Castle Museum in Łańcut

The Castle-Museum is a must-see landmark of the region. If you come to the Podkarpackie and fail to visit the Castle in Łańcut it is as if you have not really been here at all.

The castle is recognised among the most magnificent landmarks of this type in Poland. The oldest preserved areas inside include the Grand Vestibule, Room under the Wooden Ceiling and Zodiak Room. The diversity of the lush interior designs can be admired in the sections of the castle dating from the 1700s, e.g. in the Brenna Apartment on the ground floor, the Chinese Apartment on the first floor and the Pompei Salon on the second floor. Visitors are also invariably impressed walking into the Turkish apartment, Columned Salon, the Duchess’ bedroom, Boucher Salon, Rococo Salon, the theatre and the sculpture gallery.

The most elegant areas on the first floor, dating from around 1800, include the classicist Ballroom and the Grand Dining Room. Other equally impressive features include the Library with a collection of 22,000 books, Corner Salon, Dining Room over the Gate and many truly elegant bathrooms. During the tour inside the castle you can also see many works of art, some from the original collections acquired over the years by the owners of the castle and some purchased after WWII or deposited here by other museums.

Excavations from the area of Łańcut show that people lived here even in the Neolithic period. According to archaeologists a fortified settlement existed here at the beginning of the second millennium. Numerous documents say that the history of  Łańcut goes back to the early Middle Ages, and the castle itself to the 1500s, and that their history is linked to King Casimir the Great and the Pilecki, Stadnicki, Lubomirski and Potocki families. You can find out more details about the history of this area on the websites of Łańcut and the castle.

Undoubtedly, the Łańcut estate was transformed significantly in the 1600s by the owners, the Lubomirski family. It was during the times of Stanisław Lubomirski that bastion fortifications were added to the castle (1629-1642), which as a result gained a layout of the  so-called ‘palazzo in fortezza’. With the changing trends, the character of the building and its surrounding area also changed. In the late 1700s, Duchess Izabela Lubomirska transformed the castle's bastions into a garden; the remains of the English park can still be seen today. At that time, the castle also became an important centre of cultural life, it hosted visits of renowned guests and the owners of the castle provided patronage and support to many artists. By the end of the 18th century, Łańcut had become one of the most magnificent aristocratic residences in Poland. This explains the great historical value of the preserved original interior design and the furnishings which we can still admire today.

Fortunately, the castle in Łańcut was not destroyed during WWII. Today those coming inside can still feel the grandeur of this place which reflects the extraordinary wealth of the Łańcut estate owners.

Although they constitute a separate horse-riding complex, the two impressive buildings of the neo-Baroque Stables and the modernist Coach House with classicist features are located in close proximity to the castle, which is a rarity in establishments of this type. Originally built in the early 1800s, the complex was dismantled and then new stables and coach house were built in the late 19th and early 20th century. The stables would house both draught and saddle horses and the coach house held an impressive collection of luxurious carriages which the Potocki family bought from the most renowned manufacturers in Vienna, London and Paris. Since the complex was situated so close to the castle, the owners would invite their guests to visit the horse-riding complex and admire their collections.

Today you can see here a variety of coaches, carriages and sleighs, including 55 vehicles which originally were purchased by the Potocki family, and nearly 80 vehicles which have been acquired for the museum since WWII. In the Harnessing Hall you can also see a collection of exotic trophies brought by the last owner of the estate in 1924 from a safari.

As a special attraction, visitors to the Castle-Museum can take a ride around the Łańcut estate in a real horse-drawn carriage with a courteous steward.

After you visit the castle you must take a walk through the beautiful park, where you will see other attractions, including the Orangery, the Romantic Chateau, the old gardeners’ house (today a music school), and the lovely glorietta as well as the tennis courts built by the last owner of the Łańcut estate.

Finally, you should visit the Orchid House, which was restored and opened to visitors in 2008. Originally the complex was built in the early 1900s and was used for cultivation of various exotic plants. The owners of the estate at that time had a large collection of orchids which were admired by their guests. Today the plants on display include the ‘descendants’ of the orchids from that collection.

The complex of the Orchid House comprises an exhibition area which is open to visitors, as well as greenhouses with three types of climate in which the plants are cultivated. There is also a summer café, which is an excellent place to end you tour of the Castle Museum.

The castle and the park in Łańcut provided a setting for a few Polish feature films, most notably Trędowata (The Leper] (1976) and Hrabina Cosel (Countess Cosel) (1968) as well as Pałac (The Palace) (1980). Nowadays, vehicles from Łańcut are often used in film productions.

Those planning a visit to the Castle Museum can find detailed information on the website of the museum. Before you arrive you should check the opening hours and ticket prices.