Database “Orangeries in Europe”
The “Orangeries in Europe” database is an international research tool designed to document and analyse historic orangeries and greenhouses across the continent. The project, developed for many years by the Working Group for Orangeries in Germany, gathers data on hundreds of structures – both preserved and no longer extant – making it possible to conduct comparative research on a European scale. Since 2025, the Eduard Petzold Foundation has joined the initiative and is responsible for adding orangeries from Poland, enabling a better understanding of the country’s heritage and integrating it into the broader context of European research.
The “Orangeries in Europe” database serves as a tool for documenting and analysing historic orangeries and greenhouses throughout Europe. Its creation is connected with long-term research into orangery architecture conducted by the Working Group for Orangeries in Germany (Arbeitskreis Orangerien in Deutschland e.V.), which has been collecting knowledge about the construction, functions and history of these buildings since its establishment in Potsdam in 1979.
The database currently includes several hundred records relating to orangeries and other types of greenhouses located in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy and Poland. It contains information on both surviving structures and those that have been destroyed. The data include, among other things, the location of each site, the type of building, the time of its construction and its state of preservation. An important element of the database structure is also the possibility of providing an extensive description of each object, including historical and architectural information, bibliography, archival materials and photographic documentation. As a result, the database enables not only the cataloguing of buildings but also their comparative analysis and the study of transformations in orangery architecture.
Since 2025, Jacek Kuśmierski i Łukasz Przybylak from the Eduard Petzold Foundation have also been actively involved in developing the database and is responsible for preparing and entering data concerning sites in Poland. Their main tasks include identifying historic orangeries, preparing documentation and adapting Polish examples to the structure and standards of the database operating on the international platform.
The first step in this process was the preparation of a model entry for the palace orangery in Lubartów, which serves as an example of a complete record in the database. It includes basic information on the location and chronology of the building, as well as a detailed historical and architectural description, data on its construction and later alterations, information on its state of preservation and current use, and a list of relevant literature and archival sources. This entry was prepared in two language versions – German and Polish – and serves as a model for subsequent entries introduced into the database. In the next stage of work, Jacek Kuśmierski focused on developing and entering data on structures from the Lubusz Voivodeship, and Łukasz Przybylak on identifying orageries in the iconography of Friedrich Bernhard Wernher (18th century), Alexander Duncker (19th century) and Robert Weber (20th century).
The inclusion of Polish examples in the “Orangeries in Europe” database is of considerable importance for expanding its research scope. It allows not only for a better recognition of the heritage of orangery architecture in Poland but also for placing these buildings within a broader European historical and typological context. In this way, the database is gradually becoming a tool that enables comprehensive research into the development of orangeries, their functions and their architectural transformations in different regions of Europe.
The development of the “Orangeries in Europe” database can be supported by sharing materials and information, as well as by assisting in the preparation of further entries concerning historic orangeries and greenhouses in Poland. Anyone interested in contributing to the project is kindly invited to contact us at: fundacja@eduardpetzold.eu
List of documented structures
Lubusz Voivodeship:
- Białków – orangery
- Biecz – orangery
- Bonów – orangery
- Brody – orangery
- Brzeźnica – gardener’s house with greenhouse
- Brzoza – orangery
- Chichy – orangery
- Danków – orangery
- Danków – greenhouse
- Drwalewice – greenhouse
- Garbicz – orangery
- Gębice – palm house
- Gilów – greenhouse
- Glisno – orangery
- Golin – orangery
- Gorzów Wielkopolski (Zieleniec) – greenhouse
- Jabłonów – gardener’s house with greenhouse
- Jarnatów – orangery
- Kamień Wielki – greenhouse
- Klenica – gardener’s house with greenhouse
- Kosierz – orangery
- Kręcko – greenhouse
- Krzepielów – orangery
- Laski – orangery
- Lubikowo – orangery
- Luboszyce – orangery
- Łęgowo – orangery
- Nietków – orangery
- Nowa Sól – orangery
- Przytoczna – greenhouse
- Radzików – orangery
- Sława – orangery
- Solniki – orangery
- Sosny – greenhouse
- Studzieniec – gardener’s house with orangery
- Stypułów (Średni/Środkowy) – greenhouse
- Sulechów – retail greenhouse
- Świdnica – orangery
- Zabór – greenhouse
- Zielona Góra – palm house
- Zielona Góra (Zatonie) – orangery
- Żagań – greenhouse
- Żagań – palace orangery
- Żagań – orangery
Lublin Voivodeship:
- Lubartów – orangery