Restoration Project of the Petzold Park
The Eduard Petzold Foundation has signed an agreement with the Żary Commune to develop a comprehensive concept for the restoration of the historic landscape park in Włostów, designed by Eduard Petzold in 1864. The aim of the project is to restore the original character and former splendour of this valuable site, based on detailed historical and conservation analyses and in accordance with the current guidelines of the heritage protection authorities.
The park in Włostów (German: Nießmenau), covering an area of 10.5 hectares, is located in the southern part of the village of Włostów in the Lubusz Voivodeship. Its boundaries are defined by village buildings to the north, National Road No. 27 to the west, and open farmland to the east and south. At the entrance axis from the north lies the ruin of the former manor house with the remnants of a fountain, beyond which stretches the landscape park featuring a rich water system – four ponds and a network of canals. The park complex was most likely established at the beginning of the 19th century, and its current landscape layout is the result of Eduard Petzold’s 1864 design, commissioned by the Tülff family. After 1945, the manor estate came under the management of a State Agricultural Farm (PGR), and since the 1960s, it has remained abandoned.
Currently, the park is in poor conservation condition. Only a small section in the eastern part, maintained by local residents, serves a recreational function. The remainder of the park has been neglected and is in urgent need of intervention. Nevertheless, the overall composition of the park, as designed by Eduard Petzold, has been preserved in its original form to this day. Of particular dendrological value are rare tree varieties, such as the sycamore maple with trilobed leaves (Acer pseudoplatanus ‘Trilobatum’) and the small-leaved lime with birch-like foliage (Tilia cordata ‘Betulifolia’).
The Eduard Petzold Foundation will undertake the preparation of full project documentation, including a historical and conservation study and a detailed restoration concept, along with consultations with the Lubusz Voivodeship Heritage Conservator in Zielona Góra. The documentation will be based on an inventory carried out by the landscape architecture company Sztuka Krajobrazu – Joanna Kowalska. The implementation of this initiative represents another step in the Foundation’s efforts to protect and promote the legacy of Eduard Petzold. We hope that the developed concept will serve as a foundation for further design and construction work, ultimately restoring the Włostów park to its rightful place on the map of Poland’s historic parks.
