchen house was used until 1945.

The rich interior stemmed in part from the Dutch rule Vianen and was going through an inheritance of the wife of the builder after Schlodien, among which were valuable furniture and paintings of Dutch origin as well as Flemish tapestries.

A baroque park according to a design by Carl- Florus Dohna surrounded the house, but this was remodeled in 1800 into an English landscape garden. During this time, a Chinese tea house and a children's home in the park were built in the style of some kilometers farmhouse. A greenhouse was used in winter to keep the delicate Seville orange. Side of the park was a large orchard. A comprehensive review of the entire park was in 1867 according to plans by Bromberger garden director Johann Larass.

Lay south-west of the castle, about 300 meters away, the associated agricultural farm estate, the Vorwerk.

By January 1945, Schlodien owned by the Viscount and Earl Dohna and was also inhabited by them. After the capture by the Red Army the hitherto intact palace was looted. The farm estate was converted into a state-owned production company and used the castle as a grain warehouse and later as a discotheque. There followed a prolonged vacancy. Pieces of equipment, especially ancestral portraits have been preserved and now exhibited in museums in Olsztyn and Morag.

Efforts to save the plant, were zunichtegemacht by a fire in 1986. Today, only the burned outer walls remain. The Warsaw-based Polish- German Foundation for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in the Warmia has set itself the goal to rebuild the ruins and restore the park.