Ruins of the von Borcke Palace in Starogard

The ruins of the von Borcke Palace in Starogard are the remains of a Baroque residence of the von Borck family, built in 1717-1721, in Łobez County in Resko municipality. The palace has been a ruin since the end of the Second World War. The layout of the main body with two storeys and a mansard roof is legible, and on the risalit the family's coat-of-arms shield with the date 1840 has survived. The site should be viewed from the outside.

The seat of the von Borck family

From the 16th century the village was a fief of the von Borck family, who rebuilt a fortified manor house into a palace. In 1717 the field marshal at the Prussian court, Adrian Bernard von Borck, began to build a Baroque residence in the Dutch style, completed in 1721. His son Heinrich Adrian added in 1743 a new wing under a mansard roof, thanks to which a representative courtyard was created. In the 19th century the palace complex numbered more than 20 buildings.

The date 1840 on the risalit is linked with the family being granted the title of count. According to the sources the palace was richly furnished: it had tapestries, collections of paintings, including works by Antoine Pesne, and collections of books and physical and meteorological instruments.

The ruin and the park

After the entry of Soviet troops in 1945 the palace was burned. Since then it has stood in ruins in the central part of the village, on the north side of the road. The entry on the village cites the opinion of the local authorities that, despite the destruction, rebuilding is possible, for example for a museum of the Łobez land. The palace and the manor park are entered in the heritage register (the palace: no. 102 of 1956 and A-1693 of 2017).

Behind the palace a Baroque garden was originally laid out, with a central axis leading to three fish ponds. It was later transformed into a landscape park with paddocks for horses. In the park an obelisk with the likeness of Helena von Borck, commemorating Heinrich's wife, was put up in 1772. In the cemetery there is also a fenced burial place of the von Borck family (register no. 438 of 1963). There are no gravestones there, but a tall porphyry cross has survived.

Practical information

• Location: Starogard, Resko municipality, Łobez County, in the middle of the village by the road.
• The ruin is not open to visitors. No information was found on ownership and the rules of entry to the park, so do not enter the building and check with the municipal office.
• Nearby stands the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, half-timbered, from 1579, with an original tower from 1909.