Built on a “U” -shaped plan, Banloc Castle is a massive building, with thick walls (approx. 1.25 m) of burnt brick, with the main façade facing south and north with two wings forming a courtyard. terraced (court of honor). Made in the Renaissance style, on the south façade as the only ornament, the castle had an attic with the stone coat of arms of the Karátsonyi family. This heraldic insignia was preserved even after the castle became the property of the Royal House of Romania, being demolished after 1948. In fact, it was literally thrown into the septic tank of the castle, where parts of it are still there (in 1997). . The same heraldic insignia existed on a mosaic in the castle's court of honor. The year "MDCCLIX" was also mentioned here. The attic collapsed permanently in the 1991 earthquake,

Compared to the simplicity of the south façade, the north façade of the castle (from the park) - especially the two wings that enclose the court of honor - has several decorative elements: baroque bridge windows, other reliefs with well-defined themes (heraldic motifs and with a theme inspired by Greco-Roman mythology) embedded in masonry. In addition to these important are the 18th century hardware that closed the courtyard of honor as well as the wrought iron floor lamps (one on each corner of the courtyard) and which in their decorative structure had specified the year 1793. Interesting from an architectural point of view are the entrances to the basement. the building. Made in resalit, they create a rupture in the plane of the façade and are made up of an architrave that rests on imitations of Doric columns. The wooden gates are equipped with 18th century hardware and above them, in the wall, there is another relief with a different theme for each entrance, depending on the utility that the cellar received. The entrance to the wine cellar is suggested by the presence of the bunch of grapes that a putto (lover) gives to a female character played in a sitting position, while at the entrance to the wooden cellar is the representation of the god Pan singing the syrinx (panpipe). Although there is no evidence in this regard, it seems that the frequent representations of the god Pan (in the park there were at least two statues whose fragments are currently found at the Banat Museum in Timisoara) are closely related to the name of the town: depending on the utility the cellar received. The entrance to the wine cellar is suggested by the presence of the bunch of grapes that a putto (lover) gives to a female character played in a sitting position, while at the entrance to the wooden cellar is the representation of the god Pan singing the syrinx (panpipe). Although there is no evidence in this regard, it seems that the frequent representations of the god Pan (in the park there were at least two statues whose fragments are currently found at the Banat Museum in Timisoara) are closely related to the name of the town: depending on the utility the cellar received. The entrance to the wine cellar is suggested by the presence of the bunch of grapes that a putto (lover) gives to a female character played in a sitting position, while at the entrance to the wooden cellar is the representation of the god Pan singing the syrinx (panpipe). Although there is no evidence in this regard, it seems that the frequent representations of the god Pan (in the park there were at least two statues whose fragments are currently found at the Banat Museum in Timisoara) are closely related to the name of the town:Panloch - Panloc - Banloc name that would translate as "Master's Place".

The castle has a cellar, ground floor, first floor and attic. The system of spatial organization both on the ground floor and upstairs, is identical and consists - in the center of the main tract (south) - of a dominant room, perpendicular to the facade, which passes through the entire body of the building. On the ground floor, this hall was formed by the construction of an older vaulted entrance, a fact observed in the masonry of the building. To the left and right of this main hall, there are 2 rooms - a total of 5 rooms - and in the east and west wings of the building, another 3 rooms served by a corridor in each wing. In the dead corners are the stairs, and at the northern ends of the corridors are the bathrooms. A special feature of the castle was given, on the north side, by the two windows of the Baroque-inspired bridge,

Sometime in the 19th century, after Lázár's nephew Jenő Karátsonyi's trip to Egypt (1861-1933), the castle's facade is framed by two massive gates, which stylistically present an interesting combination of elements inspired by Egyptian antiquity. and the English neo-Gothic. In the park around the castle, until the 1991 earthquake, there was a building built in the same neo-Gothic style and called in the time of the Hungarian count "Egyptian Chamber", here being brought, among many other art objects, the mummy mentioned by Father Mureșianu.

In addition to the gates mentioned above, two other gates allowed access to the castle park. Of these, only one still exists today, the other being demolished between 1948-1989.

Banloc - Andrássy Gate and Pine Alley

Coming from Deta to Banloc, at the end of an impressive alley of almost 500 meters, guarded by pine trees - Pinus Nigra species - is the Andrássy Gate or the Lion Gate. The latter name was due to the two griffins that decorated the main pillars. The name of the gate and the alley is inspired by that of Caroline Andrássy, the wife of Count Karátsonyi Jenő (Eugen) and was adapted by the inhabitants of the commune under the name of "Andras Road". At present, the gate only exists in photographs and vintage views. It was demolished in the 70's of the last century and with it the griffins disappeared. Part of the pine alley survived until 1997, offering a unique view through the height of more than 20 meters of trees. Due to the breeze that blows almost permanently from the Vârșeț hills, a simple walk down the alley becomes an experience hard to put into words. Pitita among the pines, a wooden mushroom with benches, offered - once - shelter in case of bad weather. Located outside the park itself, this alley completes the entire landscape of Banloc Castle. Although declared a natural monument (sic!), The pine trees that form the alley disappear from year to year, due to democratic indifference. In the year of grace 2006 only clusters of 2-3 trees, spread over a distance of about 100 meters, still remind of the former "Andraș Road". Although declared a natural monument (sic!), The pine trees that form the alley disappear from year to year, due to democratic indifference. In the year of grace 2006 only clusters of 2-3 trees, spread over a distance of about 100 meters, still remind of the former "Andraș Road". Although declared a natural monument (sic!), The pine trees that form the alley disappear from year to year, due to democratic indifference. In the year of grace 2006 only clusters of 2-3 trees, spread over a distance of about 100 meters, still remind of the former "Andraș Road".

Located on the north side of the park, a gate that still exists today provides access to and from the train station located almost 2 km to the north. The "General Inventory" carried out on 27 January 1948 by the "Banloc Domain Administration Inventory Commission" describes this objective as a "massive construction of burnt brick; plastered; decorated in English neo-Gothic style […] ”, attributing to him (in 1948) a 60-year-old seniority. However, the original design of the gate, located at the Timișoara State Archives, seems to prove otherwise. Above the vault keystone, in a quadrilateral plan, the above-mentioned project provided, in bas-relief, the year 1903. As far as the quality of the image as well as from the local accounts allows, it seems that in reality a heraldic sign was chosen. , or disparate elements of the coat of arms, the most common after the griffin being that of the mermaid holding a double cross in her hand (it should be noted that the whole castle was also called "Mermaid"). After 1947 the gate remained standing, but the bas-relief was leveled so that all the details of the drawing disappeared. The gate dates back to 1997, the right side wall being almost demolished.

https://turismtimis.ro/

The Castle is abandoned, no visiting