Rydzyna Royal Castle
The castle in Rydzyna was the residence of Stanisław Leszczyński, the Polish King, and later belonged to Polish princely family Sułkowski. It was built on the walls of a fortified castle from the 15th century, erected by the town's founder, Jan from Czernina. The Baroque Leszczyński’s residence is a work of outstanding Italian architects from the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. Castle, including its extensive surrundings and park, made Rydzyna one of the most magnificent magnate residence in Greater Poland. Rebuilt several times in the 18th century, it remained in the hands of the Sułkowski family until 1909. During their times it was an important cultural and educational centre, and even after the disappearance of the family it became, by virtue of a statute of the Sułkowski Ordinance, the seat of an experimental grammar and secondary school operating between 1928 and 1939. The castle, which was burnt down by Soviet troops in 1945, was rebuilt in the 1970s by the Association of Polish Mechanical Engineers and Technicians. In recognition of this work, the building was awarded the "Europa Nostra" diploma. At present, the castle and its park surroundings are used as a hotel, conference centre, restaurant and museum. The castle is a Historical Monument.
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