The Warsaw Manor House of Hieronim Wołłowicz. On the Residences of High Officials of the First Polish Republic in Warsaw at the Beginning of the 17 th Century

Abstract

Gościniec abo krotkie opisanie Warszawy (The Road or a Short Description of Warsaw), written in 1643 by Adam Jarzębski, is an entertaining read for lovers of Old Polish poetry, but for art historians and enthusiasts of Warsaw, it serves as an invaluable source of information. The descriptions it offers of manors and palaces vary in both accuracy and detail. Some are elaborated upon in extensive “poems” (such as the palaces of the Kazanowski and Ossoliński families or the royal residences), while others are mentioned only briefly. These references nevertheless provide insight into who maintained permanent residences in the parliamentary city of the First Polish Republic, and where these residences may have been located. Jarzębski lists over ninety such properties in his text. In many cases, their identification is straightforward, but some buildings mentioned in Gościniec are difficult to place on the contemporary map of Warsaw. One such example is the residence of Hieronim Wołłowicz, the Samogitian staroste.

The Wołłowicz family tied its political and economic fortunes to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. As early as the 15^th century, it had risen to a prominent position within the Lithuanian nobility, owing largely to its ties with the Jagiellonian court during the reign of King Casimir. Initially, the family’s estates were concentrated in the Grodno region, though they later expanded into Podlasie. The owner of the Warsaw estate, Hieronim Wołłowicz, was politically active during the reigns of Kings Stefan Batory and Sigismund III Vasa, holding the offices of Field Treasurer and Grand Treasurer of Lithuania, and, in 1618, Deputy Chancellor of Lithuania. From 1589 to 1618, he also served as royal secretary. Beginning in 1619, he held the post of staroste of Samogitia, one of the most senior offices in the Grand Duchy of Lithuania.

Occupying high-ranking positions at the royal court at the turn of the 16^th and 17^th centuries, Hieronim likely decided to purchase a plot of land in the so-called Zakroczym Suburb.

The location of the Wołłowicz manor house aligns with a type of residential layout that was extremely popular in Warsaw until 1655.