The Princely Pheasantry

The Princely Pheasantry is a late 18th century neoclassical building in Poręba, Pszczyna County, Silesian Voivodeship, southern Poland. It was founded by the Prince of Pszczyna Frederick Erdmann, designed by Wilhelm Pusch and built between 1792 and 1800.

The main residence of the owners of Pszczyna State Duchy was a castle at the north-west frontage of Pszczyna market. The castle burnt down in 1737. The reconstruction and extension of the destroyed building was carried out after the Pszczyna holdings were taken over by the family of Anhalt-Köthen (Catherine the Great came from Anhalt-Zerbst branch of this family). As a result, an impressive baroque residence was created. At the end of the 18th century the Pheasantry in Poręba was constructed. .

The idea of starting a farm devoted to raising pheasants arose in 1770. Steps were taken in order to obtain the necessary land. At first some plots of land belonging to peasants were repurchased, and later an extensive birch forest was added (thanks to an exchange of land made by the village leader Greycark). Through land reclamation processes, the water conditions were changed, creating ponds and streams as well as the system of roads and paths. With a planting scheme, the overall design was given to the composition of the park – forest landscaping. Through further exchanges of land with peasants, the land joining the future farm with the bordering road from Pszczyna to Żory was obtained. Having the land it was possible to realize the farming – landscape project provided by the princely architect W. Pusch. Some picturesque, crisscrossing tracks were created as well as outbuildings, a house for the pheasant keeper, and a wooden villa called "Henry’s Spring".

On the hill, slightly off the path on its ridge, Frederick Erdmann ordered the building of a summer house (Lustschloss), based on Pusch’s design, which was modeled on a previously published project by Carl Gotthard Langhans. Although there is no knowing of when precisely the construction began, we know exactly when the building was put into use – 25 June 1800. Only the castle itself, later called “Fasanerie” – The Pheasantry, has remained. Frederick Erdmann died in 1797 before his project was finalized, and the construction was completed by his son Frederick Ferdinand.

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