Sale of palaces, manors and historical real estate in Greater Poland & Poland | Justyna Stęplewska

Nieruchomości Zabytkowe

Are you interested in purchasing a palace, castle or manor house in Poland? As an estate agent based in Poznań, I specialise in the sale of historic estates in the Greater Poland (Wielkopolska) region as well as across all western parts of the country. In Greater Poland alone, there are still around 1,500 historic estates today, ensuring a steady selection of potential property offers.

Even in 2025, there are still properties and estates with unclear legal status, unresolved ownership situations or ongoing court proceedings. Through my close cooperation with owners, authorities and municipalities, I support such processes and keep potential buyers with the right search criteria informed about possible acquisition opportunities in the near future.

Brief information for buyers from overseas

Who is eligible to buy property in Poland?

Occasionally you may still come across the outdated claim online that foreigners cannot buy property in Poland. This information is incorrect. In principle, the purchase of property in Poland is open to everyone. Restrictions or additional permit procedures generally only apply to agricultural land and buyers based outside the European Union. In these cases, a permit from the Polish Ministry of the Interior is required prior to the purchase. This permit is granted for a one-off fee of around EUR 500, provided a valid police clearance certificate is presented and the authorities have no security concerns.

The permit for non-EU buyers is always issued for a specific property. Each further purchase requires a separate application procedure.

Listed buildings in Poland

In Poland, there are two levels of heritage protection: national and local. Nationally protected properties are listed in the regional heritage registers of the voivodeships and are supervised by the voivodeship heritage authority (Konserwator Zabytków). In such cases, all building works – both work on the historic fabric and any extensions or alterations – must be agreed with and approved by the relevant authority in advance.

Many smaller or less historically significant manor houses are only included on municipal heritage lists. For owners, this usually means significantly greater freedom and flexibility when it comes to building use and alterations.

Experience in recent years has shown that cooperation with heritage authorities is generally constructive, as there is a strong interest in preserving historic properties and putting them to sensible use.

Property tax exemptions for listed buildings

One significant advantage of owning a listed property in Poland is the possibility of applying for an exemption from annual property tax. For privately used listed buildings, the property tax is generally waived entirely. For locally protected heritage properties, a tax exemption may also be granted under certain conditions. For commercially used properties, however, property tax generally continues to apply.

Purchase prices for castles and manor houses in Poland

Prices have risen significantly over the past five years, although there are properties available in all price brackets, from five- to seven-figure amounts, depending on location and condition. Prospective buyers should bear in mind that construction, materials and labour costs have also increased sharply in Poland. Certain services or heating systems – such as heat pumps – can, however, still be up to 20% cheaper than in Germany, for example.

Some manor houses can be acquired for relatively low prices, but they are usually in need of major renovation and are often located in areas with limited market demand. In addition, they often come with fragmented landholdings, mixed ownership rights or neighbouring agricultural operations.

Renovation costs for castles in Poland

The cost of renovating historic estates is always highly individual, as it depends on future use and personal preferences, and is therefore difficult to estimate in general terms. As a rough guideline, you should allow at least PLN 20,000 (~EUR 4,600) per square metre of usable floor space.

If you cannot be certain of having the necessary financial means or do not have relevant experience in restoring listed buildings, we would advise against purchasing. The risk that such a project could become a long, costly endeavour that may eventually have to be abandoned is considerable.

Funding opportunities for listed buildings

In principle, funding can be applied for any listed property. The amount and scope of funding depend on various factors. Larger and historically significant buildings generally qualify for higher levels of support, both from national sources and EU programmes. In recent years, however, the total sums awarded have decreased overall.

Another attractive option is the possibility of offsetting all costs associated with the listed property against tax. The Pałacyk Plus programme is comparable to Germany’s tax depreciation scheme for listed buildings (Denkmal-AfA) and supports the preservation and restoration of historic properties through tax relief. To benefit from this programme, you must be subject to taxation in Poland, meaning that you work or run a business there.