Rydzyna is a city that flourished in the 17th and 18th centuries, when it was the main seat of the Leszczyński family, from which the Polish king Stanisław Leszczyński came. It is an example of a residential and urban layout, in which the city's buildings are composed of the Leszczyński family's residence.
The city was founded at the beginning of the 15th century and has been in private hands from the very beginning. In the 17th century, Rydzyna Leszczyński bought it and soon moved their main residence here from nearby Leszno. During their reign, the city experienced a period of prosperity, becoming an important center of trade and crafts.
The most important memento of the heyday of Rydzyna is the Castle, where the hotel currently operates. It is a late baroque palace, rebuilt at the end of the 18th century in the classical style. The collections gathered by the next owners of Rydzyna, the Sułkowski family, are presented in several rooms. There is a picturesque French-style garden at the rear of the palace.
The spatial layout of Rydzyna is subordinated to its residential function. The main axis of the city leads from the castle in Rydzyna through the Market Square to the Church of St. Stanislaus. Around the Market Square you can see baroque and neo-baroque houses with decorative facades. The church represents the late baroque with elements of classicism.
On the outskirts of the town, there is another of Rydzyna's attractions, the wooden Józef windmill, with preserved equipment that can be visited.
