Located on the Nysa Szalona River in the Chojnów Plain, Winnica is an old village. It was established in 1217 on the estate belonging to the Cistercian monks from Lubiąż, which was founded by Duke Henry the Bearded in 1202 on lands already granted to the Cistercians in 1177 by Duke Bolesław the Tall. The estate was situated on the left bank of the Nysa Szalona River, while the village was on the right bank. Along with the nearby Słup, Winnica was destroyed during the Hussite Wars in the 15th century. It was later rebuilt and, during the Counter-Reformation in the 17th and first half of the 18th century, it flourished thanks to the expansion of the Cistercian estate. During this period, new buildings were erected, including an impressive monks’ house, and the farmstead complex reached a state close to what we see today.
After the dissolution of the order by the Prussian authorities in 1810, the estate passed into private hands. In the post-war period, the palace-farm complex – the former Cistercian grange – mostly fell into ruin. The central feature is the ruined two-story monks’ house from the 18th century, built in an L-shaped plan. It was constructed using local stone material – basalt, with sandstone window frames that are well-preserved. There is a damaged sandstone portal with heraldic cartouches and the image of the founder of the order, Saint Bernard of Clairvaux. Next to the monks’ house stands a heavily damaged residential building, as well as farm outbuildings and a ruined belvedere. However, the octagonal building of the former blacksmith’s shop has been renovated.
Description: Piotr Migoń
