Finckenstein Palace

Finckenstein Palace (German: Schloss Finckenstein; Polish: Pałac w Kamieńcu) is a ruined Baroque palace situated in the village of Kamieniec, about 25 mi. (40 km) south of Elbląg, in northern Poland. Formerly part of West Prussia, it was designed by the architect John von Collas and erected in the years 1716–1720 by Prussian Field Marshal, Marquess, and Count Albrecht Konrad Reinhold Finck von Finckenstein. It remained in the possession of the Finck von Finckenstein family until 1782. After that the Counts Dohna-Schlobitten lived in it until 1945. Red Army soldiers set the palace on fire January 22, 1945, during their conquest of Prussia in World War II. The last owner/resident was Alfred (1917–1988), son of Hermann Dohna-Finckenstein (1894–1942).

The palace became famous in 1807, when Napoleon made it his residence from April through June of that year. When he saw the palace for the first time, he said: Enfin un chateau ("Finally, a castle"). The Treaty of Finckenstein between France and Persia was signed here. Here, Napoleon met his Polish mistress Maria Walewska, with whom he lived in the palace. The Hollywood movie Conquest depicted the palace with Greta Garbo and Charles Boyer but was actually filmed in Monterey, California. Palace ownership:

Text adapted from “Finckenstein Palace” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Finckenstein Palace ranks #1,380 of 8,133 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #41 of the 374 mapped in Poland. Founded 1716, it is older than 21% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 556 atlas entries founded in the 18th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 3,755 times in the last 60 days, more than 80% of the atlas. 3 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Gdańsk, 80 km away. See how Poland compares in the castle statistics.

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Read the full history on Wikipedia ↗