Po polsku: Pałac w Osieku
Did you expect to find a Moorish palace in the Polish countryside? Osiek Palace (Pałac w Osieku) is exactly that: an exceptional building in the Moorish style, standing in Osiek in Małopolska, the region around Kraków, between Oświęcim and Kęty. Its roots go back to the 17th century, and it sits in a picturesque park among lakes.
The palace complex
The palace is not a single building. Around the main palace stand several outbuildings (in Polish oficyny), called „Kasztel” (the Castle), „Dom Sędziego” (the Judge’s House) and „Ogrody” (the Gardens). All of them are set in the park.
Inside the palace there is a small private museum of the Rudziński family, the family that owns the palace today. Please read the practical info below before you plan a visit, because the interiors are not normally open.
Architecture: a pearl in the Moorish style
The palace has two storeys. The second one was added in the middle of the 19th century. It also has two towers with onion-shaped domes. Long ago, two mighty statues of griffins guarded the entrance.
The Moorish style (styl mauretański) means a look inspired by Islamic architecture of North Africa and Spain. References to the Orient were fashionable at the time, so the idea itself is not unique. But the scale and craftsmanship of this palace make it a real architectural pearl.
The walls and ceilings inside are covered with intricate paintings and mosaics in blue and white. Geometric and plant motifs dominate the decoration. Some Arabic inscriptions have survived in the palace, among them Allah Akbar. The ballroom is called the Moorish Hall (Sala Mauretańska). It has arabesques and arched doorways decorated with a shell motif.
The palace is surrounded by a landscape park with classicist and neo-Gothic residential and farm buildings. One of them is a neo-Gothic outbuilding with a tower, dating from 1843.
A short history
The first information about a defensive manor house in Osiek comes from 1653. The manor probably stood here much earlier. In 1784 the Osiek estate was bought by Baron Karol Wacław Larisch. He rebuilt it thoroughly and turned it into a classicist palace.
The present look of the palace is the result of another rebuilding, made by the baron’s son, Karol Józef Larisch. It was most likely done in 1835, to designs by the Italian architect Franciszek Maria Lanci. The Larisch family owned the palace almost until the end of the 19th century.
In 1885 the neglected and indebted estate was bought by Baron Oskar von Rudziński, who restored its former glory. After his death, from 1919 to 1940, the palace was run by his sons. During the Second World War the Germans took over the estate and forced the Rudziński family to leave Osiek.
After 1945 the estate was nationalised. In the communist period (PRL, the People’s Republic of Poland) the Rudzińskis were even banned from coming within 30 km of the property.
The family got the palace and the farm buildings back in January 2009. The current owner is Maciej Rudziński, the last of the Rudziński line, who grew up in Osiek.
Interesting facts
Many balls and gatherings were held in the palace. Among the guests were President Ignacy Mościcki, General Józef Haller, Marshal Józef Piłsudski and Cardinal Adam Stefan Sapieha, as well as the watercolour painter Julian Fałat.
Practical info
- Address: ul. Zamkowa 11, 32-608 Osiek (Oświęcim county)
- Visiting: the palace is privately owned and under renovation, so the interiors are not normally open to visitors. You can see the main building and the other buildings from the outside. Before you come, it is worth asking about visiting possibilities at the tourist information point in Oświęcim.
- Nearby: Zator Castle, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Oświęcim, and the town of Kęty
Checked October 2026. Opening times and prices change, so please check before your visit.
More guides: Kraków & Małopolska in English.
Łukasz, Niezwykła Małopolska