J R Mayhew International Limited
52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0AU
© J R Mayhew International Ltd. All rights reserved. Created by Dentons Digital
You may not have heard of the impressive Lubiaz Monastery with its Abbot’s Palace and church, which together make up a massive monastic complex.
This historic building complex was established by Cistercian monks in 1175. They stayed through thick and thin until 1810 when the buildings were taken over by the Prussian authorities and turned into a hospital. It was used as an arms factory during WWII, after which it was largely abandoned until 1989 when the Fundacji Lubiaz (Lubiaz Foundation) was formed to save and restore it.
Some restoration has been done, and some magnificent rooms are now open to an admiring public, but this great structure merits a big investment in rescuing it and its valuable artistic baroque interiors from the ravages of time.
Working with Capita Symonds, major UK real estate and infrastructure specialists, we devised a plan to preserve the artistic, architectural and historical significance of the Lubiaz Complex, by restoring, renovating and converting it into a luxury hotel.
The sheer size of the complex – the roof area for example covers nearly 2.5 hectares, and the façade extends for 223 meters – means that there is scope for a grand and glorious hotel, making the most of the Silesian baroque interior with its noteworthy features, like the stunning frescoes by artist Michael Willmann (1630-1706).
The location of the monastery is ideal for the establishment of an upmarket hotel and leisure venue complex. It lies about an hour’s drive from the city of Wroclaw (also known as Breslau), the Silesian regional capital, which has an international airport. The wooded grounds around the monastery and the village of Lubiaz itself, on the banks of the Odra (Oder) River, are peaceful and picturesque.
We entered into a formal agreement with the Fundacji Lubiaz (the Foundation who manage the monastic complex) to be recognised as the potential developer of the site. Negotiations included introducing a major international hotel operator who is interested in managing the property on behalf of the foundation and developers.
Unfortunately, the fluctuating political and economic environment has resulted in the project being put on hold. We plan to pursue this worthwhile project with the stakeholders as soon as circumstances permit.
We believe that rescuing this architectural gem, which has survived through the ages with its grand dignity and charm intact, is a worthy project not just for Poland, but is of global cultural importance.
J R Mayhew International Limited
52 Grosvenor Gardens, London, SW1W 0AU
© J R Mayhew International Ltd. All rights reserved. Created by Dentons Digital