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The castle in Rydzyna was built at the beginning of 15th century by Jan of Czernina. At the end of the 17th century Italian architects Joseph Simon Bellotti and Pompeo Ferrari erected the present Baroque castle on its ancient foundations. The first owners of the castle were the Leszczyñski family. Together with a park and surrounding areas, it was one of the most splendid palaces in Great Poland.

During the German occupation, 1939-1945, a "Hitlerjugend" (see National Political Institutes of Education) school was placed in the castle. At the end of January 1945 the Castle in Rydzyna was burnt. The severely damaged Castle awaited a new owner until 1970, when was taken over by The Association of Polish Mechanical Engineers (S.I.M.P.) and rebuilt according to documents and photographs from before World War II. The work was completed in 1989. In 1994 the castle was awarded by the prestigious international organization Europa Nostra in recognition of the excellence of the restoration work. Original equipment and furnishing from the Castle were lost before World War I. The main Baroque rooms were completely restored to their original grandeur according to the historic documentation. In the castle collections there are: old furniture, historical drawings, remembrances of the Su³kowski family, nature collections e.g.: tropical butterflies, hunting trophies. In the library one can find documentation connected with the previous owners of the Castle, The Su³kowski Grammar School and The Association of Polish Mechanical Engineers.

Wikipedia