Kórnik Castle

The Kórnik Castle is a Neo-Gothic castle with a park in Kórnik in Poznański powiat in Poland. It is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Greater Poland Voivodeship.

History

The historical origins of the castle date back to the Middle Ages, when it was owned by the Górka, which began to build their family residence in the 14th century. To 1430, the protection of a moated, walled castle was completed. The only access led by a lift bridge. To date, the old walls and the basement are from this period. In the 16th century the castle was rebuilt into a Renaissance-style castle. 1574 visited King Henryk Walezy the Kórnik Castle, who was on the way to the coronation in Kraków. The next heyday the castle when it was owned by Theofila Szołdrska - Potulicka, born Działyńska. They converted it into a residence in the Baroque style. In the 19th century the castle on behalf of Tytus Działyński after a design by Karl Friedrich Schinkel was rebuilt. The last owner Władysław Zamoyski bequeathed it in 1924 to the Polish people.

Today

Today, the castle houses a museum with an important picture gallery. It is also the seat of the Library of the Polish Academy of Sciences. It is surrounded by a 40 acre Arboretum, the largest and oldest in Poland.