Adam Mickiewicz Museum in Śmiełów
The Adam Mickiewicz Museum in Śmiełów - the only one in Poland dedicated to a national bard - is located in a classicist palace from the end of the 18th century, which is one of the pearls of Polish architecture. The palace, with its landscaped park, is unusually picturesque in the heart of the Żerków-Czeszewo Landscape Park. During the reign of Hieronim Gorzeński, Śmiełów, located on the border between Prussia and Russia, became a centre for patriotic contraband. During the November Uprising, volunteers were sent to the Kingdom of Poland from here. One of them was Adam Mickiewicz, who was to carry letters from the Polish Legation in Paris to the National Government. The imminent defeat of the uprising thwarted these plans, but a three-week stay at the Gorzeńskis' estate became the inspiration for many of the themes painted in Pan Tadeusz, his rhymed national epic. Maria née Doniemirska and Józef Chełkowski, successive owners of Śmiełów, contributed to the development of the cult of the bard here. The National Museum in Poznań, taking over the palace in 1970 as one of its branches, returned to this tradition.
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