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Wilczyska. Jeżów Manor House

Wilczyska. Jeżów Manor House

Wilczyska. Jeżów Manor House

Wilczyska. Jeżów Manor House

Wilczyska. Jeżów Manor House

Wilczyska. Jeżów Manor House

The Jeżów Manor House is one of the best preserved defensive Renaissance manor houses in Poland. The storeyed building built of stone on a near-square external plan (16.5 × 15 m) was built in two stages.

The original rectangular structure is dated to before 1525 and comprises the southern section of today's manor house. Its construction was probably initiated by the Jeżowskis of the Strzemię clan, or their followers, the Turscy of the Gryf clan. The thickness of walls in this section of the manor reaches 175 cm. It stood two or three storeys high with two rooms on each floor. In the south-eastern corner, the manor house sported a tower which, much like the attic, played a defensive role.

The second stage was conducted by the success of the owner, Adam Strasz (Susz?) of the Ogończyk clan. The northern extension was added at this time to the older, southern section, and the entire structure was partially lowered. The thickness of the walls of the northern part is smaller as it does not exceed 120 cm. After reconstruction, the Manor house had four rooms in both lower floors (lower ground floor and ground floor), while a huge hall for formal functions was arranged on the first floor over the new, northern part. The completion of the second stage of the construction is dated to 1544.

The building has no cellars, and was set on oak piles sunk into very wet ground. Remnants of moats and earthenworks, attesting to the defensive character of the site, can be found in the park surrounding it. This character is further corroborated by other defensive features that have been preserved, notably the very thick walls, small windows on the lower floor, and the loopholes in the tower.

The most attractive elements that have been preserved from the furnishing and decoration are the murals of the spacious Castle Hall on the first floor presenting a panorama of Jeżów and Wilczyska, and sailing and hunting scenes (1544). Stone portals and fireplaces have also been preserved, as have sections of the stucco decoration of the first-floor rooms. The wall painting in the Court Chapel with images of the saints, situated on the ground floor, is somewhat later as it is dated to the end of the 17th century.

Following renovation the manor house has regained its Renaissance appearance, and currently it operates as the Centre for Creative Work of the Graphic Arts Schools in Tarnów.

Beginning in the 1520s, the Reformation - first Lutheran, and then Calvinist (mostly in Małopolska) - made advances in Poland. One of the headquarters of the Calvinist communities was Villa Decius (from 1552, when it was already the property of the son of Iustus Decius, Jost Ludwik Junior). In 1562, a radical community of Polish Brethren, known as the Arians, span off from the Evangelical Church. For over 100 years, from Adam Strasz on, the owners of Jeżów belonged to the Polish Brethren and used the Jeżów Manor House as one of the centres of the religious community. Polish Brethren eagerly settled in the province, away from the centres of state and Episcopal power which strongly opposed them.