Rising dramatically from Grodowe Hill in Lower Silesia, the neo-Gothic palace of Marianne of Orange is one of the most ambitious aristocratic residences ever built in this part of Central Europe. Commissioned in 1838 by the Dutch princess herself and designed by the legendary Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, it is a place where grand architecture, romantic parkland and a turbulent royal history come together in a truly unforgettable setting.

The sheer scale of the palace is breathtaking — four corner towers soaring over 33 metres high, massive outer walls with round bastions, and sweeping terraced gardens descending into a sprawling park of over 115 hectares. Spring is magical here: the annual Tulip Spring festival floods the terraces with colour. Summer brings cool shade under ancient trees, while autumn turns the oaks and beeches into a golden canvas perfectly suited to the building's romantic spirit. Nature lovers will appreciate over a hundred protected trees, including the famous 'Jan Oak' with a trunk circumference of 525 cm.

• Kamieniec Ząbkowicki town centre — walk uphill along Zamkowa Street, approx. 15 minutes, easy
• By car: parking available at the palace complex, access via Zamkowa Street

• Guided tours of the palace and terraces are paid and available in groups only
• The Hohenzollern family mausoleum can be visited separately for an additional fee
• The park and forest areas surrounding the palace are free and open to all
• The 'Tulip Spring' festival takes place on the last weekend of May — the most spectacular time to visit

After the palace was devastated by fire in 1946, some of its marble interiors were reportedly repurposed in the construction of the Congress Hall inside Warsaw's Palace of Culture — a small but striking footnote to this extraordinary place's story.