Transformations of the form and façade of the Lehndorff palace in Sztynort Duży in the light of architectural research

Szymon Bakalarczyk

doi:10.37190/arc230202

Abstract

Rural residential architecture of former East Prussia is a poorly recognized resource, and therefore often marginalized, or superficially assessed on the basis of contemporary visible stylistic features and assumptions related to the chronology of their transformations. This problem also applies to the baroque Lehndorff palace in Sztynort Duży, which is the second largest, preserved to this day modern family residence in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship. The article attempts to recognize the transformations of the form and façade of this building in the light of architectural research. It presents the current state of knowledge and questions raised by the previous authors. Then it discusses the new findings made during the architectural research of the wall structures of the palace façade, taking into account the secondarily obscured perimeter walls. As a result of the observation of changes in the bond, brick material, mortars, plasters and architectural details, juxtaposed with the analysis of published sources, bibliography and some extensive archival materials, eight main construction phases were distinguished. Research resulted in significant changes in the chronology and verification of hypotheses related to undated iconographic sources. It confirmed former hypothesis, that the baroque palace from 1689–1695 had no corner or side avant-corps until the neoclassical expansion. The original composition and color scheme of the façade from that period were determined, as well as new casesuras of both later extensions of the building. The classicist wings were built in the years 1780–1785, and raised in the beginning of 19th century. The neo-Gothic expansion, including raising them again and adding three annexes, was carried out in three stages between 1858–1862. Since then, façades have undergone only minor changes in the area of window openings, mainly in the 1st half of the 20th century, the 1980s, and between 2010 and 2015.

Keywords:
palace
baroque
architectural-research
lehndorf

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2023

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Szymon Bakalarczyk*

Transformations of the form and façade of the Lehndorff palace

in Sztynort Duży in the light of architectural research

Introduction

The rural residential architecture of the former East Prus-

sia is a poorly recognized resource, and thus often marginal-

ized or supercially assessed on the basis of contemporary

stylistic features and assumptions related to the chronol-

ogy of their transformations. This problem also applies to

the Baroque palace of the Lehndor family in Sztyn ort

Duży, which is the second largest surviving modern fami-

ly residence in the Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship.

This article attempts to clarify its history and verify

the hypotheses proposed so far, addressing some of the is-

sues from the paper entitled The Lenhndor Palace in Sz-

tynort – the current state of research, conservation issues

and conservation and construction works, which was pre-

sented at the ArchReSCi 2023 Architecture-Research-Sci-

ence conference at the Faculty of Wrocław University of

Science and Technology on 26.03.2023.

State of research

The oldest German-language publications on mansions

and palaces in East Prussia are in the form of catalogues

of monuments [1], [2]. The rst attempts at typology and

comparative analyses were made at the beginning of the

century [3], [4]. Post-war publications are mostly

guidebooks. Among them stands out the most extensive

study in many years in the form of a comprehensive lex-

icon by Małgorzata Jackiewicz-Garniec and Mirosław

Garniec, as well as an article which is the only attempt

at polemics with the proposals of the taxonomy of Ger-

man-speaking authors [5], [6]. None of the publications

discussing the group of architectural objects has attempt-

ed to update the knowledge with the available results of

conservation and/or architectural research.

Carl von Lorck was the rst to undertake a detailed

study of the history and architecture of the palace in Szty-

n ort Duży [7]. He presented the process of construction of

the building in the light of archival bills from the end of the

century, selected architectural patterns in the circle of

Palladian architecture and distinguished the main chrono-

logical phases of its development, which are still valid to-

day. According to his proposal, in the years 1689–1695,

a two-storey palace was erected on the foundations and

partially walls of the ground oor of the building from the

mid-16

century, on a rectangular plan with a shallow front

avant-corps, covered with a high hip roof. In 1829, side

wings covered with gable roofs with a knee wall in the attic

were added to it, and afterwards in the years 1860–1880 the

western tower and the so-called alcoves anking the nave

from the side of the garden façade, covered with tent roofs.

These changes transformed the palace in the classicist and

then neo-Gothic style. Tadeusz Chrzanowski was the rst

Polish historian to briey present the building againstthe

broader background of this type of architecture in Northern

Poland [8]. In 1979, the rst and, until recently, the only

signicant architectural research was carried out, limited to

conrming the chronology proposed by von Lorck and an-

alysing selected partition walls or internal door openings in

the Baroque body

[10]. Some of the potentially interesting

The study lacks a textual part, the available volumes contain pho-

tographic documentation and drawings. Another, fragmentary study was

prepared by students of Conservation at the Faculty of Fine Arts of the

Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń as part of their internship in

1990. It included a oor plan of the cellars with a delamination test and

knots. However, this study is devoid of legend, description and contains

erroneous ndings. The remaining drawings are for inventory purposes [9].

DOI: 10.37190/arc230302

Published in open access. CC BY NC ND license

* ORCID: 0009-0006-1043-7478. Doctoral School of Humanities,

Theology and Arts, Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Poland,

e-mail: s.bakalarczyk@outlook.com

16 Szymon Bakalarczyk

and valuable studies cited in 1996 [11] have now turned

out to be unavailable

. Among them, Kazimierz Wajda’s

“master’s thesis”

from 1974 and two studies by Jan Tajch-

man from 1990

seem to be the most interesting.

Over the past two decades, the discovery of previously

unpublished sources has resulted in renewed attempts to

delineate the history of the building, challenging some of

von Lorck’s hypotheses [12]–[14] regarding the dating of

archival designs and the side avant-corps visible on them

as well as the recognition of Berlin’s urban palaces of the

Schwerin family at Brüderstrasse 2

and Molkenmarkt 1

as direct architectural models

. Over the last two years,

a team led by Joanna Arszyńska has carried out conserva-

tion studies of the façade [15]–[17], distinguishing three

chronological phases

, and the author of this article has

attempted to identify the historical window woodwork in

the palace [18]

Description of own research

Last year, architectural research on the palace began,

aimed at determining its structural transformations from

its foundation to the present day. So far, changes in ma-

sonry structures in terms of façades and secondarily cov-

ered perimeter walls have been analyzed (Fig. 1). The de-

tailed examination of published sources, bibliographies,

parts of extensive archival materials in combination with

The unpublished studies mentioned by Andrzej Żywiczyński have

not been found either in the then place of storage – the archives of the

Provincial Conservator of Monuments in Suwałki, nor in the archives of

the Provincial Oce for the Protection of Monuments in Olsztyn (here-

inafter: WUOZ) or its Branch Oce in Ełk, where the les should have

been placed after the administrative reform in 1999.

Most of the items mentioned in the bibliography are not refer-

enced in the text or footnotes, and the historical information does not go

beyond von Lorck’s ndings. Wajda’s work is not mentioned by any of

the other scholars. Her search only resulted in the nding that on 6 Jan-

uary 1972 Wajda was browsing through the les of the Lehndor family

archive stored in the State Archives in Olsztyn. K. Wajda, Pałac w Szty

n orcie Wielkim jako przykład organizacji budowy w końcu XVII w., 1973

[manuscript].

For example: J. Tajchman, Więźba dachowa nad korpusem głów-

nym pałacu w Sztynorcie Dużym – analiza konserwatorska, Toruń 1990

[manuscript]; Wytyczne konserwatorskie, Pałac Sztynort Duży, woj. su-

walskie, Toruń 1990 [manuscript].

Originally interpreted as unrealised concepts from around 1689,

Anna Poczobutt and Piotr Korduba suggest that the corner avant-corps

could have been made as side projections, while Kilian Heck considers

the drawings to be a reconstruction project from the beginning of the

century, due to the use of a mansard roof, which at the end of the

century was still unheard of in Prussia [12, p. 32], [13, p. 186].

Destroyed during World War II.

Heck based his ndings on corrected dating and family history

[13, pp. 197, 199], while Andrzej Rzempołuch saw models in the works

of Tylman of Gameren associated with Warsaw, primarily in his design

of Brühl’s palace [6, p. 207].

I – classicist nishing layers from the years 1830 and 1850–1880,

II – contemporary expeditions from the beginning of the 20

century and

the years 1950–1981, III – repairs from 1983 to 1989 [15, pp. 14, 17, 61].

The analysis covered all 118 preserved openings of the above-

ground storeys and dismantled wings, stored in various parts of the pal-

ace. The inspection showed that only the remains of cast-iron ironwork

were preserved in the window openings of the cellars, which had not

been inventoried at this stage.

the comparison of changes in the method of bricklaying

of walls

, brick dimensions and execution of architectur-

al details, allowed us to distinguish eight main phases of

construction.

The oldest parts of the walls, related to the rst phase,

i.e. the construction of the residence from the 16

century,

include walls about 110 cm thick in the ground oor zone

made of hand-formed brick

, on the façade mostly in the

English bond, up to the height of the sill of the 1

oor

windows

. In the rear façade, with an irregular spacing of

window axes, this thread is visible only on the west side in

the plinth zone. Above, the English cross bond dominates.

On this wall there are three bays of groin vaults above the

ground oor, intended to be preserved during the Baroque

reconstruction. There are four asymmetrically arranged,

arcaded niches, currently walled up

(Fig. 2a, b). From

the inside, two of them house small rooms, most likely

as storage compartments, while the remaining ones show

the remnants of an external window sill covered with bea-

ver tiles, which means that they were intended for outdoor

display. The perimeter walls were built of two types of

mortar – white lime-sand on the outside, clayey on the

inside, with a brown colour, with a border in the middle of

the wall thickness.

The second phase is related to the Baroque reconstruc-

tion of the palace in the years 1689–1695, after its earlier

devastation in 1658 [12, p. 29], [13, p. 184]. Archival docu-

ments indicate that at that time the roof, ceilings and part of

the walls, which were in poor condition, were demolished

and the 1

oor was rebuilt

, giving the main body a shape

preserved to this day. A symmetrical arrangement of the

façade axes was introduced

, an avant-corps was added

using demolition bricks on the ground oor, and all open-

ings were closed with three-centered arches (Fig. 2c).

From the level of the window sill of the 1

oor, the

façades are made of building material of a smaller format

in a cross bond

. In the façade, the windows of the 1

oor and ground oor were given dimensions of about

The analysis included dierences in brick bond and building ma-

terial, type of mortars and joints, bricklaying of corners, traces of chisels

and additions.

Façade dimensions: ten layers height = 100 cm, brick dimen-

sions: 29/30/30 × 14/14.5/15 × 8/7.5/9 cm. Comparable results were re-

corded on the remaining façades.

An accurate assessment of the height along the entire perimeter

of the preserved walls is hindered by subsequent repairs and re-bricking,

as well as by the historical plaster covering the walls.

Between the axes of the body no. 2 and 3, 3 and 4, 4 and 5, and

6 and 7, counting from the east.

The use of two analogous types of mortar as in the lower parts

raises some doubts as to whether the earlier walls of the 1

oor were

actually demolished and whether this is not a trace of a change in the

format of the building material from the rst phase.

On the remaining façades, the earlier, variable spacing between

widows axes was retained.

Despite the similarity of the format of the building material and

the height of the wall layers as in the rst phase, in the face of the façade

there are visible grooves every second layer of bricks, acting as shreds,

and there is no joint at the junction of the face with the carriages of the

avant-corps attached to them.

Ten layers height = 83 cm, brick dimensions: 28/28/28 ×

13/13/13 × 6/6/6.5 cm.

Transformations of the form and façade of the Lehndor palace in Sztynort Duży 17

Fig. 1. View of the main façades of the building:

a) façade of the main nave and side wings (western façade), b) rear (eastern) façade of the side wings and kitchen tower, c) southern façade,

d) western façade of the southern alcove, e) western façade of the northern alcove, f) northern façade (elaborated by S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

Il. 1. Widok na główne elewacje obiektu:

a) fasada korpusu i skrzydeł bocznych (elewacja zachodnia), b) elewacja tylna (wschodnia) skrzydeł bocznych i wieży kuchennej,

c) elewacja południowa, d) elewacja zachodnia alkierza południowego, e) elewacja zachodnia alkierza północnego, f) elewacja północna

(oprac. S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

c d e f

1.55 m by 2.5 m, in the ground oor of the other façades

openings were made lower by 20 cm.

The body was covered with a hipped, four-storey truss

with lying stools. During the examination of the interi-

ors, in the plaster layer of one of the rooms on the ground

oor, a Baroque beaver-tail tile with a decorative pattern

was found, probably constituting the original roof cover-

ing, preceding – known from iconography and preserved

to this day – at tiles with rounded end, laid on the body

and Classicist wings in double roong, and on the other

annexes in scales.

Relics of nishing layers found during the research in-

dicate that at that time the palace received a façade nish

in the form of thin plaster with white as a background, and

grey plaster dyed in mass was used on the details (rectan-

gular bands of openings

, cornice under the eaves, corner

rustication). Cornices and surrounds have been preserved

in the form of negative relics, but a fragment of the rus-

tication face was found on the eastern wall of the nave,

in the place where the façade of the later side wing was

added. It is an unpainted plaster about 2 cm thick with

An open pit made on the western façade of the nave, at the level

of the lintels of the ground oor windows, showed a horizontal plaster

boundary of the grey surround.

18 Szymon Bakalarczyk

a needle-punched texture (Fig. 3). Its presence in this place

conrms that in the Baroque phase, the building, at least

outside the avant-corps, did not receive either a cordon

cornice between the storeys or corner avant-corps/alcoves,

visible on archival designs of the palace

[19] (Fig. 4).

The remnants of the nish preserved on the western

wall, in the form of a well-preserved wall background and

a trace of a cornice in the under-eaves area within the front

Their implementation was already questioned by von Lorck, who

referred to the results of archaeological research in the interwar period.

tract, also allow us to reject the thesis of Poczobutt and

Cordoba about the original construction of avant-corps

at the side walls without protruding them in front of the

façade of the nave [12, p. 32], [13, p. 186].

The walls of the side wings with window openings

with jambs

, smaller than in the Baroque nave

, pre-

Made of hand-formed bricks in a cross weft with a thickness of

47 cm, ten layers height = 87 cm.

Clear approximately 1.25 by 2.20 m on the ground oor, on the

upper oor with the height reduced to 1.60 m.

Fig. 2. The rear façade of the nave with the alcoves, which were added in the third stage of the fifth phase:

a) the average border of the walls from the first and second phases and the location of the arcaded niches are marked on the view,

b) a close-up of the most visible niche by the door to the garden living room

(it has chiseled edges below the arch; both the window and the door have rebuilt lintels and glyphs),

c) the 1

floor window with a clearly legible three-centered arch of the lintel.

Below the window sill, the border of the walls of the first and second phase is visible (photo by S. Bakalarczyk, 2022)

Il. 2. Elewacja tylna korpusu wraz z alkierzami, które dodano w trzecim etapie fazy piątej:

a) na widoku zaznaczono uśrednioną granicę murów z pierwszej i drugiej fazy oraz lokalizację arkadowych nisz,

b) zbliżenie na najlepiej widoczną niszę przy drzwiach do salonu ogrodowego

(ma rozkute krawędzie poniżej łuku; zarówno okno, jak i drzwi mają przemurowane nadproża i glify),

c) okno piętra z dobrze czytelnym łukiem koszowym nadproża.

Poniżej parapetu widoczna granica murów pierwszej i drugiej fazy (fot. S. Bakalarczyk, 2022)

Transformations of the form and façade of the Lehndor palace in Sztynort Duży 19

served in the western wing up to the level of the inter-sto-

rey cornice, and in the eastern wing to the ceiling above

the 1

oor, can be attributed to the third phase

Despite the mirror-like external form, the wings dier in

the way their avant-corps

is built and the internal layout,

which requires further analysis. This scope should be asso-

ciated with the extension of the residence in the 1780s

In the ground oor of West wing: ten layers height = 91–92

cm. In the ground oor of East wing: 10w = 84–87, brick dimensions:

29/29.5/31 × 14.5/14.5/15 × 7.5/7/7 cm. In the 1

oor of East wing 10w

= 81.5 cm, brick dimensions: 29/29/29 × 14/14.5/15 × 6.5/7/7 cm.

On the eastern side, the part of the shallow avant-corps is led out

in the wall, while on the west side there are only selected rows of bricks,

on which the glued tiles and at bricks are supported.

Taking into account the plan referred to by von Lorck from 1770,

the earlier occurrence of smaller avant-corps or wings from the begin-

ning of the 18

century is unlikely. The indication that they already ex-

isted at that time is probably the result of a mistake, since there is “no

visible trace” of them in the drawing (“auf zwei Flügelanbau=Entwürfen

keine Spur sichtbar ist”) (see: [7, p. 13]), [12, p. 32]).

According to the notes of Ernst Ahasverus Heinrich Lehn-

dor, in 1779 the roof and all cornices and windows in the

palace were made anew

, which, however, contradicts

the records of the following year, in which he complains

about the condition of the woodwork

By October 1780, the foundations of the new wing

had been made [20, p. 167], and ve years later nishing

works were still being carried out

. The wings are visible

for the rst time on a plan from 1807, in which, due to the

incorrect capture of their proportions, they were interpret-

ed as Baroque alcoves [22]. A more detailed plan from

1809 correctly shows their proportions and indicates that

they were covered with identical gable roofs [23] (Fig. 5).

Ich hab dies Jahr […] das Dach meines Hauses sowie alle Fens-

ter und Gesimse neu gemacht [20, pp. 122–128].

Auch an meinem Hause habe ich immer zu icken; weder Türen

noch Fenster kann ich so lassen [20, pp. 134–138].

For example, the resignation from the third window in the gable

wall of the corner room in the front bay was discussed [21].

Fig. 3. Relics of the façade finish and roof covering, associated with the second chronological phase:

a) a fragment of the corner rustication of the nave made of grey plaster coloured in the mass with a needle-punched face,

b) Baroque beaver tail tile reused as a levelling layer in the eastern room of the front tract,

c) a well-preserved white background of the western façade in the under-eaves zone, with clear remains of the removed cornice,

d) the lintel arch of the window on the ground floor of the western façade, lowered and converted into a door to the side wing.

The visible horizontal border of the grey window trim and the white background above indicates that the surrounds did not

repeat the shape of the lintel (photo by S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

Il. 3. Relikty wykończenia elewacji oraz pokrycia dachu, wiązane z drugą fazą chronologiczną:

a) fragment narożnego boniowania korpusu z szarego tynku barwionego w masie o igłowanym licu,

b) barokowa dachówka karpiówka wykorzystana wtórnie jako warstwa wyrównawcza we wschodnim pomieszczeniu traktu frontowego,

c) dobrze zachowane białe tło elewacji zachodniej w strefie podokapowej, z wyraźnymi pozostałościami usuniętego gzymsu,

d) łuk nadprożowy okna parteru elewacji zachodniej, obniżonego i przekształconego na drzwi do pomieszczeń skrzydła bocznego.

Widoczna pozioma granica szarej opaski okiennej i białego tła powyżej

wskazuje, że opaski nie powtarzały kształtu nadproża (fot. S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

20 Szymon Bakalarczyk

This allows us to assume that the construction of the

oor of the western wing, associated with the fourth

phase, was completed at the beginning of the 19

century

at the latest – before the above-mentioned plans were cre-

ated. It is distinguished by much smaller machine bricks

and a thinner joint

. The completion of this stage was

accompanied by a change in the appearance of the main

façade, including transformations within the openings

– both glyphs and lintels, which were chiseled or rebuilt.

Ten layers height = 74.5 cm, brick dimensions: 24/24/24 × 12/12/12

× 6/6/6 cm.

At the same time, the existing façade nish was re-

moved

, leaving the older plaster only in the parts cov-

ered by the interiors of the wings

The new arrangement architecturally integrated the

façade of the nave with the wings by using a homogeneous

at, rectangular rustication

with an inter-storey cornice

and window surrounds on the 1

oor

. The original colour

scheme of the façade from this phase was discovered on the

western gable wall, now covered by the addition of a kitch-

en tower

. The layers visible here suggest that the whole

was painted monochromatically in a light ochre color, and

possibly the details received an additional grey layer

The façade of the front avant-corps from this phase was

depicted together with the woodwork preserved to this day

in a drawing estimated to date from the mid-19

century

[24]. Until now, this document was considered to be an

unrealised reconstruction project, due to the inclusion of

a wide balcony supported by four columns (Fig. 6). The

re-bricking discovered above the ground oor corresponds

to the points of adding the balcony entablature to the façade.

This indicates the need for an extended analysis of

whether the balcony in this form could have been made

during the construction of the wings or at the beginning of

the 19

century

, when an antique garden pavilion was

The chisels are visible both on the façade of the nave and on the

walls of the ground oor of the western wing.

The reach of chisels on the plaster of the western façade of the

body corresponds to the height of the ceiling above the 1

oor of the wing.

The rustication prole is slightly trapezoidal, a smaller size was

used on the 1

oor.

In the body window surrounds were made only in plaster, in the

wings the plaster was applied to tiles tted between protruding brick headers.

A part of the original gable façade is available at the level of the

inter-storey cornice after removing the fragments of the wooden oor

passing through the full thickness of the wall of the added tower.

Stratigraphic outcrops and cuts are in the process of being de-

veloped.

According to Matthias Hohl, the contractor of earthworks on the

foundations of the palace façade, no traces of the foundation of the bal-

cony columns were discovered.

Fig. 4. An archival design of the palace from the late 17

or early 18

century, showing the state realised

during the Baroque reconstruction in terms

of the main body and internal layout [19].

The corner rustication of the avant-corps and rectangular window

surrounds coincide with the relics found on the façades.

The second known drawing differs in the addition of an inter-storey

cornice and arcaded niches in the nave, with the simultaneous

resignation from surrounds around the windows of the nave and

the lighting of the main roof (i.e. dormers and wall dormers)

(source: Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk, sygn. 061074)

Il. 4. Archiwalny projekt pałacu z końca XVII lub początku XVIII w.,

przedstawiający stan zrealizowany w czasie barokowej przebudowy

w zakresie głównej bryły i układu wewnętrznego [19].

Boniowanie narożne ryzalitu oraz prostokątne opaski okienne

są zbieżne z odnalezionymi reliktami na elewacjach.

Drugi znany rysunek różni się dodaniem gzymsu

międzykondygnacyjnego i arkadowych nisz w korpusie

z jednoczesną rezygnacją z opasek wokół okien korpusu

i doświetlenia głównego dachu (tj. lukarn i facjatek)

(źródło: Instytut Sztuki Polskiej Akademii Nauk, sygn. 061074)

Fig. 5. The palace and its surroundings in 1809.

Symmetrical side wings covered with gable roofs,

reaching the side walls of the palace (source: [23])

Il. 5. Pałac wraz z otoczeniem w 1809 r.

Widoczne symetryczne skrzydła boczne nakryte dachami

trójspadowymi, dochodzącymi do ścian bocznych pałacu (źródło: [23])

Transformations of the form and façade of the Lehndor palace in Sztynort Duży 21

In the façade, the execution of these works is conrmed

by a clear seam in the plaster above the lintels of the 1

oor windows, traces of chiseling of the cornice and the

use of machine bricks above a dierent format

, cover-

ing the timber framing (Fig. 7). The added parts of the

façade were nished as a continuation of the solutions on

the lower levels, and the whole was combined in terms

of colour. The gable of the western wing, lowered and

covered in the next stage

, documents the colour scheme

of the façade at that time – the background and details

were uniformly painted yellow-ochre, and the windows in

ochre-brown (Fig. 8).

The second stage was completed by adding a machine-

made brick kitchen tower

on the extension of the west-

ern wing, with façades repeating classicist solutions with-

in the ground oor and 1

oor, but with some changes

– rustication was applied on all oors with a height corre-

sponding to the 1

oor of the older parts and a reduced,

homogeneous length of the separated blocks

. The divi-

sions were made using concaves with a double-sided step,

and the surface of the rustication was developed by nee-

dling in lime-sand plaster, with a distinct grey-blue colour,

resulting from the addition of charcoal

. With the use of

the same plaster, a simplied composition was made on

Ten layers height = 83.5 cm, brick dimensions: 29/29/28.5 ×

14/14/15 × 7/7/7 cm.

The gable is partially preserved and accessible from the attic of

the western tower.

Initially described as Anbau.

Average wall measurement of southern and norther walls: Ten lay-

ers height = 82 cm, brick dimensions: 29/29/28.5 × 14/14/15 × 7/7/7 cm.

A lighter plaster with a very similar composition was applied to

the alcoves added soon after [15, pp. 24–26], [27, pp. 3, 4].

Fig. 7. The western wing has two levels of the superstructure

that are clearly visible. Phases three through five.

There is no fourth phase in the eastern wing,

the 1

floor was erected together with the ground floor

in the third phase (photo by S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

Il. 7. Skrzydło zachodnie z czytelnymi dwoma poziomami nadbudowy.

Fazy od trzeciej do piątej.

W skrzydle wschodnim nie występuje faza czwarta,

piętro wzniesiono razem z parterem w fazie trzeciej

(fot. S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

Fig. 6. Front avant-corps with the main entrance and balcony:

a) current state with the remains of the three-centered arch,

the level of the Baroque superstructure and point rebuilding

in the zone of the balcony slab (photo by S. Bakalarczyk, 2023),

b) design of the façade with a classicist balcony supported

by Tuscan columns (source: [24])

Il. 6. Ryzalit środkowy z głównym wejściem i balkonem:

a) stan obecny z pozostałościami łuku koszowego i punktowymi

przemurowaniami w strefie płyty balkonowej

(fot. S. Bakalarczyk, 2023),

b) projekt fasady z klasycystycznym balkonem

wspartym na kolumnach toskańskich (źródło: [24])

also created, nowadays usually called a tea-house

. On

the side and rear façades of the nave, there are no visi-

ble remains of plaster from this phase; the changes were

probably limited to transformations within the openings

associated with the replacement of windows and doors.

The scope of works related to the eclectic-neo-Gothic

reconstruction, which had so far been intuitively deter-

mined and dated to the years 1860–1880, falls into the

fth phase, which, after the analysis of archival materi-

als and visible transformations, was moved to the years

1858–1862 and divided into three separate stages, follow-

ing each other at short intervals.

The works carried out as part of the rst stage, begun

in 1858 [26], included raising the wings by construct-

ing a new, higher truss at the attic level with a knee wall

housing living quarters with “English-style” windows

Both solutions use Tuscan columns [25], [26].

It is neo-Gothic [26].

22 Szymon Bakalarczyk

the side and rear façades of the nave – it includes homo-

geneous rustication with wedges in the zones of window

lintels

. Well-preserved fragments of rustication, discov-

ered on the eastern and western façades

, suggest that in

the initial period these façades functioned without paint

coatings (Fig. 9).

The kitchen tower in the attic area received neo-Goth-

ic wall dormers with ogival windows

. A similar, triple

top was made over the front avant-corps of the nave, along

with pilaster strips leading out from the inter-storey cor-

nice above the 1

oor [26]. The original plaster has not

been preserved in these parts, but the current shape of the

window surrounds repeats the form known from the old-

est reliable iconography

[28], [29].

The last, third stage of the 19

-century expansion

of the Lehndor residence was the addition of two an-

nexes similar in form to the kitchen tower

, anking

the rear façade of the body and, as a rule, repeating its

simplied articulation

. The plasters covering them, also

The width of the rustication varies with the distances between

the individual window axes.

Within the added alcoves, under the nishing plaster of created

rooms.

The original character of the solution is indicated by the way the

walls below are laid – apart from the outline of the dormers, the ends of

the ceiling beams are projected outwards and covered with a prominent

wooden cornice, the lower part of which is attached to wooden consoles,

tted into previously bricked sockets.

Photographs of the façade of the palace, dated around 1870 and

the beginning of the 20

century.

The building material and the height of the masonry show only

slight dierences from the kitchen tower: ten layers height = 83 cm,

brick dimensions: 29/29/29 × 14/14/14 × 7/7/7 cm.

Due to the way the annexes were added, it was not possible to

verify whether the accentuation of the corners with a deeper rustication

pattern was modelled on the solution of the body.

with the addition of charcoal, are distinguished by a less

pronounced grey color. Perhaps the completion of these

works is associated with the rst colour integration of all

façades in ochre colour. On the southern façades, a new

form of architectural detail was used – on the axis of the

Fig. 9. Solutions characteristic of the fifth phase:

a) the façade of the kitchen tower from the second stage

of the fifth phase, referring in detail to the façade from the

fourth phase (there are no traces in the homogeneous wall

suggesting the later addition of neo-Gothic dormers),

b) a well-preserved fragment of unpainted plaster with a rustication

profile, used on the tower and the side and rear façades of the nave

(the alcoves were prepared in the same way using lighter plaster)

(photo by S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

Il. 9. Rozwiązania charakterystyczne dla piątej fazy:

a) elewacja wieży kuchennej z etapu drugiego fazy piątej,

nawiązująca detalem do elewacji z fazy czwartej

(w jednorodnym murze brak jest śladów

sugerujących na późniejsze dodanie neogotyckich facjatek),

b) dobrze zachowany fragment niemalowanego tynku z profilem

boniowania, zastosowanego na wieży oraz elewacjach bocznych

i tylnej korpusu (w ten sam sposób opracowano alkierze

przy użyciu jaśniejszego tynku) (fot. S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

Fig. 8. The gable wall of the western wing,

built as part of the first stage of the fifth phase.

The brick and skeleton structure of the gable is visible,

also repeated in the knee walls

(photo by S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

Il. 8. Ściana szczytowa skrzydła zachodniego,

nadbudowana w ramach pierwszego etapu fazy piątej.

Widoczna murowano-szkieletowa konstrukcja szczytu,

powtórzona również w ścianach kolankowych

(fot. S. Bakalarczyk, 2023)

Transformations of the form and façade of the Lehndor palace in Sztynort Duży 23

walls, at the level of both storeys, wedges were made in

plaster, below which, instead of a blende, a cornice was

used, repeating the outline of the remaining window open-

ings in the at façade.

As in the case of the kitchen tower, the construction

of the alcoves could have begun immediately after the

completion of the previous stage, and lasted until 1862

at the latest, because on the plan of Urmesstichblatt [30]

(Fig. 10) drawn up at that time, the palace was already

depicted with symmetrical annexes both on the front and

rear sides, and their execution is indicated by carpentry

bills from 1863 and later years

[31].

Subsequent phases of architectural transformations in-

clude small-scale works, corresponding to the second and

third phases in the cited conservation documentation [15].

At that time, the window in the eastern façade of the body

was converted into a door. It is probable that new concrete

plasters were also made on the neo-Gothic dormers and

massive grilles were inserted in selected rooms, which

could have been related to the occupation of part of the

palace during World War II by Joachim von Ribbentrop.

The enlargement of the two openings of the body

the construction of a rear exit from the vestibule of the

western wing and the replacement of the two blendes of

the eastern wing with windows were carried out in the sev-

enth phase – during the adaptation of the palace to a hotel

in the 1980s, focusing on the interiors of the eastern wing.

The eighth phase is the latest renovation work, which

has been carried out gradually in small stages since 2010.

Since the completion in 2014 of repairs to the walls of

the body and the alcove [32], including stitching, gluing

in spiral bars, grouting and local rebuilding, some of the

window openings have received facings in the stretcher or

English bond instead of structural lintels.

Conclusions

The research showed the accuracy of the relative

chronology adopted by von Lorck and conrmed his

hypothesis that the palace did not have corner and side

avant-corps until the Classicist expansion. In terms of ab-

solute chronology, the dating of the Classicist wings was

shifted from the 2

quarter of the 19

century to the 4

quarter of the 18

century, and it was established that their

current height is the result of a two-fold superstructure.

On the other hand, the neo-Gothic extension began a little

earlier and was completed much faster than previously as-

sumed, in three independent stages, based on previously

prepared unknown design.

It was established that the body and façades had not

undergone any signicant changes since the 1860s and the

They mention works in rooms named Thurmstube (tower-room)

and Eckstube (corner-room).

Enlargement of the door in the eastern wall of the body to the

entrance gate and insertion of a door in the eastern window of the garden

façade.

scope of transformations carried out in the 20

and 21

centuries, which had not been the subject of research so

far, was determined.

Summary

The obtained results allowed for the introduction of

signicant changes in the current chronology of the build-

ing, the determination of previously unknown phases and

the verication of hypotheses related to undated icono-

graphic sources. Relics of the Baroque façade nishing

were identied and their compositional arrangement was

determined, as well as parts of the nish from the 18

and 19

centuries with a stratigraphy diering from that

identied in conservation studies were discovered. Fur-

ther verication is required to determine the dierences in

the execution of the two classicist wings and to assess the

rebuilding in the balcony area above the main entrance.

In order to properly interpret the niches in the rear façade

and to assess whether the perimeter walls of the ground

oor were built in dierent stages, related to the extension

of e.g. an older building to the so-called triple house, it is

necessary to make larger excavations, which is planned

on the occasion of conservation works on the façade. The

obtained results also conrmed the need for further re-

search of the building in terms of interiors and wooden

units, without which it is impossible to fully recognize the

construction history of this complex.

Translated by

Szymon Bakalarczyk

Fig. 10. Plan of the village from 1862.

The palace was depicted with four annexes,

which correspond to the side wings and rear alcoves.

The scale of the study did not allow for a correct

representation of the kitchen tower (source: [30])

Il. 10. Plan miejscowości z 1862 r.

Pałac został przedstawiony z czterema aneksami,

które odpowiadają skrzydłom bocznym i tylnym alkierzom.

Skala opracowania nie pozwoliła

na prawidłowe odzwierciedlenie wieży kuchennej

(źródło: [30])

24 Szymon Bakalarczyk

Abstract

Transformations of the form and façade of the Lehndor palace in Sztynort Duży

in the light of architectural research

Rural residential architecture of former East Prussia is a poorly recognized resource, and therefore often marginalized, or supercially assessed on

the basis of contemporary visible stylistic features and assumptions related to the chronology of their transformations. This problem also applies to

the baroque Lehndor palace in Sztynort Duży, which is the second largest, preserved to this day modern family residence in the Warmian-Masurian

Voivodeship.

The article attempts to recognize the transformations of the form and façade of this building in the light of architectural research. It presents the

current state of knowledge and questions raised by the previous authors. Then it discusses the new ndings made during the architectural research of

the wall structures of the palace façade, taking into account the secondarily obscured perimeter walls. As a result of the observation of changes in the

bond, brick material, mortars, plasters and architectural details, juxtaposed with the analysis of published sources, bibliography and some extensive

archival materials, eight main construction phases were distinguished.

[1] Boetticher A., Bau und Kunstdenkmäler der Provinz Ostpreussen,

Bd. 1–9, Bernhard Teichert, Königsberg 1891–1899.

[2] Dehio G., Handbuch der Deutschen Kunstdekmäler, Bd. 2: Nor-

dostdeutschland, Ernst Wasmuth, Berlin 1906, doi: 10.11588/dig-

lit.11053#0006.

[3] Dethlesen R., Stadt und Landhäuser in Ostpreussen, R. Piper &

Co., München 1918.

[4] Lorck von C., Die deutschen Herrenhäuser, Bd. 1, Gräfe und Un-

zer, Königsberg 1933.

[5] Garniec M., Jackiewicz-Garniec M., Pałace i dwory dawnych Prus

Wschodnich, Wspólnota Kulturowa Borussia, Olsztyn 1999.

[6] Rzempołuch A., Architektura dworska w Prusach Książęcych i na

Warmii. Studium genezy i odrębności, “Roczniki Humanistyczne”

2002, t. 50, z. 4, 197–226.

[7] Lorck C. von, Groß Steinort. Der Bauvorgang eines Barockschlos-

ses im deutschen Osten, Grenzlandverlag Gustav Boettcher, Pill-

kallen 1937.

[8] Chrzanowski T., Pałac w Sztynorcie na tle architektury pałacowej

w. XVI i XVII na obszarze pomorza wschodniego (Streszczenie refe

ratu wygłoszonego na zebraniu naukowym Oddziału Krakowskiego

w dniu 12.1.1955 r.), “Biuletyn Historii Sztuki” 1956, R. 18, nr 2,

305–306.

[9] Ćwiach A., Prześnicka K., Wolender T., Zalewski P., Sztynort Duży

– pałac. Rzut piwnic 1:50, Badania architektoniczne 07.1990 r.

[manuscript in: Faculty of Fine Arts, Nicolaus Copernicus Univer-

sity, Toruń].

[10] Mojzych-Rudowska S., Omelianowicz M., Badania architekto

niczne, 1979, [manuscript in: Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw Uni-

versity of Technology].

[11] Żywiczyński A., Sztynort – konserwatorskie studium architekto-

nicznohistoryczne, “Studia Angerburgica” 1996, t. 1, 10–21.

[12] Poczobutt A., Korduba P., Das Schloss des Grafen von Lehndor

in Steinort im Lichte neuer Quellen, “Berichte und Forschungen.

Jahrbuch des Bundesinstituts für Kultur und Geschichte der Deut-

schen im östlichen Europa” 2008, Bd. 16, 25–48.

[13] Heck K., Das Haus des Generalmajors: neu aufgetauchte Planva-

rianten von Schloss Steinort in Masuren, [in:] K. Heck, S. Bock,

J. Olschewski (Hrsg.), Schlsser und Herrenhäuser der Ostsee-

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Heck K., Vom Barockschloss zur Ordensburg. Geschichte und Kunst 

geschichte von Schloß Steinort in Masuren, [in:] A. Vollmer, Dop-

pelleben. Heinrich und Gottliebe von Lehndor im Widerstand ge-

gen Hitler und von Ribbentrop, Die Andere Bibliothek, Frankfurt

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Świętochowski G., Dokumentacja badań konserwatorskich wraz

z opracowaniem założeń projektu konserwatorskiego. Pałac w Szty-

norcie XV–XX w. Badania konserwatorskie elewacji, Sztynort–

Toruń–Ostróda 2021 [manuscript in: Wojewódzki Urząd Ochrony

Zabytków, Olsztyn].

[16] Arszyńska J.M., Świętochowska I.J., Świętochowski G., Dokumen

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nia konserwatorskie elewacji. Aneks, Sztynort–Ostróda, 2021–2022

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[17] Arszyńska J.M., Świętochowska I.J., Świętochowski G., Grabow-

ski R., Rozłucka Z., Dokumentacja badań konserwatorskich. Pałac

w Sztynorcie XV–XX w. Badania konserwatorskie elewacji. Aneks

nr 2, Sztynort–Ostróda–Toruń, 2021–2022 [manuscript in: Woje-

wódzki Urząd Ochrony Zabytków, Olsztyn].

[18] Bakalarczyk S., Inwentaryzacja pomiaroworysunkowa oraz ana-

liza historycznokonserwatorska stolarek okiennych pałacu Lehn-

dorów w Sztynorcie Dużym, gm. Węgorzewo, Olsztyn 2022 [ma-

nuscript in: Wojewódzki Urząd Ochrony Zabytków, Olsztyn].

[19]

Plan von Steinort, Sächsisches Staatsarchiv Leipzig, Bestand 21950

Familienarchiv Lehndor, nr 522.

[20] Schmidt-Lötzen K.E., Des Reichsgrafen Ernst Ahasverus Hein-

rich Lehndor Tagebücher nach seiner Kammerherrenzeit, Bd. 1,

Perthes, Gotha 1921.

[21] Lehndor E.A. von, Briefe, 1785, Sächsisches Staatsarchiv Leip-

zig, Bestand 21950 Familienarchiv Lehndor, nr 382, 39–40.

[22] Kuegler, Specieller Plan von denen zu dem hochgräichen Hofe

gross Steinorth gehrigen Landereyen, 1807, Sächsisches Staats-

archiv Leipzig, Bestand 21950 Familienarchiv Lehndor, nr 525.

[23] Plan vom Dorfe und Garthen in Steinort, 1809, Sächsisches Staats-

archiv Leipzig, Bestand 21950 Familienarchiv Lehndor, K18.

[24] Kolorierte Zeichnung einer klassizistischen Hausfassade, Ge-

heimes Staatsarchiv Preussiches Kulturbesitz, XI. HA, SKB, F

Nr. 120220.

[25]

Entwürfe für einen (Garten)Pavillon, Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preus -

si ches

Kulturbesitz, XX. HA, Rep. 54 Gutsarchiv Lehn dor-Stein-

ort, nr 823.

[26] Laudien, Ueberschlag der erforderlichen Kosten über die zu fer-

tigenden Maurer Arbeiten bei Veränderung der Flügel am Schloß

zu Steinort nach Beiliegender Zeichnung, Geheimes Staatsarchiv

Preussiches Kulturbesitz, XX. HA, Rep. 54 Gutsarchiv Lehn dor-

Steinort, nr 858.

[27] Orłowska E., Sobkowiak D., Badania tynków z pałacu w Sztynor-

cie, Toruń 2023 [manuscript in: Wojewódzki Urząd Ochrony Za-

bytków, Olsztyn].

[28] Steinort nach dem Umbau, um 1870, https://lebenswelten-digital.

bbaw.de/bilder/text.xql?id=steinort1 [accessed: 17.01.2023].

[29] Krauskopf F., Schloss Steinort (1920–1940), Königsberg, [in: Bild-

archiv Ostpreussen, sygn. 57790].

[30] Kaehler, Kossmann, Roeben, Preussisches Urmesstischblatt, 558,

Königlich Preußische Landesaufnahme 1862, Staatsbibliothek zu

Berlin – Preußischer Kulturbesitz, sygn. Kart. N 729-558<1862>.

[31] Poltzien, Rechnungen über auf Befehl der Herrschaft Steinort ge

fer tigete Tischlerarbeiten, 1863, 1874, 1875, 1879, Archiwum

Państwowe w Olsztynie, 382/150, 49, 89–91, 96, 115–116.

[32] Bakalarczyk S., Prace w pałacu Lehndorów w Sztynorcie, “Spo-

tkania z Zabytkami” 2023, nr 3–4, 38–41.

References

Transformations of the form and façade of the Lehndor palace in Sztynort Duży 25

Research resulted in signicant changes in the chronology and verication of hypotheses related to undated iconographic sources. It conrmed

former hypothesis, that the baroque palace from 1689–1695 had no corner or side avant-corps until the neoclassical expansion. The original composi-

tion and color scheme of the façade from that period were determined, as well as new casesuras of both later extensions of the building. The classicist

wings were built in the years 1780–1785, and raised in the beginning of 19

century. The neo-Gothic expansion, including raising them again and

adding three annexes, was carried out in three stages between 1858–1862. Since then, façades have undergone only minor changes in the area of

window openings, mainly in the 1

half of the 20

century, the 1980s, and between 2010 and 2015.

Key words: palace, Baroque, architectural research, Lehndor

Streszczenie

Przekształcenia bryły i elewacji pałacu Lehndorów w Sztynorcie Dużym

w świetle badań architektonicznych

Wiejska architektura rezydencjonalna dawnych Prus Wschodnich jest zasobem słabo rozpoznanym, a przez to często marginalizowanym lub

powierzchownie ocenianym na podstawie współcześnie czytelnych cech stylistycznych i przypuszczeń związanych z chronologią ich przekształceń.

Problem ten dotyczy również barokowego pałacu Lehndorów w Sztynorcie Dużym, będącego drugą co do wielkości zachowaną do dziś nowożytną

rezydencją rodową w województwie warmińsko-mazurskim.

W artykule podjęto próbę rozpoznania przekształceń bryły oraz elewacji barokowego pałacu Lehndorów w Sztynorcie Dużym w świetle badań

architektonicznych. Omówiono w nim aktualny stan badań i charakterystykę zagadnień poruszanych przez wcześniejszych autorów. Następnie

przedstawiono nowe ustalenia, poczynione w trakcie badań architektonicznych struktur murowych pałacu w zakresie elewacji z uwzględnieniem

wtórnie zasłoniętych murów obwodowych. W wyniku obserwacji zmian wątku, materiału ceglanego zapraw, tynków oraz detali architektonicznych,

zestawionych z analizą źródeł publikowanych, bibliograi i części obszernych materiałów archiwalnych wyodrębniono osiem głównych faz budowy.

Efektem przedstawionych badań było wprowadzenie znaczących zmian w dotychczasowej chronologii obiektu, ustalenie nieznanych wcześniej

faz chronologicznych oraz werykacja hipotez związanych z niedatowanymi źródłami ikonogracznymi. Potwierdzono w ogólnym zakresie trafność

chronologii względnej przyjętej przez pierwszego badacza obiektu – Carla von Lorcka i potwierdzono jego hipotezę, że do momentu klasycystycznej

rozbudowy pałac barokowy z lat 1689–1691 nie miał ryzalitów narożnych ani bocznych. Uzyskane wyniki pozwoliły na określenie pierwotnej kom-

pozycji i kolorystyki elewacji z tego okresu, jak również na przesunięcie i zawężenie cezur obu późniejszych rozbudów obiektu i korektę ich zakresu.

Ustalono, że klasycystyczne skrzydła wybudowano jeszcze w XVIII w. – w latach 1780–1785, a na początku XIX w. podwyższono o piętro. Z kolei

rozbudowę neogotycką, obejmującą ich kolejną nadbudowę i dostawienie trzech aneksów, zrealizowano w trzech etapach w latach 1858–1862. Od

tego czasu bryła i elewacje przeszły jedynie mało znaczące zmiany w obrębie otworów okiennych, przede wszystkim w 1. połowie XX w., latach

80. XX w., oraz między 2010 i 2015 r.

Słowa kluczowe: pałac, barok, badania architektoniczne, Lehndor