Czekając na króla. Barokowe rezydencje między Warszawą a Dreznem przy trakcie pocztowym Augusta III z 1750 roku

Abstrakt

The appointment of Saxony’s elector, Frederick August II, as king of Poland involved the conclusion of a personal union between the Reczypospolita and Saxony. They had no common border, and the two capital cities, Dresden and Warsaw, were separated by a considerable distance. The efficient functioning of the court and administration was connected with the possibility of easy and safe movement, as well as the efficient delivery of State and private correspondence. The conquest of part of Silesia by King Frederick II the Great of Prussia forced August III to create a new post and travel road, which was marked out in 1750. The engineering and construction works were managed by the engineer-captain Johann M. Walter. The route between Warsaw and Dresden through Kutno, Poznan, Pniewy, Brody (Pforthen) and Konigbruck can be seen in print Post=Route von Dresden... from 1750. It consisted of 33 stations. Kutno, Kleczew, Poznan, Bukowiec Lubuski and Brody were designated for the king’s accommodation. The king’s passages have become a factor influencing the development of residences situated in or close to the stations. Contact with the monarch, hosting him or organizing a hunt provided an excellent opportunity to obtain graces and appanages, especially since the king was an enthusiast of hunting and garden art. For this purpose, Walter designed two palaces in Kutno and Kleczew, which were given the plans of the letter U and were erected in wattle and daub technology, with the reduction of the representative programs of monumental architecture to a modest scale, necessary for the monarch’s one-time accommodation. Much more impressive residences with gardens were designed by Count Henry Brühl. There were built Baroque residences with gardens of Count Henry Bruhl in Wola near Warsaw (C. F. Poppelmann, 1746-1750; J. F. Knöbel) and in Brody, which enabled the minister to welcome the king in the Polish capital and at the entrance to Saxony. The palaces and mansions in the areas subordinate to the Bishop of Poznan Teodor Czartoryski – Poznan, Ciazen, Winna Gora, Krerow and Lusowo – were modernised and extended. The Archbishop’s Palace in Poznan, previously constructed according to Pompeo Ferrari’s design, was adapted for the needs of royal accommodation. The splendor of residences was also raised by other owners of properties located near the travel road. Jerzy Unrug built a magnificent palace in Bukowiec Lubuski (Bauschwitz), and the von Schenckendorff family adopted a hunting lodge in Gryzyna (Griesel). The palace in Pniewy, erected before 1739 for Jan Rydzynski, refers to the shape of the palace in Kargowa erected before 1730 for Karol Unrug in connection with the travels of August II on the old travel route. Around 1750, the splendour of the palace was raised by adding rococo gables (1750–1754; arch. Franz Hancke). Further research based on the research in Dresden is required not only for the presented palaces and mansions, but also for the residences in Lewice, Kiernozia or Glaznow.