Palace and church in Smolice in Greater Poland – a Neo-Baroque work of Wrocław architecture company “Gaze & Böttcher”

Ewa Grochowska, Krzysztof Stefański

doi:10.37190/arc210302

Abstract

The article deals with the former palace of the von Zieten family and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Smolice, both located in southern Greater Poland, which are the most interesting neo-baroque architectural complexes in the early 20th century in Poland. Both are the work of Wrocławbased company “Gaze & Böttcher”, which has not yet been noticed by researchers. The buildings were founded by Helena von Zietzen née Woller, who financed these using the legacy of her father Samson Woller, a Lower Silesian industrialist. The palace was built in 1908–1911 in two or three phases as an extension of the previously existing small residence of Woller. The palace was built in 1908–1911 in several phases as an extension of the previously existing small Woller residence. At the same time, in the years 1907–1909, a large neo-baroque church with an axial composition on a cross plan was erected. Artists and craftsmen from Wrocław and Berlin took part in the decoration of the temple. The palace in Smolice was mentioned in the publications of such researchers as T.S. Jaroszewski and J. Skuratowicz, however it was mainly considered the work of unrecognized artists. The archival research carried out by the authors made it possible to find the original designs of the palace by renowned architectural firm “Gaze & Böttcher” from Wrocław, which changed this situation. The authors of the article, based on archival and bibliographic research as well as examination of autopsy objects, determined the authorship of the palace and the stages of its expansion, and in the case of the church, the authorship of individual elements of the interior. The architectural forms of the complex in Smolice were analyzed in the context of the achievements of “Gaze & Böttcher” company, which allowed us both to find common style features with other works of the Wrocław architectural office, and the distinctiveness determining the value of the buildings erected in Smolice.

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2021

3(67)

DOI: 10.37190/arc210302

Ewa Grochowska*, Krzysztof Stefański**

Palace and church in Smolice in Greater Poland

– a Neo-Baroque work of Wrocław architecture company

“Gaze & Böttcher”

Smolice is a village situated in southern Greater Po-

land, in the vicinity of the border with Lower Silesia.

Nowadays, it is located within Krotoszyn district, in Ko-

bylin commune. Nearby, ve kilometres south of Smolice,

there is Jutrosin, next to which, in Sielec Stary, represent-

atives of the Greater Poland branch of the Czartoryski

princes resided. Until the mid-1700s, the Smolice manor

belonged to the Umiński family [1], [2], and from 1860 to

Erazm Stablewski whose sons led the indebted property to

be auctioned [3]. In 1878, the estate was acquired by Sam-

son Woller, an industrialist from Leśna in Lower Silesia.

Subsequently, he also purchased the neighbouring Dłoń

This is how the history of the village saw the beginning of

a new chapter, resulting in important investments which

have been shaping its image ever since.

The aim of this article is to present the history of the

buildings which make Smolice signicant for the modern

history of Polish art and for the German architecture of the

early 20

century: the von Zieten palace and the parish

church. The aim is also to analyse their artistic value as

representatives of Neo-Baroque. To this end, the available

literature regarding the locality was used, together with

documents from the archives in Poznań and Toruń. Unique

prints and typescripts, stored in Poznań in the University

Library and in the library of The Poznań Society for the

Advancement of Arts and Sciences, were also used. It was

important to inspect both buildings personally, as well

as documents and blueprints kept on site. Only a part of

* ORCID: 0000-0002-5341-4181. Wrocław, e-mail: ewa.beata.

grochowska@gmail.com

** ORCID: 0000-0002-9686-7463.

Institute of History of Art, Uni-

ver sity

of Łódź, Łódź.

State Archives in Poznań, Catastral Oce in Gostyń, no. 638

(Grunt steuerverwaltung Gut Smolice).

the abundant material gathered was used, due to the re-

quirements regarding the length of the text. The material

became an opportunity to closer examine and present the

achievements of Wrocław architecture rm, “Gaze & Bött-

cher”, the authors of the aforementioned works, whose

activity has not hitherto seen an exhaustive analysis.

Samson Woller is an extremely interesting character

– a Jew, a convert, an industrialist connected with Lower

Silesia, who invested in purchasing land in Greater Poland

[4]. Acquiring manors in Dłoń and Smolice was not acci-

dental. The Wollers originated from the abovementioned

Jutrosin and the manufacturer was sentimental about the

area which was his father’s homeland. Woller bought the

estates as a dowry for his daughters: Helena Marianna

(born 1869) and Ottilia Maria (born 1871). Samson Woller

died at the end of 1900 and in his will, he left Smolice to

the older daughter and Dłoń to the younger one

In 1893, Helena married Count Leopold Klemens von

Zieten, a representative of a family originating from the

Dechtow branch (Brandenburg area), whose great-grand-

father, Hans Friedrich Ernst, a general, a participant in the

Waterloo battle, settled down in Lower Silesia. They were

Catholic nobility who would get married to members of

the local noble families, such as the Schagotsch of Ciep-

lice (Warmbrunn). By marrying von Zieten, Helena Woller

acquired a coat of arms and a title of a Countess, bring-

ing into the relationship a perfectly managed latifundium

which generated high income.

When the married couple moved to Smolice, there was

a small palace built by Helena’s father, probably at the turn

of the seventies and the eighties, replacing a wooden manor

State Archives in Toruń, les owned by notary Jan Zakrzewski

from Toruń, no. 92.

14 Ewa Grochowska, Krzysztof Stefański

main entrance on the ground level. It was preceded with

a portico and a driveway. The face was covered with sand-

stone on the ground-level (rst) storey and the second sto-

rey of the avant-corps. However, on the second-storey level

of the lateral parts, and on the third storey of the avant-

corps, the stone facing was only partial. In the high man-

sard roof, three dormers were placed on both sides, with

the middle one enclosed with a stone gable with a motif of

a shell in the tympanum. At the top, the von Zieten coat of

arms carved in sandstone was placed. On the shield eld

the following emblem is placed: a cauldron hook (Keel-

haken), the count crown in the crest, and above a gure of

a young woman with loose hair, in a modest outt (a shirt

with rolled-up sleeves and a laced corset) in a hat with an

ostrich feather, she holds the hook in her right hand.

The north-western end of the new building partly occu-

pied the former chancel of the dismantled wooden church.

It is evidenced by a stone cross placed on the spot of the

former main altar in 1909, mere 5 m from the northern

corner of the new part of the building. The elevation on

this side was made to be more decorative (Fig. 3). It faces

the part of the garden created on the exact site of the old

church, and is preceded by a terrace with a balustrade.

On the axis, a doorway was located, with a at portico,

two ionic columns and a narrow terrace on the top. On

both sides, there are large arcaded windows, crowned with

a semi-oval headstall with the motif of a shell. The en-

tire structure is crowned with a curved pediment of con-

cave-convex prole. In turn, in the western elevation of

the new part, an avant-corps of a staircase appeared, also

topped with a gable, together with an avant-corps tower

topped with a chunky spherical helmet dome.

At the same time, the north-western part of the old palace

was also remodelled. It received a two-storey form, covered

with a high mansard roof. A pseudo-avant-corps, located in

the northern elevation and crowned with a semi-oval ped-

iment, was also modied. In its eld, a date MCMX was

carved, which indicated the time of the restructuring, even

though the works certainly protracted into 1911. Slightly

house. Its initial shape is shown in an undated archival

photo. It was a building erected on a long rectangle plan,

with the façade facing south-west, enriched with a low

tower [5, p. 14]. Right next to it, on the northern side, there

was a wooden St. Adalbert parish church from the 18

cen-

tury, with brick annexes at the chancel and the tower

topped

with a spherical helmet dome with a roof lantern [6].

Most likely, the subsequent extension of the palace oc-

curred at the beginning of the 20

century, after Samson

Woller’s death, when Helena von Zieten became the legal

owner of the estate. Presumably, the count and the coun-

tess desired to live in a manor which would be adequate for

their titles. The new shape of the building is shown on two

postcards from the beginning of 1908 (Fig. 1) [5, p. 13],

[7]. First and foremost, the south-eastern part of the build-

ing was developed. The tower was heightened and covered

with a Neo-Baroque helmet dome of convex-concave pro-

le. At the south-eastern wall of the tower, an avant-corps

appeared with the gamble enclosed by lateral volutes.

On the opposite side, a biaxial, shallow avant-corps was

heightened and enriched with a small nial. The entrance

on the ground level was preceded by a one-storey exten-

sion. Slightly later, in 1908 or 1909, the building was ex-

tended towards north-west. A biaxial avant-corps was add-

ed, topped with a gable on both sides. In the south-western

elevation, in turn, a porch with a terrace appeared on the

second storey. Additionally, from the north east, the build-

ing was lengthened with a one-storey annex with large

arcaded windows. Most of the elevation was faced with

sandstone. It was probably then that the south-east eleva-

tion was also shaped, with the main entrance on the axis.

The von Zieten coat of arms was placed in the gable above.

In 1910, works began on further modications of the

palace, which gave it its nal shape. To this end, an empty

space was used, freed after dismantling a wooden church

a year before. The south-eastern wing was created then,

which took over the role of the main seat. It was given

a representative character by shaping the façade axially

(Fig. 2). In the centre, an avant-corps was placed with the

Fig. 1. South-western view of the palace,

archival photograph from 1908–1909 (source: according to

a photocopy owned by Plant Breeding Smolice Ltd. IHAR Group)

Il. 1. Widok pałacu od południowego zachodu, fotografia archiwalna

z 1908–1909 r. (źródło: fotokopia w posiadaniu firmy:

Hodowla Roślin Smolice Sp. z o.o. Grupa IHAR)

Fig. 2. Palace in Smolice

– front elevation (south-east)

(arch. “Gaze & Böttcher”, photo by E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2019)

Il. 2. Pałac w Smolicach

– elewacja frontowa (płd.-wsch.)

(arch. „Gaze & Böttcher”, fot. E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2019)

PalaceandchurchinSmoliceinGreaterPoland–aNeo-BaroqueworkofWrocławarchitecturecompany“Gaze&Böttcher” 15

later, the north-western elevation was enriched with corner

avant-corpse towers covered with spherical helmet domes,

corresponding to the avant-corps in the western elevation

of the main body of the building

. The roofs are covered

with roof tiles and the helmet domes with galvanised steel

sheets, originally made of copper. The palace is surround-

ed by a carefully composed landscape park, founded by

Jan Nepomucen Umiński at the beginning of the 19

cen-

tury, extended and enriched by Leopold Klemens von Zie-

ten who specially imported new exotic plants.

After the 1910–1911 extension and modications, the

Smolice palace gained its nal L-letter shape, composed

of the main, south-eastern part, and the south-western

wing which was re-shaped from the old building. Despite

several stages of works, the residence presents a uniform

architectural style, namely Neo-Baroque, even though in

various interpretations, which illustrates dierent con-

struction periods. While analysing architectural and deco-

rative elements of the palace, both similarities and notable

dierences between particular parts of the building must

be observed. The earlier part (the south-western wing),

created in several stages, is marked with greater mobility

and decorativeness. Moving elements forward and back-

ward, as well as dierentiating the height of particular

parts of the mansion creates an artful play of the blocks

and contributes to the impression of dynamics. The dom-

inant is constituted by a low tower, divided into two sto-

reys and crowned with a tall helmet dome of an expressive

shape. The plasticity of this part is richer, it is marked with

clearly outlined details, developed with great precision.

In the main part of the building, we deal with a more

massive and compact block. The development of particu-

lar forms and details indicates the willingness to simplify

A photocopy owned by the company: Hodowla Roślin Smolice

Sp. z o.o. Grupa IHAR (Pland Breeding Smolice Ltd. IHAR Group).

and synthetise, which is characteristic of the subsequent

historism, already tending towards modernism. It is par-

ticularly visible in the shape of the roof dormers whose

silhouette is attened and graphic. The northern elevation

was developed in a more decorative way, especially in-

cluding a window in the gamble and using the panoply

motif giving away its connections with the southern wing

of the palace. The element which appears in all the eleva-

tions is the motif of a shell crowning the gambles. Using

it in the newer part of the palace shows a purposeful ref-

erence to the original part. The north-western section is,

in turn, remarkable for its simplicity, enriched by corner

avant-corps towers. A similar element was added to the

north-western elevation of the main part. A similarity with

Heimatstil or Heimatschutzarchitektur can be noticed in

the shape of the avant-corps-towers. This trend was charac -

teristic of the German architecture around 1910–1914 and

meant a return to the “indigenous” motifs [8], [9, p. 152].

Attention must also be paid to the interior of the palace.

In spite of a re which took place in February 1945 [5,

p. 15] and the subsequent adaptation works, a great part

of the lavish interior has luckily been preserved. The main

body and the lateral wing are two-bay. The main entrance

leads through the hallway to the lounge. In its north-west-

ern part, there is a three-ight wooden staircase, separat-

ed by arcades supported by ionic columns and pilasters.

The representative rooms of the ground oor are the “pink

hall” (decor destroyed by the re), the hunting study,

the library and the dining room. The richest interior can

be found in the so-called hunting study, maintained in

the Renaissance-Baroque style, with a wooden coered

ceiling, panelled walls, decorative door woodwork, wall

tapestries, and with a lateral annex at the south-western

wall, separated by wooden columns and openwork deco-

rative balustrade (Fig. 4). In the library, there are in-built

oak wardrobes in English Gothic style, door portals and

a stone replace (currently located in the hall separated

Fig. 3. Palace in Smolice.

North-eastern elevation of the main body of the palace

(arch. “Gaze & Böttcher”, photo by E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2019)

Il. 3. Pałac w Smolicach.

Elewacja północno-wschodnia głównej bryły pałacu

(arch. „Gaze & Böttcher”, fot. E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2019)

Fig. 4. Palace in Smolice.

Interior – the so-called hunting study, southern annex

(arch. “Gaze & Böttcher”, photo by E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2019)

Il. 4. Pałac w Smolicach.

Wnętrze – tzw. salon myśliwski, aneks południowy

(arch. „Gaze & Böttcher”, fot. E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2020)

16 Ewa Grochowska, Krzysztof Stefański

by a wall). The second (originally the main) staircase, in

the lateral wing, is adorned with a stained-glass window

on the landing, with von Zieten coat of arms. In the pre-

served interior of the residence, we can nd a variety of

decorations, characteristic of the late historism, at the turn

of the 19

and 20

centuries. Movable cultural property

did not survive. Source materials also remain unknown.

There are no signatures, which prevents us from dening

the authors. It can only be assumed that they originated

mostly from Wrocław or Berlin area, similarly to the au-

thors of the interior of the nearby church.

After the extensions, the Smolice palace gained a rep-

resentative form, and Helena and Leopold von Zieten

gained a seat deign of their aristocratic position. It is em-

phasized by the coat of arms placed in the façade, by the

motifs of panoply with imperial eagles and the acronym

S.P.Q.R. located in the southern elevation. This can be un-

derstood as an emphasis of Leopold von Zieten’s status

and his political ambitions connected with a career at the

imperial court in Berlin. First and foremost though, it is

a reference to the famous ancestor, Napoleon’s defeater. It

should be added that the palace, erected from the dowry

of Helena von Zieten, was her property, similarly to all

the Smolice estate. It was repeatedly acknowledged in the

archival documents, where she appears as the owner of the

knightlyestateofSmolice. Importantly, her maiden name,

Woller, is always mentioned which is a clear emphasis on

the provenience of her wealth and the rights to Smolice

estate inherited from her father

The palace in Smolice is a unique work in Greater Po-

land. It is remarkable for the quality of execution, the use

of great amount of sandstone veneer

and rich sculpture

detail. That is why it aroused interest of the most impor-

tant researchers of the residential architecture in the 19

and 20

century, namely Jan Skuratowicz and Tadeusz S.

Jaroszewski. The former wrote about the palace in a paper

describing Greater Poland’s residences, referring to it as

a “German execution”, in which Neo-Baroque-Classicist

formswereusedintheirexcellentimperial,Williamesque

version, by which he indicated the Berlin trace. An excel-

lent creation is also mentioned. In the publication, there is

no word of the author but it was emphasised that the same

creator built the von Bernuth family palace in Krzyżanów.

There is no justication of this statement, however, and the

style of the building does not bear great similarities with

Smolice [10, p. 113]. Skuratowicz returned to this issue,

releasing a richly illustrated popular science book in 2020.

Describing the palace in Smolice, he repeats his prior opin-

ion about the Neo-Baroque-Classicist shape of the palace

State Archives Poznań, Cataster Oce in Gostyń, no. 638 (Grunt -

steuer verwaltung Gut Smolice).

It was supposedly a work of “Zeidler & Wimmler” workshop

from Bolesławiec. Founded in 1872, the masonry-carving company

working with high quality sandstone extracted from several nearby quar-

ries, received the title of Kȍnigl. Hofsteinmetzmeister. It provided stone

and carving elements for buildings in Berlin (Reichstag, Lutheran Ca-

thedral), Gdańsk, Saint Petersburg, Dresden and many objects in Silesia.

The sandstone used to build the so-called Imperial Castle in Poznań also

came from this company; see AdressbuchzuBunzlau, Bunzlau 1903,

1913 – advertising vignettes.

and advances a […] courageous thesis… it might be a work

bySławski [11, p. 186]. Furthermore, the building attract-

ed Jaroszewski’s attention. In the article Dwórpolskituż

przedIwojnąświatową [Polish Manor on the Verge of the

World War I], he mentioned the von Zieten palace in Smo-

lice from around 1910, describing it as veryViennese and

suggested its connections with Viennese studio “Fellner

& Helmer”. He thus questioned Skuratowicz’s opinion

about the Neo-Baroqueinitsimperial,Williamesquever-

sion [12, pp. 212, 240, note 16]. In turn, in Architektura

neobarokowa w Polsce [Neo-Baroque Architecture in Po-

land], he wrote: IntheareaofTheGreatDuchyofPoznań,

a beautiful Neo-Baroque palace was built in Smolice

around1910,ofinsofarundeterminedauthorship,remark-

ableforitsViennesecolouring [13, pp. 80, 81].

However, the identication of the actual author of the

Smolice palace did not require particular eorts. In the

collection of the contemporary user of the building, a com-

pany called Plant Breeding Smolice Ltd., a great collec-

tion of the plans (original and copies) of the development

from 1910 was found. On some of them, there are stamps

of architect company from Wrocław “Gaze & Böttcher.

Architecten. Breslau” and the signatures of the creators

(Fig. 5). It is possible to read the dates 20.01.1920 and

August 1910 on some drawings, and in some parts, there

are changes and adjustments drawn in, indicating the crea-

tive process of developing the nal concept of the project.

Among the drawings, a board with a dierent version of

the elevation of the main body of the building survived,

probably slightly earlier chronologically, possibly from

1909, which was rejected. A question arises whether also

the earlier phase of the reconstruction from 1908–1909 is

the work of the Wrocław company. It seems to be the case,

if one takes into account the similarities between particu-

lar elements, such as roofs with dormers or development

of the carved detail.

Shortly before the extension of the palace, another im-

portant investment was made in Smolice. In 1907–1909

a new parish church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was

erected. It replaced the old wooden church mentioned

above which was dismantled to create space for the exten-

sion. The new church was founded by Helena von Zieten,

a patron of the church. In this case, the authorship casts

no doubts. In the parochial collection, there are several

boards containing plans made by “Gaze & Böttcher” [14,

pp. 26–31]

, and there is an additional drawing in the ar-

chives in Poznań (Fig. 6)

Importantly, the original design, dated August 1907,

demonstrates a Neo-Romanesque building with modern-

ist simplications [14, pp. 26, 27]. It was supposed to be

Our thanks for making the plans available go to the vice-president

Mariusz Giermazik and to retired employee Wojciech Niedbał. Already

in the publication from 2015 [4, p. 39], the authors were certain of the

contribution of architect company “Gaze & Böttcher” to the extension of

the palace and building the presbytery and organist house based on very

particular characteristics of these buildings, the time of creation, and the

founder, which was then conrmed by subsequently discovered records.

Archives of the Sacred Heart of Jesus parish in Smolice.

State Archives in Poznań, State Construction Supervision In spec-

tor Rawicz, no. 5044.

PalaceandchurchinSmoliceinGreaterPoland–aNeo-BaroqueworkofWrocławarchitecturecompany“Gaze&Böttcher” 17

a three-aisle basilica-type building, with a massive tower

and a narthex in the façade. It also possessed a chancel

with three sides at the end, enclosed with a semi-circle

ambulatory on the ground level and anked on two sides

with annexes containing the sacristy and the patron’s pew.

The inuence of the main architectural work of the crea-

tors from Wrocław is visible here, namely of the former

St. John’s Lutheran church in Wrocław. It was created be-

tween 1907 and 1909, so at the time when the Smolice

temple was being developed. With a dierent plan and

shape, as the Wrocław church is a centralised building with

a tower erected over the middle part, we can still

notice

Fig. 5. Palace in Smolice

– plan of north-western elevation

of the palace in Smolice, 1910

(arch. “Gaze & Böttcher”,

source: collection of Plant

Breeding Smolice Ltd.

IHAR Group)

Il. 5. Pałac w Smolicach

– projekt elewacji północno-

-zachodniej pałacu w Smolicach,

1910 (arch. „Gaze & Böttcher”,

źródło: ze zbiorów firmy:

Hodowla Roślin Smolice Sp.

z o.o. Grupa IHAR)

Fig. 6. Palace in Smolice

– plan of side elevation of

parish church in Smolice, 1908

(“Gaze & Böttcher”,

source: collection of State

Archives in Poznań)

Il. 6. Pałac w Smolicach

– projekt elewacji bocznej

kościoła parafialnego

w Smolicach, 1908

(arch. „Gaze & Böttcher”,

źródło: ze zbiorów Archiwum

Państwowego w Poznaniu)

18 Ewa Grochowska, Krzysztof Stefański

many similarities in the styling of the Rhein Romanesque

architecture. The Romanesque forms, initially suggested

by “Gaze & Böttcher” for Smolice, could have also been

inspired by a church in the nearby village of Jutrosin. The

temple designed by Tomasz Pajzderski, erected there be-

tween 1900 and 1902, was built thanks to the nancial

support of Father Zdzisław Czartoryski (a priest). It also

referred to the Rhein Romanesque architecture, more spe-

cically to the Speyer cathedral and it was considered one

of the most interesting works in Polish sacral architecture

at the time [15].

A spacious, rectangular building plot was allotted for

the church in Smolice, sectioned o from the park sur-

rounding the palace, slightly less than 100 m north-west

of the residence. It is likely that the construction works

began and the foundations were laid in September – it is

evidenced by the date 1907 placed in a stained-glass win-

dow as a commencing date of erecting the temple. How-

ever, shortly afterwards, an important conceptual change

regarding the architecture occurred. In January 1908,

a new project by the same authors was created, presenting

a completely dierent shape of the building. This time,

the church assumed Neo-Baroque features. The designers,

however, had to respect the original outline of the build-

ing, due to the fact that the foundations had already been

executed. That is why in the new conceptual design, the

church remained a three-aisle basilica, with a semi-circu-

lar chancel with an ambulatory. The lateral parts of the

narthex were formed as chapels, a dierent shape was giv-

en to the annexes near the chancel. A prominent transept

was a new element, which gave the temple a clear outline

of the cross.

Lack of information does not allow us, however, to

unequivocally state the reason for such a radical stylistic

change or what made the Wrocław architects turn towards

Baroque. Baroque elements appear already in their earlier

works, which will be discussed below, but in a denitely

modernised interpretation, far from historical schemes. In

this case, the motifs used, despite certain simplications

and the tendency to synthetise, are of visibly conservative

nature. Surely, the change of the design was decided by

the founder of the church, Helena von Zieten, who sup-

posedly wanted to create a stylistically uniform complex

of buildings referring to Baroque, the era of bloom of sa-

cral and residential architecture, which was at the same

time closer to the tradition of the local area. It might also

have been important to make reference to the Baroque de-

cor of the old temple, which will be discussed later.

The church

was built quickly, as it was completed

in September 1908 by crowning it with a radiant cross

forged in iron. At the foot of the cross, in a sphere, com-

memorating documents were placed. They read, among

other things, that […]thisnewparishchurchwasfound-

edanderectedbytheheiroftheestateinSmolice,Her

ExcellencyCountessvonZieten,néeWoller,at herown

cost [14, pp. 32–35]. At the time, the building was in shell

condition, and nishing works lasted well until the next

year. On 21

October 1909 the temple was nally conse-

crated. Adding the decorations and furnishing protracted

until 1913 [14, p. 8].

A large-scale work was created (45.5 × 21 m), situat-

ed on the north-west – south-east axis (similarly to the

palace), with the chancel on the south-east, with clear

Neo-Baroque features in its external architecture (Fig. 7).

It is a building with a three-aisle, three-bay main body

and a transept barely separated on the plan, but much

clearer in the actual building. The chancel part is ter-

minated with a semi-circle, including a low ambulatory

and two lateral annexes. The massive building is domi-

nated by a three-storey tower situated on the axis of the

façade, with the main entrance on the ground level. The

semi-circular doorway is enclosed by a portal with col-

umns on the sides, and with a motif of a double cartouche

in the keystone. In the eld of the lower part of the car-

touche, an image of Sacred Heart of Jesus in radiant glory

was placed. In the upper part, there is a Christogram. The

whole doorway is crowned with the image of the Christ

modeled after a famous work by Bertel Thorvaldsen. The

portal was made of honey sandstone and the Christ g-

ure probably of terracotta, similarly to other sculptures

adorning the gambles of the transept. Within the second

storey, there are round holes, originally meant for clocks.

The tower is crowned by a slender pear dome, covered

with copper plate. The main entrance to the church leads

We would like to thank Ms Dorota Krajewska for her help in exa-

mining the interior of the church.

Fig. 7. Parish church in Smolice – general outlook

(photo by E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2019)

Il. 7. Kościół parafialny w Smolicach – widok ogólny

(fot. E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2019)

PalaceandchurchinSmoliceinGreaterPoland–aNeo-BaroqueworkofWrocławarchitecturecompany“Gaze&Böttcher” 19

through a porch located on the ground level of the tower,

with adjacent lateral porches, shaped as central domed

chapels built on a square plan, covered with helmet domes

on tholobates. Lateral elevations were developed in a mod-

est way. Along the main body of the nave and aisles, they

are divided by lesenes separating particular bays. In each

bay there is a window: in the lower part, these are hori-

zontal oval windows; in the upper part, the windows are

arcaded. Particular storeys are divided by at cornices.

Signicantly more opulent forms were given to the high

ele vations of gable walls of the transept, divided into

three storeys. The lower storey is divided by pilasters in

the composite order, between which tall, narrow windows

were placed, each enclosed by a half-moon. The signi-

cantly smaller middle storey, laterally enclosed with vo-

lutes, repeats the divisions of the lower storey. In the cen-

tre, a rectangular window was built and to the sides, niches

with gures of saints were created. The highest storey, also

laterally enclosed with volutes and a centrally placed niche

containing a gure of a saint, is crowned with a triangular

pediment.

The chancel part is built of several dierent blocks.

Slightly lower than the main body, the apsidial chancel

is circumvented by a low ambulatory. On the sides, there

are the aforementioned annexes, namely the sacristy in

south-east and the patron’s pew in the north-east. They re-

ceived the form of circular chevets with domed roofs cov-

ered with a copper plate. The main body and the transept

are covered with tall gable roofs, the chancel is covered

with a semi-circular roof, and the aisle and ambulatory

with shed roofs. The entire roof is made with ceramic roof

tiles. In the crossing, there is a ridge turret with a copper

pear dome.

The interior of the church is dominated by a wide three-

bay nave covered with barrel vaults with lunettes. On the

sides, there are low aisles separated from the nave with ar-

cades supported by four-sided pillars adorned with pilas-

ters. The nave merges into the transept space. The square

crossing is covered with a attened dome, also circular

in shape. The wings of the transept are covered with bar-

rel vaults. The chancel part was divided into a bay of the

width of the nave, and a narrower apse with two small

arcaded windows (Fig. 8).

The decor and furnishing of the church attract atten-

tion with their opulence and thoughtful composition, con-

necting the 18

-century altar settings and the famous-for-

Fig. 8. Sacred Heart of Jesus parish church in Smolice – the interior (photo by E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2020)

Il. 8. Kościół parafialny Najświętszego Serca Jezusa w Smolicach – wnętrze (fot. E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2020)

20 Ewa Grochowska, Krzysztof Stefański

miracles Marian image with a new main altar and the

remaining elements. They were executed in the Neo-Ba-

roque style, so that they would match the original decor

of the dismantled church. This way, they created a harmo-

nious whole and ideologically referred to the era of a tri-

umph of Catholicism and a high position of the aristocra-

cy. The founder emphasised her role in the creation of the

temple, putting herself in the lower part of a stained-glass

window with an inscription: HELENA COMITESSA DE

ZIETEN.

NATA. WOLLER.// HANC ECCLESIAM. AE-

DIFICAVIT.

A.D. MCMVII=IX.//. The window contain-

ing her image together with her patron Saint Helena, and

another window with the image of her husband and his

patron saint were placed on the right of the transept. Orig-

inally, they were separated with a baroque altar containing

a 17

-century copy of the icon of Our Lady of Częstocho-

wa (today, the interior is partially changed) (Fig. 9). The

spouses thus made a reference to the history of the place

and became worshipers of the famous image. The main al-

tar with images of Christ with burning heart (the other one

functions as a veil), makes reference to the dedication of

the church. In this way, the Smolice temple became a site

of worshiping Holy Mary and the Sacred Heart of Christ.

The authors of the rich decor and furnishing of the

church must also be mentioned. Nowadays, a majority

of artists whose works ll the space of the building are

known. They are people connected with the artisan-artis-

tic environment of Wrocław and Berlin. The altars and the

adorning gures were created in a famous Wrocław studio,

i.e. workshop of Carl Buhl [16]. The main altar for Smo-

lice was presented at an exhibition of religious art in 1910

[17]. In the church, the altar was completed with images

of Christ, both of which were signed and dated. They were

executed by recognised painters of those times, namely

Angelo Count von Courten from Munich (1910) [18] and

Gottfried Hofer, a painter and lithographer connected with

Berlin (1915) [19]. Hofer is also the designer of the afore-

mentioned stained-glass windows depicting the owners of

the estate with their patrons saint, both executed by Adolf

Eckhardt in his Charlottenburg workshop [20, pp. 266–

270]. The organ screen is probably designed by Buhl’s

workshop, and the instrument was executed at Wilhelm

Saur’s workshop [21]. Three bells, conscated during the

World War II, were cast in a Wrocław bell foundry of Al-

bert Geitner [22, p. 94], [23]. The works connected with

covering of the domes with copper, as well as the radiant

cross crowning the church tower were executed by an ar-

tisan coming from Wrocław – Emil Lehmann [14, p. 8].

The palace and the church, a secular building and a sa-

cral one (together with several adjacent buildings) located

in Smolice and founded by Countess Helena von Zieten,

neé Woller, create an architectural complex of high qual-

ity from the beginning of the 20

century, maintained in

the Neo-Baroque style (Fig. 10). The complex has barely

been noticed in the literature so far. It is enough to men-

tion that in the KatalogzabytkówsztukiwPolsce [Cata-

logue of Monuments of Art in Poland], only the church is

mentioned, without the authors, and the manor park from

the 18

century, […] locatednearapalacefrom1910 [24,

p. 41]. The creator of this complex is “Gaze & Bött cher” ar-

chitectural company, operating mainly in Wro cław and in

Silesia, whose portfolio contained many realised projects

in the rst decades of the 20

century. The company has

not received particular attention so far. Their works are

only briey mentioned in Atlas architektury Wrocławia

[Atlas of Wrocław Architecture] [25] and Leksykon ar-

chitekturyWrocławia [Lexicon of Wrocław Architecture]

[26]. A more exhaustive description presenting the archi-

tects and their works is included in the latter publication

and a note prepared by the same author in Encyklopedia

Wrocławia [Encyclopaedia of Wrocław] [27], couting a do -

zen lines. In LeksykonarchitekturyWrocławia, the church

of Smolice is mentioned, althougt the date of execution is

erroneous – 1909 [26, p. 972].

Fig. 9. Sacred Heart of Jesus parish church in Smolice – stained-glass windows in the south-western transept:

a) Helena von Zieten, née Woller, b) Leopold von Zieten, 1913 (photo by E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2020)

Il. 9. Kościół parafialny Najświętszego Serca Jezusa w Smolicach – witraże w transepcie południowo-zachodnim:

a) Helena von Zieten ur. Woller, b) Leopold von Zieten, 1913 (fot. E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2020)

a b

PalaceandchurchinSmoliceinGreaterPoland–aNeo-BaroqueworkofWrocławarchitecturecompany“Gaze&Böttcher” 21

The company was founded by Alfred Böttcher (1872–

1926) and Richard Gaze (1872–1943), peers, working

together after completing the apprenticeship, from 1901

until Böttcher’s death. Their achievements include villas,

palaces, industrial estates, public facilities, and a few re-

ligious buildings. They used historical motifs modied to

a great degree, initially in the spirit of Art Nouveau which

was a leading trend at the beginning of the 20

century.

Subsequently, they introduced solutions which were clos-

er to the early modernism and elements of the “indige-

nous” style (Heimatstil).

Religious architecture plays an important role in their

artistic work, connected – apart from Smolice and Sisters

of Mercy of St. Borromeo chapel in Gliwice (Gleiwitz)

– with Lutheran religion and the area of Lower and Up-

per Silesia. Their most important work of this kind is the

aforementioned former church of St. John (currently Ro-

man Catholic St. Augustine church) in Wrocław. In 1903,

a contest was announced for the design of a temple which

was supposed to be erected in the southern, fast-develop-

ing at the beginning of the century district of Wrocław,

in what is now Sudecka Street. The awarded works were

not realised, though. Instead, the proposal put forward by

“Gaze & Böttcher” was chosen [28], [29]. It was a great

success for the young architects, which opened doors to

subsequent prestigious commissions. The building was

erected in 1907–1909 – exactly the same time as the

church in Smolice. One of the most monumental build-

ings in the capital of the Lower Silesia was created. The

church was built on the plan of a cross, with a large square

space covered with a dome. Its exterior was crowned with

a massive, four-sided tower covered by a slender hipped

helmet dome. Rhenish Romanesque forms were used,

making reference to the “Groß St. Martin” in Cologne,

and the stone veneer gave a monumental feel to the build-

ing. Inside, introducing elements of late geometricised Art

Nouveau draws attention [30].

The rst completed work of the company was, howev-

er, a church in Klecina (Klettendorf) near Wrocław (now-

adays a district of the city), consecrated in September

1905. It is a building of loosely interpreted Neo-Gothic

shapes. It presents a three-aisle basilica structure includ-

ing a chancel with straight-ended termination and a three-

bay cloister at the front. The façade is dominated by a lat-

eral high tower with a slender hipped helmet dome. On the

opposite side, there is a corresponding octagonal lower

tower. Inside, the nave is covered by a wooden roof and

the aisles contain wooden galleries. The church was high-

ly valued – it was emphasised that using simple means,

the architects managed to create a non-pretentious work,

well-suited to the suburban surroundings [31].

The architects further developed the solutions used in

Klecina in the two following religious buildings. In 1907–

1908, simultaneously with churches in Wrocław and Smo-

lice, which meant a highly intensive period for the com-

pany, a temple in Oborniki Śląskie near Trzebnica was

created (Obernigk / Bad Obernigk)

. It was composed as

a massive brick construction of three aisles, with the nave

covered with a tall gable roof, and the aisles covered with

transverse mansard roofs. The façade received a triangular

shape, with the main entrance enclosed with an arcaded

portal and triangular shallow avant-corps. A tower in the

western corner of the building constitutes a dominant, with

a corresponding lower tower in the eastern corner, covered

with a spherical helmet dome, similarly to the avant-corps

towers of the Smolice palace. Inside, the galleries in the

aisles were supported by low stone pillars. Stained-glass

windows by Adolph Seiler are an important element of the

decor of the church. The church presents Romanesque mo-

tifs loosely interpreted in the spirit of modernism, connect-

ed with Baroque-related elements (helmet domes, roofs).

Nowadays, church of St. Juda Taddeus and St. Anthony of Padua.

Fig. 10. Site plan of Smolice:

A – palace, B – church

(according to the Polish Army staff

map from the interwar period)

Il. 10. Plan sytuacyjny Smolic:

A – pałac, B – kościół

(wg mapy sztabowej Wojska

Polskiego z okresu

międzywojennego)

22 Ewa Grochowska, Krzysztof Stefański

Slightly later, in 1910–1911, a church of Christ the

King in Prusice (Prausnitz) was erected

. Its massive

silhouette reminds us of the previously described build-

ing. However, instead of Romanesque solutions, we nd

inspirations by architecture of the late northern Renais-

sance here, together with strong modernist trends. The

structure of the façade is identical to the one in Klecina,

with a high corner tower and a lower one on the other side

of the front elevation. Introducing stone veneering at the

plinths was a novelty, so was extending the stone portal,

which gives the building a more solemn appearance. In

the development of particular details, namely the staircase

at the tower and small bay windows anking the portal,

the modernist tendencies are visible.

What is more, “Gaze & Böttcher” could boast sever-

al important realizations in the area of secular building.

They certainly include the town hall in Kamienna Góra

(Landshut) from 1904–1905 (Fig. 11). The building pos-

sesses features of northern Renaissance, consisting of two

wings of dierent heights, between which a massive tow-

er was placed. The building is remarkable for its abundant

Nowadays, St. Joseph church, aliated with St. Jacob Apostle

parish in Prusice.

stone detail with carved decorations and lavish interior

[32]. However, palaces and villas by “Gaze & Bött cher”

are more important in the context of the palace in Smo-

lice. The 1910 palace in Skorogoszcz (Schurgast) on East-

ern Neisse near Brzeg (non-existent, demolished after

the war) [33] and simultaneously restructured palace in

Kamieniec (Kaminietz) near Tarnowskie Góry must both

be mentioned here. Especially the latter object displays

forms similar to the solutions used in Smolice, such as

the shape of the roofs and the gable, as well as the por-

tico adorned with stone lions supporting the scutcheons

(Fig. 12). The circular chapel adjacent to the building is

a reminiscence of the annexes at the chancel of the Smo-

lice church. A number of features similar to the archi-

tecture of the palace in Smolice can also be found in the

Herman Dzialas villa in Zalesie in Wrocław (currently the

Monastic House of the Carmelite Sisters at no. 1, M. Kar -

łowicza Street) [34]. Furthermore, “Gaze & Böttcher” are

the authors of a student corporation “Lusatia” building

in Wrocław, dated 1906, (currently the Youth Cultural

Centre “Śródmieście” [Downtown]), presenting forms of

modernised Baroque, close to the solutions used in Smo-

lice (composition of the gable and rich stone detail) [35].

The listed structures do not exhaust the achievements

of the Wrocław architects. They were also active after the

Fig. 11. Town Hall in Kamienna Góra (Landshut), 1904–1905

(arch. “Gaze & Böttcher”,

photo by E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2021)

Il. 11. Ratusz w Kamiennej Górze (Landshut), 1904–1905

(arch. „Gaze & Böttcher”,

fot. E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2021)

Fig. 12. Palace in Kamieniec (Kaminietz) near Tarnowskie Góry – façade.

Restructuring by “Gaze & Böttcher”, 1910

(photo by E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2021)

Il. 12. Pałac w Kamieńcu (Kaminietz) koło Tarnowskich Gór – fasada.

Przebudowa „Gaze & Böttcher”, 1910

(fot. E. Grochowska/K. Stefański, 2021)

PalaceandchurchinSmoliceinGreaterPoland–aNeo-BaroqueworkofWrocławarchitecturecompany“Gaze&Böttcher” 23

World War I, until 1926, when Böttcher died. From that

period, their most important work was certainly “Haus

Oberschlesien” hotel in Gliwice, realised in 1924–1928.

After war damage and rebuilding, it now houses the Mu-

nicipal Oce. The most important part of “Gaze & Bött-

cher” achievements dates back to pre-1914. It places

the company among the most interesting workshops in

Wrocław at the time. The architects remained in the area

of historical forms, skillfully modifying them, however,

and introducing elements connected with the new emerg-

ing trends: Art Nouveau, early modernism and the “indig-

enous” style. The complex in Smolice, presented in this

text, occupies a special place in their achievements. It is

a homogeneous architectural-urban work, remarkable for

its high artistic value at the same time.

Translatedby

KatarzynaKępińska

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24 Ewa Grochowska, Krzysztof Stefański

Abstract

Palace and church in Smolice in Greater Poland – a Neo-Baroque work of Wrocław architecture company “Gaze & Böttcher”

The article deals with the former palace of the von Zieten family and the Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Smolice, both located in southern Great-

er Poland, which are the most interesting neo-baroque architectural complexes in the early 20

century in Poland. Both are the work of Wrocław-

based company “Gaze & Böttcher”, which has not yet been noticed by researchers. The buildings were founded by Helena von Zietzen née Woller,

who nanced these using the legacy of her father Samson Woller, a Lower Silesian industrialist. The palace was built in 1908–1911 in two or three

phases as an extension of the previously existing small residence of Woller. The palace was built in 1908–1911 in several phases as an extension of

the previously existing small Woller residence. At the same time, in the years 1907–1909, a large neo-baroque church with an axial composition on

a cross plan was erected. Artists and craftsmen from Wrocław and Berlin took part in the decoration of the temple.

The palace in Smolice was mentioned in the publications of such researchers as T.S. Jaroszewski and J. Skuratowicz, however it was mainly

considered the work of unrecognized artists. The archival research carried out by the authors made it possible to nd the original designs of the palace

by renowned architectural rm “Gaze & Böttcher” from Wrocław, which changed this situation.

The authors of the article, based on archival and bibliographic research as well as examination of autopsy objects, determined the authorship of

the palace and the stages of its expansion, and in the case of the church, the authorship of individual elements of the interior. The architectural forms

of the complex in Smolice were analyzed in the context of the achievements of “Gaze & Böttcher” company, which allowed us both to nd common

style features with other works of the Wrocław architectural oce, and the distinctiveness determining the value of the buildings erected in Smolice.

Key words: Polish architecture of 20

century, German architecture of 20

century, Smolice, architectural company “Gaze & Böttcher”

Streszczenie

Pałac i kościół w Smolicach w Wielkopolsce – neobarokowe dzieło wrocławskiej rmy architektonicznej „Gaze & Böttcher”

Tematem artykułu jest dawny pałac rodziny von Zietenów i kościół pw. Najświętszego Serca Pana Jezusa w Smolicach na terenie południowej

Wielkopolski. Należą one do najciekawszych zespołów architektonicznych utrzymanych w stylistyce neobarokowej na ziemiach polskich początku

XX w. Budowle te powstały jako fundacja Heleny von Tietzen z domu Woller, która snansowała je, wykorzystując spadek po ojcu – dolnośląskim

przemysłowcu Samsonie Wollerze. Pałac powstał w latach w 1908–1911 w kilku fazach jako rozbudowa wcześniej istniejącej niewielkiej rezydencji

Wollera. Jednocześnie w latach 1907–1909 wzniesiony został duży neobarokowy kościół o osiowej kompozycji na planie krzyża. W wystroju świą-

tyni brali udział artyści wrocławscy i berlińscy.

O ile autorstwo kościoła było znane (wrocławska spółka „Gaze & Böttcher”), o tyle pałac w Smolicach, mimo że odnotowywany w publika-

cjach takich badaczy, jak S.T. Jaroszewski i J. Skuratowicz, uchodził za dzieło nierozpoznanych twórców. Jednym z celów artykułu było okre-

ślenie autorstwa pałacu, kolejnym – przedstawienie dziejów budowli. Przeprowadzone przez autorów artykułu badania archiwalne pozwoliły na

odnalezienie oryginalnych projektów pałacu przygotowanych we wrocławskiej rmie architektonicznej „Gaze & Böttcher”. Tym samym, a także

na podstawie kwerendy bibliogracznej oraz badań obiektów z autopsji autorzy artykułu ustalili twórców pałacu oraz fazy jego rozbudowy, a w przy-

padku kościoła autorstwo poszczególnych elementów wystroju. Dokonano analizy form architektonicznych zespołu w Smolicach w kontekście

dorobku rmy „Gaze & Böttcher”, co pozwoliło na odnalezienie zarówno wspólnych cech stylowych z innymi dziełami wrocławskiego biura archi-

tektonicznego, jak i odrębności decydujących o wartości budowli powstałych w Smolicach.

Słowa kluczowe: architektura polska XX w., architektura niemiecka XX w., Smolice, rma architektoniczna „Gaze & Böttcher”