In 1931, from February 1 to 8, under the Protectorate of the President of the Republic of Poland, Ignacy Mościcki, the only Ice Hockey World Championship in Poland before the war was held in Krynica-Zdrój. The President of the Republic of Poland, who was present at the Championships, fell in love with Krynica and decided to build the Presidential Villa at the foot of Góra Parkowa, in the very heart of Krynica-Zdrój, near the Main Promenade. By decision of the President of the Republic of Poland, the construction of the Presidential Villa was started according to the design of Michał Gutt, professor at the Warsaw University of Technology. The construction was completed in 1933. The administration and management of the Villa was entrusted to the Management Board of the Wawel Royal Castle in Krakow. President Ignacy Mościcki was a frequent guest at the Villa, the so-called Presidential House, and one of the President's guests was also Marshal Józef Piłsudski. More information about the President can be found on Wikipedia. During World War II, the President's House became the place of residence of officers of the Third Reich. After the war, the facility was still in state hands and subsequent notables of the Polish People's Republic rested in the Villa. President Bolesław Bierut often visited Krynica and presented a new harmony to the local artist. This gesture was remembered by the inhabitants of Krynica. Another frequent guest was "comrade" Wiesław Gomułka, who during his stay in Krynica received and hosted in the President's Office, among others, the authorities of Krynica and the "party activist" from Nowy Sącz. In the 1960s and 1970s, the following people vacationed at the Villa: Józef Cyrankiewicz, Piotr Jaroszewicz with their spouses and other representatives of the then state authorities, including: Deputy Prime Minister Zenon Nowak. In the times of Edward Gierek (1970s), the Office of the Council of Ministers, which was responsible for the President's Office, decided to expand the Villa. The expansion project in the mid-1970s was carried out by the famous architect Jerzy Kuźmienko with the participation of Miastoprojekt from Warsaw. In 1977, construction works began, consisting in the construction of modern, in the opinion of the then, facilities intended for conferences with the participation of foreign government delegations and for the stay and recreation of the highest state authorities.One of the "consultants" participating in the inspection of the facility under construction was apparently the son-in-law of Leonid Brezhnev, the First Secretary of the CPSU. In 1981, the investment was suspended due to the difficult political and economic situation in our country. On April 1, 1982, the Office of the Council of Ministers handed over the entire facility to the State Enterprise called "Krynicko-Popradzkie Health Resorts". However, along with the neglected facility, the Company only received funds for "construction security", which in fact did not allow the Company to continue its expansion. Despite attempts to implement the investment and new technical documentation prepared in 1988, the Spa Enterprise failed to complete the construction in the following decade due to lack of budget funds. In 1999, the Management Board of Uzdrowisko Krynica-Żegiestów S.A. decided to sell the property to Kolgard LTD from Warsaw. At her request, the Krynica-based architect Ziemomysł Starkiewicz, in cooperation with the architect Janusz Ziembiński, prepared a construction design for the adaptation of the facility, on the basis of which the investor obtained a permit for the expansion and adaptation of existing facilities, along with a permit for the construction of an indoor swimming pool and SPA. At the end of 2005, the management board of Kolgard LTD. sold the facility with commenced construction to a Krakow investor, who completed the expansion of the complex and in July 2008 launched a new hotel in Krynica Zdrój. The architect who prepared a number of replacement designs for the complex in question and adapted the facility to the currently applicable technical conditions and the standard of a four-star spa hotel was Krakow architect Sewer Sulima Samujłło. The entire interior was designed by Marta Hojna, M.A. and Grzegorz Urbaniak, M.Arch., with the active participation of the investors themselves. Currently, Hotel Pałac**** Medical SPA & Wellness meets the highest hotel standards and quality requirements. The total usable area of the facility is approximately 6,300 m2 and, in addition to the rooms, also includes service areas (swimming pool, SPA and conference and training rooms) as well as garages and parking lots located in the immediate vicinity of the hotel complex. Since 2008, the hotel has hosted hundreds of distinguished personalities from the world of politics, business and culture.
