The artist’s manor

Maciek is a painter, a designer of furniture which he creates from wood obtained from his own trees. He is the owner of a manor farm at Garbno, a small town which lies between Ketrzyn, Reszel and Bartoszyce, and its story is quite extraordinary.
This picturesque domain was supposed to be a haven for the rest of his life, but everything points to him staying there only for a few years. After eight years, the owner decided to put it up for sale. When he is asked why he is selling his land and the buildings he has invested so much work and money to restore and rebuild, he answers that taking care of such a large domain takes up too much energy, taking him away from that which is important for him, painting. And Garbno was bought with the intention of making a place where, far from the world’s temptations he could finally just concentrate on the creative process.
The idea of settling in Mazuria had been brewing with Maciek Podsiadlo for several years, when he was still living with his family in Brussels, and where he successfully directed a metal and plastic workshop, designed flats in his own house and helped his wife launch an Oriental-Asian furniture shop.

“Before the purchase of Garbno, we came here with my wife and two boys on holiday. We met some wonderful people, and we lived in a comfortable bed and breakfast, on well-kept land, near the lake” – he remembers. “My first thought was to buy a summerhouse here.” A sculptor friend who had settled in Mazuria had even shown him something close by.
“I discovered Garbno by accident. The manor was very neglected, completely gutted and emptied. There weren’t even any door handles left, the windows were broken, there were 40 holes in the roof letting in the rain… Another year or so and there would have been nothing left to save. The park was overgrown, disfigured by sheds and walls erected without order or composition, and nightmarish “artistic” objects, remnants of open air sculptures.”
However this did not discourage him, on the contrary, in his mind’s eye he saw the potential that this rubble area represented. As an artist, he could see the interesting proportions of the building and the architectural details under the external hideousness, which gave an idea of the beauty of this property in its heyday. And as a true artist, he wanted to restore this beauty to the world.
“When I first saw it, I knew I’d found what I wanted” – he remembers. “However, I needed a whole month to convince myself that buying it was a sensible step. After so many years living outside of Poland, I was simply afraid of being taken for a ride by buying it, and it wasn’t a small investment.”
Difficult beginnings.
Maciek signed a notarised act in the beginning of 2006, but only moved definitively to Garbno two years later.
“In the beginning I went several times a year to take care of the most urgent work needed to stop the manor on its road to ruin.”
Many jobs were carried out by Maciek, thanks to his experience in renovating his house in Brussels, where he and his wife had a boutique and also where he had redesigned the floors into three 40 m studios, which he designed entirely on his own. Some pieces of equipment and architectural details he had collected over the years were also useful, as well as some pieces he made in his metal workshop. He will present many of these pieces in his gallery artsQlad on his property.
And so thanks to the efforts of Maciek Podsiadlo, the Manor is slowly being brought back to its original splendour. But to return it completely to its previous beauty, it will need a good deal of investment…
“I have produced several visualisations which show how it could be used. My dream was to create a leisure centre with its own spa, a small stable, a well-managed kitchen based on local products, or a retirement home for retirees wishing to spend the “autumn of their lives” outside town. I am currently in discussion with a German company as a possible commercial partner.”
One of the ideas was also a development project which would divide the building into about 25 residential units so as to create a community of multi-family lodgings in the spirit of “rural lofts” …
Garbno is not a small manor, but – according to the description of the restorer – « a farm and manor complex”. There are currently two areas of land measuring in total 10 ha, 2314 m2, on which is situated the manor comprising 24 rooms, and 7 farm buildings of a total area of approximately 5000 m2, and double if not more in the upper floors. The manor is surrounded by an ancient park, and from the windows the view is of two rivers: Guber and Struga Rawka.
It is an ideal property for commercial activity, assures the owner.
According to the plans, the total constructed area of the existing buildings is approximately 5000 m2. It could be multiplied by 3 due to the similarity of the back building with the manor, the refurbishment of the attic, the farm buildings and the rebuilding of three buildings, which currently do not exist. A picturesque landscape, a substantial forest and parkland, outbuildings which can be converted into comfortable flats to let, as well as many ideal spaces for walks, riding or cycling.
When he is asked if he regrets leaving such a picturesque place, he answers that it’s high time for this beautiful house to be returned to all its splendour. And that can only happen if a serious investor shows up.