Palace of the Skibinetsky family
One of the coziest Bukovyna palaces, the Skibinetsky estate, has been preserved in the village of Hlyboka in the Chernivtsi region. Most residents of the village know that the children's department of the district hospital used to be the estate of Polish nobles, but visitors are surprised to see a medical facility in such an atypical building. You can look at the facade of the building and sit in the gazebo in the courtyard without any obstacles, but not everyone can enter the building.
I want to restore the building to its original appearance (Ivan Shkrobanets, chief physician of the Hlyboka Central District Hospital)
When I worked as a resident at Hlyboka Hospital, I collected all the data about the lord's estate. Now, as chief physician, I want to restore the historic building and return it to its original appearance.
We carried out preparatory work, made design and estimate documentation for the reconstruction of the building, and ordered an expert examination. Now we are looking for funding for the reconstruction. We need about 9.5 million hryvnias to restore the building. I have asked the head of the regional state administration and various funding sources to find the money. However, so far there has been no result. Since the building is an architectural monument, only companies that have the appropriate license can carry out the work.
History of the Skibinetsky Palace
Very little information has been preserved about this building and its owner. The archives do not even have the exact date of the palace's construction. All that has been collected about this historic building are the stories of old-timers from Hlyboka. In 1892, Bronisław Skibinetski bought the estate from Prince Adam Sapieha, a large Polish landowning magnate. Hlyboka remained in the ownership of the Skibinetski family until the outbreak of World War II. The last owner of the palace left the estate and emigrated abroad.
After acquiring the estate, Bronisław Skibinetski built a palace residence for his family. The palace itself dates back to the late 19th century, although the data on its construction is rather contradictory - Romanian sources indicate that it was built in the early 20th century, while others say that it was built between 1886 and 1892. However, it acquired its current appearance after Mr. Bronislav bought and rebuilt it.
A park has been preservedaround the palace, which was laid out by the owner of the estate at the same time as the residence itself. Now the park is one of the monuments of landscape art in Chernivtsi region. In 1940, a hospital was opened in the palace, which in a short time became a military commandant's office. But after the war ended, the palace became a hospital again, but this time it was a district hospital and a children's hospital. It has remained so to this day. The Skibinetsky family left a good memory among the people. They are highly respected by the local old-timers, in particular for their attitude to other people. They built the former butter factory and the road to Hlyboka, which is still called the "lord's" road today.
Ivan Shkrobanets, the chief physician of the Hlyboka Central Hospital, was interested in the history of this estate.
According to the stories collected by I. Shkrobanets, the manor house was built more than a hundred years ago. Unfortunately, no photographs of the original appearance of the building have survived. The owner of the estate was Mr. Stanisław Skibinetskyi. He had two daughters and a son. According to old-timers, Mr. Skibinetskyi was a very kind man. He took care of the families of his servants, paid them well, and everyone who worked for him was happy.
In Hlyboka, he built a factory (a former butter factory) and roads. A lord's road was built across the field where the lord was traveling, and it is still called the "lord's road" today. Around the house, the lord planted a beautiful garden and park on an area of 6 hectares, which are now under the jurisdiction of the Hlyboka hospital. It is a monument of park and garden art. There are relict trees in the park.
- "We laid out a new garden and planted saplings in place of the relic trees," says Shkrobanets. "However, it is very difficult to clean up the old trees, as it requires a lot of permits, because it is forbidden to cut down trees in the park.
There are three ponds on the territory of the former manor house. They were also cleaned and fish were introduced. In 1939, when Soviet troops came to Bukovyna, Skibinetskyi left the estate. Then he returned home for a while. But later he left the estate forever. In 1940, a hospital was opened in the former manor house. During the war, there was a commandant's office there. Then the hospital started working again. All the departments were in one room: surgery, therapy, maternity ward, children's ward, etc. Since the owner had no heirs, no one claims the estate.
According to the stories of Eduard Romaniuk, an old resident of Hlyboka, the lord had a lot of fields and forests, and in 1908 he built a church. The whole street next to the estate was a lord's street. Poles lived there in beautiful buildings. Mr. Eduard remembers that his wedding father's father used to drive Mr. Skibnetskyi around in a cart. The gentleman's daughters loved to ride horses in the field. All the village children saw this.
Skibinetskyi was buried in Hlyboka near the former district party committee, and then his body was moved to the village cemetery. Romaniuk was visiting his daughters in the Polish city of Bitum. It is now known that two of Skibinetsky's daughters have died. No one from the Skibinetski family had any descendants.
What to see in the palace
The palace is a three-story building on one side and a two-story building on the other in the typical style of Austro-Hungarian villas. Unfortunately, the interiors of the palace are lost. Visiting the palace is possible, but you should keep in mind that it is now a hospital.
Getting to the Skibinetski Palace in the town of Hlyboka
The town of Hlyboka can be reached by bus or suburban train from Chernivtsi.
