A 19th-century manor house once home to renowned Polish novelist and Nobel laureate Henryk Sienkiewicz has been sold in an online auction for just under €300. The property, situated in the village of Dubniki, now in western Belarus but historically part of Poland, fetched a final bid of 1,058.4 Belarusian rubles, or approximately €277.

According to a spokesperson for the auction platform, the winning offer exceeded the reserve price by a modest 5%, as reported by BelSat.

The buyer has been identified as a construction materials firm based in the Grodno region. The company acquired not only the manor itself but also a number of auxiliary buildings on the estate, including a bathhouse, dining facility and former medical unit.

Constructed in 1878, the two-storey residence had served as a care home in recent decades, until its closure in 2005. Despite its historical significance, the property had fallen into disuse.

Henryk Sienkiewicz (1846–1916), who also wrote under the pen name Litwos, resided at the manor towards the end of the 19th century. It was here that he penned Pan Wołodyjowski, the concluding volume of his celebrated Trilogy. These historical novels, written during a time when Poland had been carved up by the Russian, Austro-Hungarian and German empires, were crafted to inspire national pride and cultural resilience.

Sienkiewicz was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1905, in recognition of his contribution to epic storytelling and the enduring impact of his literary work.

Source: TVP World

Photo: X @Bielsat_pl

Tomasz Modrzejewski