The magnificent wooded estate of Count Charles de Nicolay and his Countess, Pauline, in the Polish countryside is just the setting you’d expect for a couple who can trace their lineage back six centuries. And the pair are as devoted to it as any aristocrats could be to their ancestral seat.
But, as they are happy to explain, the ancient de Nicolay title originated in France, not Poland, and this baroque beauty came into the family just three decades ago, when Charles’s parents bought it to save it from ruin.
Situated in the tiny, picturesque village of Krzeczyn Maly in the south-west of the country, the palazzo was built in the early 1700s and passed through many hands during the turbulent times that followed.
As the Red Army advanced during the Second World War, its then owner, Austrian nobleman Karl Philipp von Harrach, fled with his wife and children. Taken over by the government, the estate served as a school and then as a home for disabled people before finally being abandoned.
Salvation came in the form of Charles’s famously cultured parents, Count Ghislain and Countess Elisabeth de Nicolay, who came across it by chance, bought it and set about the huge task of restoring it to its former splendour.
Today, their son and heir Charles carries on their work with the invaluable help of his German-Polish wife Pauline, née Otterstein. Charles and Pola, as she is known, married at the palazzo in 2020 and have since become parents to two boys, Henri and Felix.
Here, they tell us why this is where their family is happiest and about their plans for the future.
Charles, why did your parents decide to buy this house?
Esta historia es de la edición October 28, 2024 de HELLO! UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición October 28, 2024 de HELLO! UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
OSCAR-WINNING FAMILY MAN - EDDIE REDMAYNE
GOES UNDERCOVER TO LEARN REAL-LIFE SPY SKILLS FOR DREAM ROLE
NEW ROYAL REVELATIONS THE KING IS REVEALED AS A 'KINDLY SOUL' WHO'S OPEN TO A RECONCILIATION WITH HARRY
They may have had a strained relationship in recent years, but reconciliation could finally be on the cards for the King and his son the Duke of Sussex-once Prince Harry's legal challenges are over.
JUDE LAW: TAKING ON A 'BROKEN' F.B.I. AGENT IN NEW THRILLER
REVEALS HOW TAKING THE REINS AS A PRODUCER HAS PUT HIM IN CONTROL OF A NEW CHAPTER IN HIS CAREER
THE MARCHIONESS OF BATH - OUR SOCIAL EDITOR AT LARGE STEPS OUT IN STYLE IN MOROCCO
No sooner had I jetted back from the glamour of the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York than it was time to hop on to another plane this time my destination was Marrakech.
DEMI MOORE: BREAKING DOWN BEAUTY STEREOTYPES
ON HOW GORY NEW FILM GAVE HER THE 'GIFT' OF SEEING HERSELF ANEW
THE PRINCE OF WALES - AT THE EARTHSHOT PRIZE AWARDS
DRAWS PEOPLE FROM ACROSS AFRICA TO FOCUS ON PROTECTING THE PLANET
HELLO! to KINDNES: IDRIS ELBA
For World Kindness Day 2024, HELLO! is celebrating the selfless celebrities, campaigning royals and fabulous fundraisers who prove that being kind isn't determined by who you are, but by what you do. Introduced in 1998 by the World Kindness Movement, this special day on 13 November encourages us all to practise kindness in our daily lives, helping us nurture our feelings of empathy, understanding and compassion to create a more caring world.
LIGHTING UP LONDON AT 'UNSTOPPABLE' PREMIERE - JENNIFER LOPEZ
SAYS SHARING STORIES OF DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIPS HELPED HER BRING A STRUGGLING MUM TO LIFE
DIGGING DEEP IN HER OWN FAMILY LIFE - SAOIRSE RONAN
ON PORTRAYING MOTHERHOOD IN INTENSE WARTIME DRAMA
A-LISTERS FLOCK TO LOS ANGELES FOR LACMA'S-GLITZY NIGHT OUT
MUSEUM SMASHES FUNDRAISING RECORD AS STARS GLITTER IN GUCCI