Krojanty was divided into knightly property, consisting of 21 buildings, and a significantly smaller village with 10 dwellings.
In 1778 the estate in Krojanty fell into the hands of Jakub Szur-Lipiński. In the early 19th Century he erected a Neoclassical manor house on the foundations of the existing building, adding to the property’s value. His son, as the inheritor, sold the estate to a bank in Berlin. Later, in the 19th Century, the manor changed hands several times, ending up in about 1880 with Baron Ryszard Stanisław Eckardstein. In 1884 the new owner enlarged the mansion by building avant-corpses (an avant-corps refers to a part of a building, such as a porch or pavilion, that juts out from the corps de logis, usually over the full elevation of the building, and forms an integral part of the overall structure; it serves to extend the floor area and diversify the mass of a building; we can distinguish central, corner and side avant corps, with the last one also known as the wing). Also, in 1883 Eckardstein founded a Gothic-Revival church for the Evangelical community, who formed the majority of those serving in the manor house and throughout the estate (currently it serves Catholics).
In 1937 the estate was bought by Alojzy Pruszak. After the land was expropriated from the Pruszak family after World War II, the manor in Krojanty was used by different State authorities, gradually leading to its decline. In the 1980s the building, purchased from the State, was rebuilt by Grażyna and Tomasz Winiecki, who designated a substantial part of it for the purposes of a private rehabilitation practice. Patients of the clinic can stay in the manor with stylish interiors or make use of the buildings around it – a former distillery named “Soplicowo”, or the apartments in the “Gardener’s House”. A 15-hectare park with stately old trees, landscape architecture and the hospitality of the hosts all add up to the unquestionable and alluring appeal of this place.
Krojanty is also famous for the Polish cavalry charge during the 1939 Defensive War. Each year in the first Sunday in September there is a re-enactment of this event, preceded by a Holy Mass celebrated near the monument of the 18th Regiment of Pomeranian Uhlans.
Autor: CIT Chojnice
Foto: R.Baranowski, Dep. Turystyki, UMWP
