Postcard from Plawniowice, a photo from Slaskie, West

Photographer's Note

Why am I still active on TrekEarth? So many friends have left and the site is clearly neglected by the owners. One of the reasons I stay is its mission statement: Learning about the world through photography. Every time I visit my home country, Poland, I try to do some sightseeing. In the last two years, my visits to places like Ksiaz and Moszna Castles, I believe, have inspired emka to take a trip to South West Poland. From her reportage, here on TE, I have learned about the existence of this beautiful palace. It is very conveniently located not far from the motorway passing from the west to the east. It is almost in the middle between my parents and my parents in law, as if created for me to make a stop there for a break.

Pławniowice
History of the Pławniowice village dates back to 1317, however, the area was mostly a scenic woodland next to a large lake until 1737, when it was bought by a nobleman called Franz Wolfgang von Stechow. In 1789 it passed through a marriage to the wealthy noble clan of the Ballestrems, who built a fairy tale palace between 1882 and 1884. Designed by Constantine Heidenreich, the palace is a three-wing structure in the architectural style of Dutch neo-mannerism. It is known for its contrast in colour and texture between the red brick walls and ornamental stone edging. The roofs are adorned by various turrets, towers, dormers and needles of different shapes and sizes. The palace remained in the hands of the Ballestrems until the end of World War II when it was abandoned as the Red Army quickly approached the village. The palace was then looted and the lavish interiors were devastated. Following the war, the palace was owned by the Polish state and was neglected, which contributed to its deterioration over time. Since 1993 it has undergone full renovation and is now a local tourist attraction.

PaulVDV, macjake, ChrisJ, Fis2, Royaldevon, worldcitizen, ikeharel, papagolf21, gervaso, cornejo, adramad, COSTANTINO heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

PaulVDV (63478) 2017-09-27 11:57

Hello Mariusz,
The subject is well lit while framed with the silhouettes of leaves and with a dark foreground.
The red facades make the castle stand out well under the overcast sky.
Presented from a good angle and from a good spot in the garden.
Best regards, Paul

lousat (139992) 2017-09-27 11:58

Hi Mariusz,it's nice to read your note and what you think about this abandoned website and who is gone,and i agree with you. Another very interesting post from your country,a not famous village,so this post is more interesting! An excellent capture of this castle,well renovated..i know how is a tourist attraction,it's truly a great beauty! Have a nice evening and thanks,Luciano

batalay (41261) 2017-09-27 12:02

Hello Mariusz,

I had just made a quick visit to TE and your photo logged in just behind mine. I'm afraid you are correct. So many friends and talented photographers have left the site.

This is a majestic scene, the red brick palace with white quoins on the outside corners makes a beautiful scene, and renovated, it looks brand new. Under the thick clouds, the sunlit palace shines with all its grandeur.

Warm regards,

Bulent

Tue (93458) 2017-09-27 13:07

Hello Mariusz,
I find it most regrettable that so many valued members have left the site, as it is still such a wonderful community which teaches me about so many great places from around the world. Luckily you are still here, so you can share with us this beautiful castle with wonderful colours and architecture. Excellent inclusion of the overhanging trees and the light was at its best as well.
Lars

emka (158860) 2017-09-27 13:13

Cześć Mariusz, niestety ta strona powoli zamiera, ale na szczęcie jeszcze zostało nas trochę. Bardzo podobała mi sie Moszna i Książ, cieszę się, że zachęciłam Cię do odwiedzenia Pławniowic. Zamek est bardzo ładny i świetnie go tu pokazujesz.
Pozdrawiam z Albanii

M

macjake (98544) 2017-09-27 16:37

Hi Mariusz
wow, now that's some beautiful lighting in just the perfect places. seriously, does it get any better than this??? I don't think so. excellent placement of the tower too as its sitting inbetween the branches. this is awesome! superb light and colors, not to mention A+ for the Castle itself.
cheers
craig

dkmurphys (79209) 2017-09-27 23:27

Hello,
Very beautiful capture of the red castle. I like the composition with the dark foreground. Well taken.

Daniel

Cricri (176) 2017-09-28 0:03

Hi Mariusz
Un ciel mitiger que filtre une belle lumière sur ce beau château aux pierres rouges, joliment cadrer par les feuillages, très belle présentation
heureuse de savoir que vous restiez sur TE, j'ai aussi remarquer que le site fonctionne " seul"!!!
belle journée
cricri

ChrisJ (172436) 2017-09-28 0:38

Hello Mariusz,

Nice graphism of the dark shadowed leaves and branches against the brightly lit bg sky. Good sharpness and superb warm cold color contrasts between the red castle and blue sky at right. Tfs!

Nicou (193814) 2017-09-28 0:54

Hello

Avec ces branches qui pendent quelle vue et compo quelle image quel édifice sueprbe compo ce rose ces tour quelle architecture superbe cadrage et mise en valeur.
Bravo et amitié
Nciou

Fis2 (171961) 2017-09-28 1:13

Czesc Mariusz!
Ladny fragment tego palacu.
Tez mnie ciagnie w te strony ale jakos nie dochodzi do realizacji. Ale mysle, ze kiedys...
Ladny kadr i kolorystyka.
Lubie takie budowle.
Pozdrawiam!
Krzysztof

Royaldevon (86480) 2017-09-28 3:56

Hello Mariusz,

You are right about neglect; the home page hasn't been changed for months! But, I am still active because I like to learn about the world, to improve my photography skills and to keep in touch with friends.

This is an extremely attractive building and it looks particularly attractive in partial sunshine. The f/g trees make an excellent natural frame, whilst the cluster of dark clouds, so very well placed, add a sense of drama.

Have a good day,
Bev :-)

sacimar (38173) 2017-09-28 6:47

Hello Mariusz,

beautiful palace and great photo, I like the details of the building, the red color of the facade and the different architectural elements we can see, well done,

Best regards,

Sergio

LuisGustavoLima (5184) 2017-09-28 15:02

Oi, Mariusz!

As folhagens sombreadas enquadram bem a foto. O castelo muito bonito ao fundo tem uma cor bem bonita. Luz e cores incríveis. É um lugar realmente encantador.
Bela foto!

worldcitizen (16226) 2017-09-28 16:40

Hello Mariusz,
The architecture and colors of this palace are wonderful. it really looks like something from a fairy tale. I like how you used the leaves on top as part of the frame, and the cloudy sky has nice textures, too. I agree with you about learning new things here on TE. I've learned a lot about the world and photography here. It's too bad the owners don't maintain the site very well...

ikeharel (114629) 2017-09-29 0:51

Right about "Mission statement" written, Mariusz - that's exactly why I keep presence, and the people still on are nicest friends and coullegues, and interesting enough i find 20 critiques daily.
The pic. posted is marvelously show the beautiful red-bricks built castle. From under the shades out to the lit area even as the sky were partially cloudy.
Wish you a nice Friday,
Ike

*** Some PC problem on my side, I will not post in coming days.

papagolf21 (152607) 2017-09-29 2:26

Bonjour, cher Mariusz,
Je vous donne entièrement raison à propos du site. Mais, votre contribution est nécessaire pour apprendre, découvrir, aimer.
Ici, il existe de superbes prises de vue, mais l'objectif est surtout de faire connaître des villes, des endroits peu ou pas connus du tout.
Encore mille mercis de nous offrir ici une image de grande qualité à tous les niveaux.
Amitiés.
Philippe

gervaso (28435) 2017-09-29 3:58

Hello, Mariusz!

The light is very good here, giving beautiful warm colors to the palace, which makes a great contrast with the dark clouds in the sky! I like the leaves in the foreground giving very good depth to the image!

It's really a pity the neglection of the owners of TE, with things that are so simple, as the Exif data on the photos that haven't been working for months or years! But anyway, I'm also still here too...

cornejo (61504) 2017-09-29 11:18

Witaj Mariusz, very good photograph of this beautiful and interesting composition with the interesting building, very well captured in this beautiful image, with good clarity, light, color and quality. Very good and interesting work perfectly done, my congratulations, my friend. Thank you for sharing this beautiful work.

Good night and happy weekend.
Best wishes from the south of Spain.
Angel.

dta (98848) 2017-09-29 11:51

Hello Mariusz ,
A beautiful view of the attractive red castle under the dark branches . You"ve placed these ones for the best , it is never easy .
Regards

rychem (72187) 2017-09-30 8:25

Ten zamek jest tak blisko A4, a niewiele osob o nim wie, zreszta nie zacheca do odwiedzin, a nawet opedza sie od gosci, architektura bardzo ladna i troche bajkowa
pozdrawiam Ryszard

adramad (73452) 2017-09-30 8:48

Hello Mariusz.
Undoubtedly through TE, we know places that would otherwise be difficult, as in the case of this wonderful castle-palace, of which I never saw any image or know of its existence, without a doubt is an architectural jewel of great beauty, accentuated by the contrast of the red of the bricks with the stone that surrounds doors and windows, beautiful towers also. Great POV with those tree branches at the top of the image.
A fantastic photo, with beautiful natural colors, very good lighting and excellent sharpness.
Well done. I love.
Enjoy the weekend.
Very best regards.
Luis.

jmdias (116511) 2018-07-29 2:57

mariusz

poland has so many marvelous samples of architecture, and I was completely ignorant about them before TE. marvelous the image with the intense red of the building contrasting the the areas with few colors around. the framing and the aspect of architecture here is fantastic. TFS.
yes, it is a pity the site is dyeing.

take care

jorge

jimmj63 (0) 2018-09-07 13:41

ciao Mariusz
during my last trip in Poland I visited only Kracov, but this castle is really lovable,
ciao, Giacomo

COSTANTINO (117814) 2020-12-10 11:59

Hello dear friend and have a nice day
thanks for sharing this postcard with us
and your thoughts about TE....
...me too I love learning about the
world through photography....
regards
Costantino