Gardzienice is a small village picturesquely situated on the Giełczew River, 30 kilometers south-east of Lublin. The palace and park complex, once belonging to the Orzechowski, Czarniecki, and Potocki families, is the seat of the "Gardzienice" Centre for Theatre Practices, creating unique performances based on archaic and ancient Greek motifs.

Already in the XV and XVI centuries there was a defensive brick complex in place of the present palace in Gardzienice. Built at the beginning of the XVII century, the palace was destroyed twice: in 1648 and 1656. It was rebuilt presumably by Wacław Hulewicz, the castellan of Bracław in 1677, and subsequently expanded from 1689 by Stefan Stanisław Czarniecki, the nephew of Stefan Czarniecki, the field hetman of the Crown. Nearby there are ruins of a XIX century distillery and an observation tower with a beautiful view of the surrounding area.

The legend tells about the ghosts in the basement of the palace. Apparently because of them Katarzyna, daughter of Stefan Czarniecki, despised the property and left for Lviv. It is also reported that the Swedes found many precious things in the local dungeons on their way to Częstochowa, including a saddle with turquoise stones.