Karl A. Dittrich's Park

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Karl Dittrich's Park was founded at the end of the 19th century in a landscaped style by Karl Sparmann, a well-known gardener from the Warsaw Botanical Garden. This "green island" of the area of 6 ha is located in the very centre of town, in the residential part of the Żyrardów Factory. The park constitutes an impressive surrounding of a representative villa built in the style of a French suit and belonging to one of the owners of the factory, Karol Dittrich Jr. At present the historic palace serves as the Museum of Western Mazovia.

The park, located by the Pisia River, is characterized by a mildly formed lie of the land with a naturalistic arrangement of water flow and many bridges as well as an impressive ancient forest with eleven natural features of historic importance. The following trees grab your attention: two giant Platanus x hispanica, three splendid alders (Alnus) over the canal, three European White Elms (Ulmus laevis), hornbeam (Carpinus) and Pedunculate Oak (Quercus rober). The greatest natural feature of historical importance, as high as about 40 m, is a huge Eastern Black walnut (Juglans nigra) with exotic, frayed leaves.

Due to the completion of the restoration process of the park in 2007, in large measure its former splendour was successfully brought back and at the same time the park was adjusted to present needs of the inhabitants of Żyrardów. At the rear of the Dittrich's Villa an amphitheatre was built, where in the summer season classical music concerts take place every week. In the Western part of the park there is a children's playground.

Nowadays the park is the most favourite place of leisure and recreation of the inhabitants of Żyrardów and one of the greatest tourist attractions in our town.

History

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The landscape park was founded in the second part of the 19th century, as a surrounding area of Karl Dittrich Jr's villa. - the chairman of the Żyrardów Factory Joint-Stock Company. This "green island" designed by Karl Sparmann, a well-known gardener from the Warsaw Botanical Garden, in its whole lushness of vegetation, hid rare specimens of trees, among other things two Platanus x hispanicas dated about 150 years back. They not only determined the uniqueness of this place, but also "romantic bridges with fanciful roofs placed here and there over the creek, artificial rocks, ponds surrounded by weeping willows and wooden benches hidden in the thicket - they completed the picture of this green island in the middle of the factory buildings." (M. Twardowski "In the shade under the plain tree")... (read more)

The park's patron - Karl August Dittrich (1819 – 1886)

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Karl August Dittrich was born on 30 September 1819 in Leipzig. Together with Karl Teodor Hielle he founded the company Hielle & Dittrich in Schönlinde (at present Krasna Lipa in the northern part of the Czech Republic), which started trading activity on 1 January 1849... (read more)

Nature

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Karl Dittrich's Park, founded at the end of the 19th century in landscape and naturalistic style, was the private property of the then factory owner - Karl Dittrich. It is distinguished by a mildly formed, free lie of the land with a naturalistic water flow of two streams, with nine stone bridges. Two bridges have been placed over the industrial canal, dividing the park into two parts. Two other pass over the Pisia River. The park is a magnificent setting of a villa built in 1880s in the style of a French suit, with a distinctive mansard roof with dormer windows. Nowadays the Museum of Western Mazovia is situated in the Dittrich's villa... (read more)

Revalorization of Dittrich's Park

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One of the first aims planned within the Local Revitalization Programme in the sub-period of 2004 – 2006 was a project concerning the restoration of the Dittrich's Park area.
Over the years efforts have been made to restore the previous greatness to the park. However, there was lack of sufficient financial means, only in 2004 the possibility of allocating European Union structural funds appeared... (read more)