Palace in Nowizna

The Palace in Nowizna in Nowizna, Poland began as a fortress-like residence erected in 1565 by the von Schellendorf family, originating in the 16th century and later extended with neo-Gothic additions; it is entered on the Lower Silesian register of immovable monuments and has played a visible role in the region’s landed‑estate history. From its start as a family stronghold the site remained a centre of aristocratic ownership and adaptation for several centuries.

The initial phase of construction and occupancy belongs to the von Schellendorf line. Bernhard von Schellendorff, who died in 1593, is recorded among the early owners and a replica of his epitaph is preserved inside the palace. During the 17th and 18th centuries the estate passed through other noble houses, including the von Czettritz and von Gellhorn families, and later the Stolberg‑Wernigerode family, each of which held the property in turn and contributed to its succession of ownership.

In the 19th century the manor came under the Perponcher‑Sedlnitzky family. Count Friedrich Wilhelm von Perponcher‑Sedlnitzky, after whom the house became known as Wilhelmsburg, served as marshal of the royal court in Berlin and acted at times as envoy to The Hague. During his tenure new economic buildings in a neo‑Gothic manner were added to the estate. His son Alexander von Perponcher‑Sedlnitzky pursued further enlargement and modernization of the complex into the early decades of the 20th century.

At the close of the Second World War the palace was used to shelter library holdings removed from Breslau, now Wrocław; those collections were destroyed when the Red Army occupied the site. After wartime looting the complex was converted to residential use and went into a long period of decline. Custodial records list the Perponcher‑Sedlnitzky family in 1945, Red Army occupation in 1945–46, and later use by local municipal and cooperative bodies, including the village mayor’s office and the cooperative Gminna Spółdzielnia “Samopomoc Chłopska.” By 2007 the estate had passed into private hands. In recent years the palace has been restored and renovation work has taken place under new ownership.