We would like to inform that the Palace of Henryk Sienkiewicz in Oblęgorek is available for visitors now.

We would like to welcome you warmly in the Museum of Henryk Sienkiewicz in Oblęgorek. In one of the letters to his acquaintance Sienkiewicz wrote: „Oblęgorek enchanted me totally…”. We hope you will also find this place charming. The residence is a gift of Polish nation for the Noble prizewinner on the occasion of his 25th anniversary of literary work. In 1899 special Committee, comprising writer’s friends, started to collect funds for the gift for Sienkiewicz. Just after two first months 44,000 rubles were collected, and finally there were 71,000 rubles.

There was a problem what to spend this money for: whether to buy a tenement house in the centre of Warsaw or a mansion in the countryside? As it appeared that a tenement house could be a problematic gift looking good only from the front, the decision was made to buy a mansion. At the same time, Mieczysław Halik, a notary in Kielce, resolved to sell the estate in Oblęgorek, which earlier had belonged to the Tarło family. He contacted the Credit Society in Warsaw, in which the estate was indebted, to invite representatives of the Committee to see the mansion. After the visit they decided to buy the estate for 51,249 rubles and 59 kopecks. The rest of the money was assigned for adding a living part for the writer to the already existing forest house of the Tarłos and hunting pavilion of Halik.

The project was made for free by the architect, Hugo Kuder, whereas park arrangement was prepared by the well-known gardener from Warsaw, creator of Botanic and Saxon Gardens, Franciszek Szanior. The notarial deed of the estate in Oblęgorek – a national gift – was given the writer on 22 December 1900 during the jubilee celebrations in Warsaw Town Hall. Sienkiewicz unofficially visited Oblęgorek for the first time in 1901. He was coming back then with his son (after his secondary school-leaving examinations) from Cracow to Warsaw. The mansion was finished in 1902. Sienkiewicz officially came to his residence on 9 June the same year and was warmly welcomed by people living in the region. Soon afterwards he began to furnish the house with great enthusiasm. However, after some time it appeared that the house is very cold during winter and could not be inhabited for the whole year. That is why the writer decided to treat Oblęgorek as a summer residence.

Palace