Heritage of the Pototskiy Family – castles, fortresses, estates

Potocki are a family of Polish nobility, magnates and cultural personalities.

They made a great contribution to the social and cultural life of Ukraine, were active political figures, founded the first charitable organizations and built more than a hundred castles and estates throughout the country. Let us look at some of these in more detail.

Potocki Palace in Lviv

Photo by wikipedia.org

Count and politician Alfred Jozef Potocki acquired property on Rue Copernic in Lviv in 1822.According to an eighteenth-century map of the city, there were several small buildings in the area. Instead, the Earl’s domain was built.

The Potocki Palace in Lviv was originally built in the classic style and was a two-storey building with a high roof and symmetrical facade.More than four decades later, the palace was torn down.It was built in Baroque style by a French architect.The new palace was a three-storey building with attics and sideboards.The facades of the palace were decorated with figured frames. The main entrance is decorated with columns and stucco decoration.

On the first floor of the castle there are large halls in which the Pototskys receive guests. Each room is decorated with stucco and gilding. The marble design used different colors, costly wood and paints.The main entrance to the castle of the street is by the monumental door. Also, places for carriages and a stable were planned on the territory of the castle.

In 1919, a plane crashed into the Potocki Palace. The building was damaged. The renovation took more than ten years. From the forties to the seventies, the palace housed the Institute of Geology and Geochemistry. In the 2000s, the castle was transferred to the Lviv Art Gallery, to which it belongs to this day.

The Potocki Palace in Lviv is one of the most popular and visited places in the city.

Potocki Palace (Museum of Art), Odessa 

Photo by prostir.museum/ua

Olga Pototskaya was the original proprietor.The estate was built under the design of an architect from Odessa.The two-story building was erected in three years in the style of late classicism. The interior of the palace is conceived in an eclectic style.Large and magnificent halls for receptions, beautiful ceilings and parquet decorated with neat patterns.

Under the Potocki Palace there are several cellars and galleries. An underground grotto is located in the underground central part of the palace. Behind the manor building is a magnificent park.

The Potocki Palace is considered an architectural monument of the nineteenth century. Previously, within the walls of the palace there was a museum of arts, the first city art gallery, an art museum, a museum of Russian and Ukrainian art, a museum of Pototsky. Today the palace houses an art museum.

The museum presents collections of icons, portraits, paintings, drawings and sculptures. Famous canvases in the Potocki Palace include the Portrait of Catherine the Second, the Forest Stream by Ivan Shishkin and landscapes by Ivan Aivazovsky. Exhibits of Ukrainian arts and crafts are presented in a separate room.

              Potocki Palace in Tulchin

Photo by wikimedia.org

The Potocki Palace in Tulchin was commissioned by a famous family, in the classicist style in the second half of the eighteenth century. The author of the project was a French architect. The owner of the palace, Stanislav-Schenitsky-Pototsky, entered the service of the Russian Empress Catherine II, after which he was found out as a traitor in Poland.

Potocki was lucky, he was allowed to keep his estates on the territory of Ukraine. Stanislav-Schenitsky-Pototsky had more than 100,000 serfs. During his reign, the palace was expanded to a whole ensemble of several buildings. The ensemble included a palace, two outbuildings, an art gallery, a library, a Turkish bath, a stable, a printing house, a greenhouse and several utility rooms. Next to the palace is an amazing park, which once housed several ponds. The glades of the park were decorated with fountains and sculptures.

The Old Palace is the main building of the Potocki Palace. By the way, the facade of the building at the main gate has an open loggia. At that time, the Palace was considered an arch decorated with pesticides. Since the eighties, a school of culture has been located within the walls of the castle.

Potocki Palace in Ivano-Frankivsk

Of stone and brick in Ivano-Frankivsk, a palace was erected especially for Andrey Pototsky on the site of a small hunting lodge.

The palace is surrounded on all sides by a high fence. The central gate is decorated with various knightly equipment. Outbuildings near the palace are more than two hundred years old. For many years, different departments were located in the castle building, which affected its condition. Then within its walls was a military hospital.

The Potocki Palace is considered a historical monument of the city. Today the castle is closed for restoration. It is planned to open a museum and exhibition complex on its territory.

Potocki Palace in Chervonograd

Photo by Mapio.net

In the Lviv region, the city of Chervonograd, there is another Potocki estate. The building was erected in the eighteenth century by an Italian architect. The architecture of the palace features features of classicism and baroque.

Currently, the palace is under restoration, after a fire, but in some rooms there are expositions of the Lviv Museum of Religion.

A legend is connected with the Potocki Palace in Chervonograd.Count Stanislav Pototsky loved Gertrude Komarovsky. In spite of the ban on their family, the couple married in secret.The girl was expecting a baby. By order of Father Stanislav, Gertrude was kidnapped and taken to a monastery. There she was killed. The girl’s body was thrown into the river. After the death of his beloved and child, Stanislav Pototsky twice tried to commit suicide. The count was married twice more.

In honor of his second wife, Sophia de Witt, Potocki founded the famous Sofiyivka park in Uman. They say that Stanislav loved his second wife, but he died with a portrait of his beloved Gertrude on his chest.

 Sofiyivsky park

Photo by Sofiivka Serhii Krynytsia (Haidamac)

In the north part of Uman there is an excellent park called Sofiyivka. It.is considered a monument of the landscape type of world gardening art, which belongs to the end of the eighteenth century. On its territory there are many excellent flowers, shrubs, exotic trees. The park was founded in 1796 by Stanislav Potocki. The Polish Count presented Sofiyivsky Park to his wife on her name day.

A Polish engineer was invited to the construction. Hundreds of serfs worked on the project. The park was planned on a treeless area that was divided by a river. Masters successfully used the terrain, planted a lot of plants and erected the first architectural structures. Mythological scenes are presented in the center of the park. Also, the park was decorated with sculptures, rocks, grottoes, pavilions and pavilions. Small ponds, magical waterfalls, locks and the underground river Acheron, which is 224 meters long, fascinate with beauty and conciseness.

Today, Sofiyivsky Park is a favorite vacation spot for many Ukrainians.

Potocki Palace in Paradise

Photo by Pizzatravel.Com.Ua

In the southwestern part of the village of Ray (Ternopil region) in the eighteenth century, Alexander Pototsky built a palace.

Once on the site of today’s castle, there was a hunting lodge. But with the advent of Potocki, the building was rebuilt. The palace has a square shape and two tiers.

In the territories adjacent to the castle there was a landscape park. In the nineteenth century the castle was rebuilt. According to the new project, he acquired the bright features of classicism. For some time there was a sanatorium for children within the walls of the castle, but the building was in disrepair and the sanatorium had to be closed. Today the castle is under restoration.

 Potocki Palace in Dashev

Photo by archiveuatravels.in.ua

In the Vinnitsa region, the village of Dashev, there is the Potocki Palace, built in the second half of the nineteenth century. Initially, the palace complex included: a castle, stables, several utility rooms. Near the castle there was a river and a bridge. The stable building was built of granite and brick. The estate is made in the style of classicism.

On the façade facing the river, there is an open loggia with columns. In Soviet times, the river and the bridge were given the status of public property, and the castle, stables and other premises fell into disrepair. It was not until 2008 that renovations began at the castle.

Today, most of the premises on the castle grounds are open to visitors. Inside the Potocki Palace, you can see neat decor, molding, painting and other interior elements that have survived to this day.

Potocki Mausoleum

Photo by  Печера, дом отдыха

In the village of Pechera, Vinnitsa region, in a park area on the site of the Sveikovsky-Pototsky estate, there is a mausoleum of a Polish family.

The tomb was built in 1904 according to the plan of the Ukrainian architect Gorodetsky. When building the mausoleum, the craftsmen used stone and concrete. From the back of the palace you can see a staircase that leads to the crypt. According to legend, there are no Potocki bodies in the crypt. They were taken to the territory of Poland after the revolution.

The building was erected in the form of a church.

On the mausoleum there is a well-preserved tablet with the inscription:

“Planned by Vladislav Gorodetsky.”

On the other side of the tomb hangs a tablet

“They were built by Konstantin and Yanina from Potocki. 1904″.

An interesting fact: the architect refused to pay for his work, as a sign of respect for a famous family.

In Soviet times, there was a cinema club in the premises of the mausoleum. Today, the church of St. Andrew Boboli is located in the above-ground part of the building.

 House of Potocki in Mogilev-Podolsky 

Photo by varandej.livejournal.com

The city of Mogilev-Podolsky in the Vinnitsa region belonged to the Pototskys since the seventeenth century.

At the end of the eighteenth and beginning of the nineteenth century, the count family built a small palace in the city. The building is made in the style of classicism. In the eighteenth century, the government of Tsarist Russia acquired Mogilev from Potocki’s relatives. Today, the Potocki Palace in Mogilev-Podolsky is closed for repairs.

 Potocki Palace in Noskovtsy

At the end of the eighteenth century, the Potocki family bought a Romanesque estate in the village of Noskovtsy, Vinnitsa region. The new owners rebuilt the palace. The building had two floors and was made of stone. There was a beautiful green park near the palace. Over time, the estate passed from the Potocki to General A. Dugamel, and then to the philanthropist Yulia Pashchenko. At the invitation of Yu. Pashchenko, the poet S. Nadson rested in the palace.

The park and ruins of the castle have survived to this day from the Potocki Palace. Partially survived the stables. During the Soviet Union, there was a school within the walls of the estate. Today, a local history museum is open here.

         Potocki Palace in Mikulintsy

In the village of Mikulintsy there is an estate built in the 1760s by the Potocki family. The palace-type building is made in the Empire style. Pototskaya ordered not only to build a manor, but also to lay a park, plant trees and shrubs adjacent to the estate. The palace is located in the center of the park, not far from the river.

After the Potocki family, the Austrian Baron Konopka became the owner of the castle. Within the walls of the estate, the baron organized a sanatorium, since Mikulintsy were known for their healing springs.The sanatorium worked until 1914.

Today, the ruins of the old castle are visible on the left side. Maple trees are planted along the alley from the main entrance to the palace. There is a well nearby. Today, the regional physiotherapy hospital is located in the Potocki Palace.

Manor Sangushko-Pototsky

Photo by  ua.igotoworld.com

In the Khmelnitsky region, the village of Antoniny preserved elements of the palace and park complex, which belonged to the Potocki magnates.

The construction of the estate was started by the regent I. Malchevsky, then Prince E. Sangushko continued his work. The complex was located in a wonderful park near the river. There were more than three thousand different varieties of flowers and shrubs in the park area. E. Sangushko built a magnificent greenhouse, added to the interiors of the palace.

The last version of the estate was reconstructed by order of the Potocki in the first half of the twentieth century. The manor acquired the features of the late baroque, under the skill of the Viennese architect F. Felner. His works include the Odessa Opera House and the Opera House in Chernivtsi.

The estate kept dozens of paintings and many works of art. Part of the palace and park complex was destroyed during the Second World War. To this day, only the outbuilding, in which the Internet school operates, the building of the manager, the horse arena, the main gate and fences, have survived.

       Potocki Castle in the village of Zolotoy Potok

Photo by Serhii Krynytsia (Haidamac)

In the seventeenth century, Stefan Pototsky built a castle in the central part of the village of Zolotoy Potok.

The building is located on a small hill in the valley of the Tatarka River. The castle was built of granite sandstone. According to the plan of the building, there are holes in the walls for firing for defensive purposes. The walls of the castle reach ten meters.A palace, small utility rooms and a well were built on the territory of the castle.

Turkish troops tried to take the Potocki Castle by storm three times, but each time they were defeated. The family of Polish gentry lived in the palace until the end of the seventeenth century. After that, the owner of the castle changed several times. In Soviet times, the palace served as a building for government organizations. Today, the Potocki Palace is abandoned and in a deplorable state.

       Shuvalov’s Palace in Talny

Photo by in.ck.ua

The Shuvalov estate once belonged to the Potocki family, which is why locals often call this palace the same.

The palace in Talny was the legacy of Olga Stanislavovna Pototskaya-Naryshkina, and then passed to her daughter Sophia, the wife of Count Shuvalov.

Watermill of Potocki in the village of Sokolets

In the village of Sokolets, Vinnitsa region, a part of one of the Potocki estates has been preserved.

A well-known family built a palace and created a cozy park. By order of Konstantin Potocki, a water mill was also built. Construction began in 1899 under the guidance of architect J. Goyrich. The project included high walls made of stone and brick.

The architecture was complemented with metal decor. To this day, the metal stairs at the back of the palace have been poorly preserved. The water mill was rebuilt in 1951 as a hydroelectric power plant. In the nineties there was a fire, and the structure was destroyed, only the warehouse building survived. The paving stones on the road and the stone elements near the mill were not damaged.

After the fire, the building was planned to be reconstructed into a museum and a hotel complex, but repair work has not yet begun.

       Castle-Palace Potocki in Tartakov

Photo by Serhii Krynytsia (Haidamac)
Photo by Serhii Krynytsia (Haidamac)

The building, better known as the Lyantskoronsky Palace, was rebuilt from the Potocki Castle. First, the owner of the castle was the Kyiv voivode Schensny (Felix) Kazimir Potocki.

According to one version, it was here that his great-grandson Stanislav was born, who went down in history as Count Stanislav Shchenny Potocki.

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