n the Middle Ages, at the fork of the Vistula and Babulówka, on the site where the residence currently stands, there was a knight's defensive manor house, which Długosz mentions as belonging to the Baranowski family of the Grzymała coat of arms in the 15th century. The remains of this manor house have survived to this day in the cellars of the palace.
In 1578, the Baranowski estate came into the possession of Rafał Leszczyński of the Wieniawa coat of arms in 1579. After passing the estate a year later to his son Andrzej, the voivode of Brzesko-Kujawy, he began building a castle. The construction was completed in 1606, and the famous library found its place there. The castle itself was the main residence of Andrzej Leszczyński, who was visited here several times by King Stefan Batory.
The castle design was probably developed by Santi Gucci, as indicated by the sculptural details and the entire architectural form, but the construction was completed by his students after Gucci's death. The castle is built on a rectangular plan with four cylindrical corner towers and a rectangular entrance gate. The rich stuccowork attributed to Joan Baptista Falconi, preserved in the vault of the north-eastern tower, comes from the period of the Leszczyński family, who lived here for over a hundred years. After 1620, the castle was surrounded
Aerial photo, photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2021
by bastion fortifications, which, however, proved useless during the Swedish Deluge. In the spring of 1656, the Swedes encountered Lithuanian troops commanded by Paweł Sapieha near Baranów and withdrew towards Zawichost. The last owner of Baranów from the Leszczyński family was the father of the future King of Poland Stanisław Leszczyński - Rafał. In 1677, the castle came into the possession of Dymitr Wiśniowiecki, who ruled here until 1682 and did not introduce any changes during that period. Then the castle fell into the hands of Prince Józef Karol Lubomirski of the Śreniawa coat of arms. In 1695, he undertook a partial reconstruction of the residence and renovation of the interiors. The works were commissioned to Tylman van Gameren, one of the most outstanding architects of Poland at that time. At that time, the castle elevations were modernized and the western tract was added to the existing retaining wall, in which tract a gallery of paintings was placed. stucco decorations were designed for the interiors of the first floor, preserved
photo by ZeroJeden, II 2016
to this day in the so-called The Tylman Gallery and in the adjacent rooms.
The Lubomirskis owned the castle until 1720, then it passed through the hands of Prince Paweł Sanguszko, Jacek Małachowski, Józef Potocki, Jan Krasicki. Thanks to such frequent changes of owners, the castle retained its original Renaissance-Baroque character given to it by the Leszczyńskis and Lubomirskis. During the Krasickis' rule, the castle was renovated. At the end of the 18th century, bishop Ignacy Krasicki often visited here.
In the 19th century, the castle burned down twice. The fire of September 24, 1849 destroyed the castle's priceless interiors. The wooden ceilings, roofs, all the castle equipment and, of course, the library did not survive. The Krasickis could not afford to rebuild the residence, and the subsequent owners did not care about their property.
The ruined Baranów monument was finally put up for auction, in 1867 it was bought by Feliks Dolański from Grębów. The castle did not change owners until World War II. The second fire occurred in 1898. After this fire the Dolańskis tried to renovate the castle, they commissioned the work to Tadeusz Stryjeński. On the ground floor in the room by the south-west tower a chapel was set up, decorated with stained glass windows by Józef Mehoffer and a painting by Jacek Malczewski, the Immaculate Mother of God, placed in the altar. The last owner of the castle before the war was Roman Dolański.
During the war the castle again did not resist destruction, however both war damage and the two 19th century fires did not damage the architecture. After the war, the agricultural
Aerial photo, photo by ZeroJeden, IV 2021
reform made the State Treasury the new owner.
On 4 and 5 January 1968, the castle in Baranów was formally handed over to the Sandomierz Sulphur Mines and Processing Plants "Siarkopol" in Tarnobrzeg. In July 1997, the new owner became the Industrial Development Agency S. A. in Warsaw, which manages the facility to this day.
Currently, the castle is full of cultural and tourist life.
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the Middle Ages, at the fork of the Vistula and Babulówka, on the site where the residence currently stands, there was a knight's defensive manor house, which Długosz mentions as belonging to the Baranowski family of the Grzymała coat of arms in the 15th century. The remains of this manor house have survived to this day in the cellars of the palace.
