Minding Their Manors

The Gorzanow palace is being restored.      Maciek Nabrdalik/VII Photo for the Wall Street Journal

For decades after World War II (until the fall of the USSR, I'm guessing), Poles ~ and probably the citizens of all the satellite states ~ were forbidden from going within a certain number of miles of where they had lived before the war. Under the Soviet-installed Communist government, some of the country's most beautiful homes and castles were turned into public buildings and/or allowed to fall into disrepair. Now, Poland is hoping to find new owners for these properties who will restore them ~ not an easy or inexpensive proposition in most cases (story, slideshow): http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304799404579158021343449750