Donnersmarck palace in Kalety, 19th century noble residence in Kalety, Poland.
The Donnersmarck Palace in Kalety is a two-storey hunting palace built of brick and limestone, with a seven-axis front facade and a three-axis central avant-corps rising to three storeys. Above the entrance a terrace with an iron balustrade rests on pillars; the building has wooden ceilings and a four-pitched roof covered with roofing felt.
The hunting palace was built between 1860 and 1861 on the initiative of Count Guidon Henckel von Donnersmarck. Outside the hunting season, the count's officials lived there; during the season, individual hunters or small groups stayed. After World War II the estate was nationalized and used by the Forest Transport Center, which set up offices and workshops and installed five-ton lathes on the ground floor, damaging the floors. In 2020 the ruined palace was bought by the owner of NaturDay, and renovation was completed in July of the following year.
The palace was a hunting lodge of Count Guidon Henckel von Donnersmarck, used by his officials outside the hunting season and by small groups of hunters during it. Collective hunts began and ended here, a use that shaped the building's role in the estate.
Visitors can reach the palace grounds via marked walking routes from Kalety's town center and explore the estate on foot. Guided tours are available by prior arrangement, so checking availability before your visit is recommended.
After World War II the palace housed the Forest Transport Centre, whose workshops installed five-tonne lathes on the ground floor; the machines damaged the floors, and the building was 70 percent destroyed when it was entered in the monument register. The owner of NaturDay bought the ruin in 2020 and finished its renovation in July 2021.
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