Nieborów Palace is an aristocratic residence located in the village of Nieborów in Poland. Built in the 17th century by one of the greatest Baroque architects, the Dutchman Tylman van Gameren, the building belongs to one of the most renowned Poland’s aristocratic residences and serves as a museum of interior design of palace residences from the 17th to the 19th century, based on the surviving furniture and collections, featuring portraits of eminent personalities of the era, several thousand drawings and sketches, books (from the 16th century), porcelain and textiles.
Nieborów originates from the end of the 12th century with the creation of a village including a church built in 1314 and a wooden mansion. At the beginning of 16th century a Gothic-Renaissance manor was built. It lasted until the end of 17th century, by which time Niebórow was owned by Nieborowski clan of the Prawda (Truth) Coat of Arms.
The residential complex consists of a palace, coach house, manufactory, outbuilding, orangery and two parks - a formal park and an English-style park.
A wooden mansion, which had been there since the Middle Ages, was replaced by a much more representative, Gothic-Renaissance building in the 16th century. The erection of the current residence was ordered by the contemporary archbishop of Gniezno Michał Radziejowski, and it commenced in 1690. The residence was finally built in 1696 on the primate’s grounds, previously owned by the Nieborowski clan.
After the archbishop’s death, the residence was inherited by Jerzy Hipolit Towianski and Konstancja of Niszczycki clan. Their son Krzysztof sold the estate to Aleksander Jakub Lubomirski and Karolina Fryderyka von Vitzthum. Since the year 1736, it was owned by brothers Stanislaw and Jan Jozef Lochocki.
The estate had its prime with various owners – The Great Hetman of Lithuania Michal Kazimierz Oginski (1766-1774) and Michael Hieronim and Helena of Radziwill clan, who was also the creator of nearby Arkadia. During their presence in the mansion, its interior has been pompously furnished with rococo and early classicist ornaments designed by Szymon Bogumił Zug.
After Michael Oginski died, the estate started to fall into decline. Its successors were too busy quarrelling among each other to actually take care of the mansion. The straw that broke the camel’s back was the squandering of family assets (including Arkadia) by Zygmunt Radziwill, who, in addition, sold the best pieces of art gathered in Nieborów at an auction in Paris.