35 castles, manor houses and palaces, differing in construction
time, architecture, historic values and conservation status are
found in the Jelenia Góra Valley. The 19th century, the time of
creating first conservation doctrines, was a period when construction
works in the discussed residences were carried out
without respect to the original historic fabric. Such activities
were made possible by the legal situation of monuments in
Prussia. In that period, official protection of older buildings belonging
to private owners practically did not exist. Due to high
artistic value, particular protection was provided to the Chojnik
castle and the tower manor in Siedlęcin. In other residences,
respect for their historic substance usually depended on the
recognition and awareness of dealing with a precious building
exhibited by architects and investors. In those times, modernisation
of residences, bestowing them with a more representative
form and reconstructing them in a fashionable historicising
style was valued the most.
Around the middle of the 19th century, both in Prussia and
in other European countries, Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-
Duc’s opinions concerning restoration and purification gained
popularity. When it comes to the discussed area, we can find examples
of restoring stylistic uniformity of Karpniki and Miłków
residences. The first critical opinions concerning historicism
and restoration appeared in Prussia in 1860s. However, a significant
change in viewpoints took place at the end of the 19th
century. Despite appreciation of the value of authenticity of the
historic substance by theoreticians, this was not reflected in
practical activities concerning castles, manor houses and palaces
of the Jelenia Góra Valley. As regards protection of monuments
of the Silesian province, a substantial change occurred in 1932, when Günther Grundmann, an art historian, took the
office of the conservator. Selecting an art historian instead of
an architect to this position attested the willingness to dissociate
from former reconstructions of monuments and thorough
conversions. Significant interest in age-old residences was evident
in the Third Reich. They began to be used for propaganda
purposes. From the beginning, the authorities were interested
in taking over of these buildings for use; they installed there
training centres, SS rest houses and research institutions.
A post-war problem of reconstruction of destroyed monuments
did not concern castles, manor houses and palaces of the
Jelenia Góra Valley. The buildings survived the World War II
in good shape, owing to which they quickly found new users.
Nearly all residences were located in the countryside, therefore
the majority of objects were transferred to state enterprises
subordinate to the Ministry of Agriculture and Agricultural
Reforms. Historic buildings were adapted to flats for workers
and administration offices. During the introduction of new
functions, interiors of the residences were often thoroughly
redesigned. Valuable buildings began to be improperly used,
without regular renovations. They were utilised as long as their
technical condition allowed it. After abandonment, the buildings
often fell victim of robberies and devastation.
After 1989, when the new political system was established
in Poland, State Agricultural Holdings were liquidated and their
property was taken over by the Agricultural Property Agency of
the State Treasury, established in 1991, which quickly decided
to sell residences under its jurisdiction. Interest in purchasing
these buildings soared under the new system. At the beginning,
there were cases when somebody bought a monument, but refrained
from renovating it. However, after several years better
days came. These buildings began to be purchased by persons
aware of the necessary workload and, most of all, having adequate
capital at their disposal to perform indispensable tasks.
In the 21st century such residences are most often bought by
investors who adapt them to luxurious hotels. Due to the absence
of original interiors in most buildings, new arrangement
of rooms is made in a historicising style. Former residences
adapted to hotel functions are often very rapidly renovated, so
that they could be put to use as quickly as possible. It often
leads to a situation, where the issue of preserving historical
values and high degree of authenticity is pushed into the background.
What prevails, is the wish to obtain the highest value
in use. However, owing to such activities, many historic castles,
manor houses and palaces of the Jelenia Góra Valley have been
protected from falling to utter pieces.
