Jan Matejkos manor in Krzesławice
ul. Melchiora Wańkowicza 25, 31-752 Kraków
Tourist region: Kraków i okolice
Originally, the manor resembled a country house, with later additions made by the next owner, Jan Matejko. Today, the manor house is covered by a shingle roof with characteristic dormer windows.
At the front is an openwork decorated porch designed by Jan Matejko. On the front wall of the manor house is a commemorative plaque with a bas-relief of Matejko's head, built in 1969. In front of the manor house is a bust of Jan Matejko, the work of Professor Czesław Dźwigaj. The manor house is set amidst a 4-hectare landscaped park with centuries-old specimens of rare trees. The interior of the manor house was decorated in a style typical of such houses from the first half of the 19th century. Of the original furnishings from the time of Jan Matejko's residence, only the porch, the bench, the front door, the piano, the easel, and the bell used to announce that dinner was about to be served, currently located on the tower of the nearby church, remain.
In the manor house, furnished with furniture from the 19th century, you can see a postcard of Polish kings and princes by Matejko's pupils.
In the 18th century, Krzesławice belonged to the Kraków Academy, whose rector Hugo Kołłątaj took it over in 1788 and built a manor house, which unfortunately no longer exists. In the 19th century, the Kirchmayers bought the estate and built a new manor house in 1826; the old one was used as a summer kitchen and was demolished in 1918.
In 1876, the manor house, with a garden, orchard, outbuildings and arable land, was bought by Jan Matejko with money from selling the painting ‘Stefan Batory at Psków’. The old Polish manor was the summer residence of his family. The artist designed and added a studio and a wooden porch with an openwork balustrade from the garden, supported by pillars and topped with a triangular gable, all of which have survived to this day. Here, the painter created many works, mainly portraits, sketches and paintings on historical subjects, including the vast painting ‘Kościuszko pod Racławicami’.
During the Second World War, the Germans who had requisitioned the manor house laid waste to the park. After the war, the inhabitants were driven from the manor house and the manor was destroyed and looted. That is why its last owner, Maria Burzyńska, bequeathed the ruined estate to the Society of Friends of Fine Arts in Kraków to be used as a museum exhibiting Hugo Kołłątaj and Jan Matejko's memorabilia. In 1960, there began a renovation for purposes of preserving its historic character. The manor house has been home to a museum since 1966.