Situated three kilometres east of Bydgoszcz, and accessed by Road 80 to Toruń, the Ostromecki Park and Palace complex offers visitors a stunning glimpse into the ways of the other half, and is guaranteed to impress anyone with a passing interest in the historical architecture of the 19th-century. Composed of a variety of buildings the largest palace of the lot was built between 1832 and 1848, at the behest of Jacob Martin Schoenborn and son Gottlieb, and was in all likelihood designed by Berlin architect Charles Frederick Schinkel. A neo-classical extension was added at the end of the 19th-century, while 1912 saw the completion of a ballroom born from the pen of architect Henryk Spier. The outer buildings hold just as much fascination, and include a smaller rococo style palace with spectacular views of the Wisła. Debt and political exile saw the palace pass from the hands of the Mostowski family into those of the Germans, where it remained firmly up until the end of WWII. With peace came a new role, that as a centre for deaf children, though privatisation and post-Iron Curtain changes have seen the complex emerge once more as a lordly manor featuring a hotel, conference rooms and exhibition space. The surrounding gardens aren’t to be missed either, and feature the neo-Romanesque tomb of the Alvenslebenów, century old oaks, landscaped parks and even the original mosaic flooring of a chapel which once stood by the gate.