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History: The Lubiaz Palace has an entire Millennium of great tradition behind it, since the first signs of colonization of the Monastery Hill appeared before the year A.D.1000. In its history, the Palace of Lubiaz has gone through several periods of growth and decline.
The period of the largest growth, which brought the Monastery to its present magnitude occurred at the turn of seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, when the Palace of Abbot, Monastery, Bakery, Brewery administrative and economic buildings were under construction and a baroque reconstruction of the Holy Virgin Mary Church took place.
Since mid-eighteenth century a constant process of decline began and continued till very recent times. In early nineteenth century the monastery was secularized. Since then the Lubiaz Complex served various purposes (Mental Hospital, German Military Factory, Soviet Military Hospital, Warehouse). Several years after the World War II it was totally abandoned and nearly collapsed.
In 1990 the whole Monastery Complex became a property of an organization established by a group of devoted enthusiasts in order to save the Palace from total disaster - the Lubiaz Foundation. Between years 1993 and 1999 a substantial amount of money had been raised by the Foundation, both in Poland and abroad, and later thoroughly spent on preservation of the Palace and restoring its magnificence, which works continued almost to date.
As a result, the process of devastation has been fortunately prevented and in most crucial aspects reversed.
The renovation works included:
- restoration of the beautiful Prince Hall, (presently open to visitors),
- complete reconstruction of the entire roof,
- demolition of contemporary partition walls and false ceilings,
- installation of almost four hundred steel ties
- installation of reinforced concrete beams, to prevent the structure from collapse,
- installation of doors windows (partially replaced) and glazing,
- conservation of uniquely precious paintings by Christian Philip Bentum,
- complete renovation of the Prince Hall
- complete renovation of the Monastery Dining Room and Library (still in progress)
Since the early months of 2002 the Foundation has been supported by another ally: Pentagram Architects, a private architectural company from Poznan.
Over last two years Pentagram has been assisting the Foundation in its efforts to renovate and bring the Palace of Lubiaz back to life and full glamour.
The Complex of Post Cistercian Buildings in Lubiaz is subject to Monument Preservation and Archaeological Laws and it is included in the National Monument Registry under no 616/W