Gorzanów Palace has hosted The Palace Residency since 2020, and we are grateful to be a very recent part of its 447 year old history. The site is currently under the care of a charitable foundation invested in artistic initiatives and the preservation of the distinct baroque architecture, which is a rare surviving example of its kind. Marek Haisig who runs the foundation, and his community of volunteers, have welcomed us like family over these last years. Through the foundation, Marek subsidised the cost of the site for us in exchange for opening our doors to share what we create with the local community and public.

The location also means we have been discovering a new region of Poland along with its cultural and political past. Whilst its history is rich, and there are endless stories to come from within its walls, it is important we acknowledge one in particular. From September 1939 to May 1945, Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany and the USSR, with the Nazis taking control of lower selisia, the region which the village of Gorzanow is located. During this period, Gorzanow Palac itself was used by the Nazis initially to house military garrison and then, for two months at the end of the war, as a labour camp (Arbeitslager) for Polish women of Jewish descent (specifically from Łódź) until it was liberated by the Russians. Then named Grafenort, the camp was part of a network of 13 labour camps in the Lower Silesian region, and although they where work camps focused on building barricades against the soviets, that is not to say many prisoners would not have died (we cannot find any record of deaths at Gorzanow). In our research, we found a book written by Ruth Minsky Sender, a survivor from the camp who is still alive today (book is available online in Polish and english translation). In the book, she tells of how she found ways to write poetry during her time in the camps, using her creativity as a means to record and remember, to ensure the atrocities lived by her and millions of others during this dark period were never forgotten. 

As we enter this space, we must acknowledge the history that came before us to ensure the past is not re-lived and to put our life, our work and community in context; to acknowledge the suffering, the strength and the battles that were fought to create the future we now live. We must remember the determination, bravery and resilience of those before us as we regenerate space & collectively galvanize to face the challenges of our time.  

The site and village of Gorzanow had and has a rich and intricate life beyond this dark period, including being a beacon of the arts in the 17th century, social housing post war and currently loved home and host to many passing creatives. The community of artists that currently reside at the Gorzanow Palace are an active part of the living history and legacy that we feel The Palace Residency will continue to develop and exemplify. You can read more here. We welcome Gorzanow and embrace the challenge to learn from its history, and are grateful for the opportunity it gives us to create, learn and live.

“As long as there is life, there is hope.” Minska, Riva Camp Mittlestein (1945) 1986: 102

Further Reading:

The Cage, English translation: https://jljsd83.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/the-cage1.pdf?fbclid=IwAR2lxLhIml5LG1HXf3BYtAq0kw2CQ4KcgmWpQ1aheFnKJi-xdf28nfeL-WI

Ruth Minsky Sender: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Minsky_Sender

Gorzanow Castle Full History: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorzan%C3%B3w_Castle