Arkadia Romantic Garden

Arkadia is one of the finest romantic gardens in Poland. Helena Radziwiłł founded it in 1778 and kept developing it until her death in 1821. Today it belongs to the Museum in Nieborów and Arkadia, but you visit it separately from the palace: it has its own entrance, ticket and longer opening hours.

Follies among the trees

The garden architecture was designed by Szymon Bogumił Zug with the princess herself closely involved, with ideas sketched by Jan Piotr Norblin and Aleksander Orłowski and later by Henryk Ittar. A walk leads from one folly to the next: the Cascade and Waterfall Cottage (1781), the High Priest's Sanctuary (1783), the Temple of Diana (1783-1785), the aqueduct (1784), the Sibyl's Grotto (1785-1789), the Burgrave's House and the Gothic House from the 1790s, the Roman Circus (1803) and the Amphitheatre (1804). A tomb stands on Poplar Island.

The princess gathered a collection of ancient sculpture, antique-style pieces and copies of classical works in Arkadia. A curiosity are the medieval Cuman stone statues from the 12th-13th century, known as "baby".

Practical information

From April to September the garden is open daily 10 am to 6 pm, in October until 4 pm, and from November to March also 10 am to 4 pm. Entry is free on Mondays. A combined ticket covers the Arkadia garden, the Nieborów garden and the Majolica Manufactory. The palace museum itself has shorter hours.