Dankow / Tankow

A horse and carriage and villagers outside the village store and post office in Danków (Tankow), c.1907.

Here we present a sample of the pre-war images we have in our picture archive the village of Dankow, former Tankow, in the Strzelce Krajeńskie (Friedeberg) / Gorzów (Landsberg Warthe) area of the province of Lubuskie in the far west of Poland.

The main street through Danków (Tankow) with the church in the background, c.1918.

The main street through Danków (Tankow) with the church in the background, c.1911.

Some interesting historical facts concerning Danków:
- A fortified castle from the 8th century once stood in Danków.
- The neo-Gothic English-style manor house, which once stood in Dankow, was built in 1830 by the von Brand family.
- Gustav Erdmann Camillus von Brand who died in 1857 was buried in a specially constructed mausoleum in the grounds. The crypt survives in a somewhat ruined condition to this day.
- Before the end of the Second World War the estate was owned by Richard von Alvensleben and his wife.
- Richard von Alvensleben was away fighting with the German army during much of the war.
- His wife, Cora von Alvensleben, committed suicide in the manor house on the 29th January 1945 just before or just after Soviet troops arrived in Danków.
- The manor house was plundered of an extensive collection of 17th century paintings and suffered extensive damage after being set on fire by Soviet soldiers in late January / early February 1945. It no longer exists.
- The grounds of the manor house extended to some 15 hectares and included an orangery, ice house, dovecote, and many native and foreign trees, including fine examples of monumental linden and oak. Much of this can still be seen.
- The brick-built neo-Gothic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus dates back to 1840.