It could be summer in the middle of winter in Lower Silesia.

Only 2 kilometers from the well-known Książ Castle, there is a place that will please everyone in autumn and winter. A place where you can rediscover summer, feel the warmth, and recharge your batteries with the proximity of lush vegetation. Walbrzych Palm House, because it is in question, invites you all year round and guarantees to capture the summer aura even for a moment.

The history of the Walbrzych Palm House, is a story of romantic love. Built between 1911 and 1913, the building, according to legend, was a gift from the last aristocratic owner of Książ Castle, John Henry XV, to his beloved wife Maria Teresa Cornwallis-West, known as Daisy. For the endowed Duchess, the Palm House became a special place from the beginning. As a great lover of flowers, Daisy personally brought more new species of plants to the Palm House, also participating in planting them herself. From the beginning, the Duchess wanted the gift to please not only her, but also the local residents. That is why the Palm House has been open to the public almost since its inception.

The cost of building the Palm House consumed a huge amount of money for the time – 7 million marks in gold. What was the reason for such a high price of this building? If only for the unusual building material used inside it. For for the Palm House, solidified lava from the Etna volcano was brought from Sicily itself. It was used to create caves, waterfalls and walls with pockets for plants.

It can be said that spending such an exorbitant amount of money to build a romantic gift, nevertheless paid off. Today the Walbrzych Palm House is the only conservatory in Poland preserved in its historic structure. The 15-meter high building is built mainly of metal and glass, and is dominated by date palms, a Japanese garden, a rosarium, and a cactus garden. Another interesting attraction is the permanent bonsai exhibition, which has already gathered more than 400 of these miniature trees.

Currently in the Palm House you can admire about 200 species of plants from all over the world, which occupy an area of 1900 m2. The animals in the Palm House are also quite an attraction. Among the volcanic rocks we can meet resting turtles, while in the corridors we can find aquariums with many species of fish or pass multicolored peacocks. The latest curiosity is that from December the Palm House gains new residents, which will be charming lemurs.

The Palm House can be visited all year round, and the tour is unguided. Among the paths and alleys, we can spend as much time as the soul desires, until it is saturated for good with warmth and greenery. Because for this purpose the Walbrzych Palm House seems to be an ideal place.

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