Hotel

History of Jay Manor

The manor house in Sójki is a place with over two hundred years of history, whose origins go back much further – to the 16th century, when the village belonged to the Sójecki family of Grzymała coat of arms. In subsequent years, the estate passed into the hands of various families, including the Mikorskis of the Ostoja coat of arms, to end up in the late 18th century in the hands of the Cielecki family.
It is with the Cielecki family that the most important stage in the history of the place is associated. Between 1820 and 1825, Felix Cielecki and his wife Franciszka of Zawiszów Czarnych built a brick manor house, which was sometimes called a palace because of its form and character.
The building was designed on an H-shaped plan – with a one-story main part and side wings and a characteristic portico with three pointed arcades. To this day it has retained its historic layout and unique atmosphere.

The fate of the owners
The estate remained in the hands of successive generations of the family over the years. After Felix Cielecki it was taken over by his son Zdzislaw, and then – at the end of the 19th century – by Stefania Cielecka.
Stefania was an extremely colorful character – educated, artistically talented, involved in painting and translation of French literature. She left behind a diary, which to this day is a valuable source of knowledge about the history of the manor and its inhabitants.
In 1888 she married Jerzy Moszyński of the Nałęcz coat of arms, the son of a well-known collector, whose collections were used, among others, by the painter Jan Matejko. Their life was not easy, however, and ended in separation.
At the beginning of the 20th century, the estate was taken over by Jan, Stefania’s son, who managed it until 1928. In the same year the mansion was sold to Leon Koryzna.

Wartime and postwar years
The history of the manor, like many similar places in Poland, was marked by the events of World War II. At the time, the building housed the Security Office, and the outbuildings housed a prisoner of war camp.
After the war, the estate was parceled out as part of the land reform, and the manor itself served various functions – it housed an agricultural school, later an elementary school and a library.

Contemporaneity
In 2000 the mansion passed into private hands and a major renovation began, which took several years. In 2012 the building reopened – this time as a hotel, retaining its historic character and unique atmosphere.
Today, Sójka Manor is a place where history blends with modernity, and the old atmosphere can still be felt in every detail.

Trivia

• the library donated by Jan Moszyński (about 2,300 volumes) contributed to the creation of one of the first public libraries in Kutno
• Stefania Moszyńska’s diary has survived, revealing the life of the manor from the inside
• Among the memorabilia is the piano on which Ferenc Liszt gave concerts, now residing in our dining hall

For more information and interesting facts about our Manor, see Magdalena Lukomska’s book “Manor in Sójki and its inhabitants”. For purchase at the hotel reception.