Finckenstein Palace (German: ''Schloss Finckenstein'') was a baroque palace, designed by the architect

John von Collas John von Collas born Jean de Collas (11 November 1678 – 16 June 1753) was a late Baroque architect of the 18th century. Biography Collas was born in Sedan to Antoine de Collas (died 1693) and Elisabeth née de Vilain (died 1681). He was ...

between 1716 and 1720 in the former

West Prussia The Province of West Prussia (german: Provinz Westpreußen; csb, Zôpadné Prësë; pl, Prusy Zachodnie) was a province of Prussia from 1773 to 1829 and 1878 to 1920. West Prussia was established as a province of the Kingdom of Prussia in 177 ...

, about 25 mi. (40 km) south of Elbląg in present-day Susz,

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. It was built by

Prussia Prussia, , Old Prussian: ''Prūsa'' or ''Prūsija'' was a German state on the southeast coast of the Baltic Sea. It formed the German Empire under Prussian rule when it united the German states in 1871. It was ''de facto'' dissolved by an ...

n Field Marshal, Marquess, and

Count Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

Albrecht Konrad Reinhold Finck von Finckenstein and remained in the possession of the

Finck von Finckenstein The House of Finck von Finckenstein is a noble family classified as ''Uradel'' ( German for 'ancient nobility'). It is one of the oldest Prussian aristocratic families extant, dating back to the 12th century in the Duchy of Carinthia. Origins ...

family until 1782. After that the Counts Dohna-Schlobitten lived in it until 1945.

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army ( Russian: Рабо́че-крестья́нская Кра́сная армия),) often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and, afte ...

soldiers set the palace on fire January 22, 1945, during their conquest of East Prussia. The ruins are still visible. The palace became famous in 1807, when

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

made it his residence from April through June of that year. When he saw the palace for the first time, he said: ''Enfin un chateau'' ("Finally, a castle").History of Finckenstein part 4
The Treaty of Finckenstein between France and Persia was signed here. Here, Napoleon met his mistress

Maria Walewska Marie Walewska, Countess Walewska (née Łączyńska; pl, Maria Walewska; 7 December 1786 – 11 December 1817) was a Poles, Polish noblewoman and an important figure at the court of Emperor Napoleon, Napoleon I with the role to influence him ...

, with whom he lived in the palace. The Hollywood movie ''

Conquest Conquest is the act of military subjugation of an enemy by force of arms. Military history provides many examples of conquest: the Roman conquest of Britain, the Mauryan conquest of Afghanistan and of vast areas of the Indian subcontinent, t ...

'' depicted the palace with

Greta Garbo Greta Garbo (born Greta Lovisa Gustafsson; 18 September 1905 – 15 April 1990) was a Swedish-American actress. Regarded as one of the greatest screen actresses, she was known for her melancholic, somber persona, her film portrayals of tragic ch ...

and

Charles Boyer Charles Boyer (; 28 August 1899 – 26 August 1978) was a French-American actor who appeared in more than 80 films between 1920 and 1976. After receiving an education in drama, Boyer started on the stage, but he found his success in American fi ...

History of Finckenstein part 7
but was actually filmed in Monterey, California. https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/97/conquest#film-details

References

External links

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{{coord, 53, 46, 05.51, N, 19, 22, 20.39, E, type:landmark_region:PL_source:dewiki, display=title Baroque palaces Iława County Buildings and structures in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship Buildings and structures in Poland destroyed during World War II Former palaces in Poland

See also

References

External links