Kornis Castle is a castle begun in the 16th century and located in Mănăstirea village, Cluj County, Romania. It is listed as a historic monument by the country's Culture Ministry.
History
The main building was built by Kristóf Keresztúri between 1573 and 1593 in the Renaissance style. Over time, the castle was filled with secondary buildings in a quadrilaterally shaped enclosure. After the domain became the property of the Kornis family around 1673, Kornis Gaspar (1641-1683) raised the second floor of the main building on the south side.
In 1680, his son, Zsigmond Kornis, renovated the castle. He also repaired the castle after it was damaged during the Curuti uprising in the early 18th century and in 1720 added two new octagonal bastions on the northern side and restored the tower at the castle entrance on the west side. The tower still exists today. During this period the castle rooms were redecorated with frescoed ceilings. The wooden frame works of the top floor and staircase were added, decorated with popular motifs and decorations of Dej volcanic tuff stone were created.
During the Second World War part of the castle was destroyed and its collections were burned by the communists or stolen after nationalization. Before the destruction of the castle, the library contained 9,000 volumes, consisting of collections of rare books. It was destroyed together with the extensive natural history collection. The pavilions are now used as a silo, hostel and cultural school destinations.
After 1944, only part of the masonry was rebuilt in 1975-76 and Kornis chapel was taken over by the Romanian Orthodox Church. But there was no serious restoration of the castle and the domain, leaving the castle in ruins today. The castle is known for the statues of two unicorns which guarded the entry until recently, when they were removed after a failed burglary attempt.

Kornis Castle

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The castle was built by the order of Count Bethlen Pál (1851–1935), the son of Bethlen Pál (1798–1859) and Countess Bethlen Mária (1827–1876).
He had been travelling after he had finished his studies, then he was a soldier for five years. By the end of the 1870s he had returned to his land in Beclean. He had a daughter with his first wife, Countess Rhédey Gabriella (1861–1883), whose name was Ida (1880–1895) and had a tragic fate. Bethlen Ida’s grave, which is situated in the cemetery in Beclean, is a unique work of art.
Before the government’s nationalizations in 1945, the main building, as well as the secondary ones surrounding it (a linen fabric was functioning here), were the possessions of Count Bethlen László. According to the documents originating from 1977, the castle had 16 premises and 8 secondary buildings. Today, only one secondary building exists, which was rearranged into a museum.
During the 1990s the community centre and the library were functioning in the building. The amphitheatre and the scene from the back were enlarged and they were redecorated accordingly to that period’s style. Today the building hosts Beclean’s Town Hall.
The two-storey castle does not have an adequate division of the premises and it shows the signs of multiple reconstructions and rearrangements. On the ground floor a big amphitheatre can be found and three smaller halls in the southern side. This unit is surrounded by smaller premises on each side, which connect the building’s centre with the two hexagonal towers situated in the two corners of the castle. The harmony of this structure was ruined in the 1980s by the enlarged amphitheatre. In the main wing of the building there is an avant-corps, which is connected to the building through a balcony with stairs. Inside of the avant-corps the stairs run to the first floor. The main wing, which was mentioned above, is connected vertically to another wing with five premises. The images which originate from the 20th century illustrate this wing too.
There are a few differences between the arrangement of the premises situated on the first floor and the ones which are on the ground floor. A significant one would be that the shorter tower is one-storey building, while the taller one situated in the southern side, is divided into three premises and it also has a first floor. Neither the northern bastion has a first floor. The enlargement of the amphitheatre is marked on the ground floor plan, but on the first floor we can only see the aerial space of the hall.
The castle was built in L shape, it has a simple hip roof, while its wings have gable roofs and the bastions have roofs made of tin. Under the building there is a basement with four vaulted premises. These cannot be visited today, but it would be important in order to be able to differentiate the numerous phases of constructions.
The main façade is situated in the western side of the castle. On the basis of some post cards several significant modifications can be observed. According to the oldest variant, the façade had the following aspect: besides the avant-corps the main wing was situated which ended in two hexagonal towers. Before the avant-corps there was a balcony with iron parapet and stone stairs. The avant-corps was divided by four decorated pilasters which held the cornice with the console stones. The middle part of the façade was decorated in Baroque style and above it the Bethlen coat of arms was situated. Above the cornice there is an attic decorated with reliefs. There are two decorated twin windows at the two sides of the entrance. Under the hexagonal tower the avant-corps was decorated with console stones’ motifs.
The main façade was rearranged during the 1900 reconstructions. Another floor was built above the ground floor. The big hall and the northern tower were not reconstructed, but the avant-corps of the entrance and the southern wing were heightened with one floor, as well as the southern tower. It is not known exactly whether this tower was rebuilt in this period or it had had that floor earlier. The balcony of the avant-corps at the entrance was preserved in its original condition, while the windows were modified. On the ground floor windows were mounted, with keystones. On the first floor the middle window has three elements, and the two windows at the two sides have eyebrow frames. The spiral structured building reminds us of the German Renaissance; it has a window with three elements and the Bethlen coat of arms. In the southern part of the façade there are two windows above which there are two double ones, and this is their original place. The façade’s aspect had not been changed until 1927. Keöpeczi Sebestyén József’s drawing illustrates this fact very well.
The reconstructions of the 1980s changed the aspect of the façade. The windows from the wing which is situated near the avant-corps, on the left side, were walled up, and this part of the building was heightened – this is how the amphitheatre was created. The architecture of the avant-corps was not modified, but the original window frames and the Bethlen coat of arms were taken off the façade. The southern bastion was significantly modified, because the traces of some windows which were walled up can be seen. On the ground floor of the southern wing there is a vaulted door which leads to the basement. The reconstructions from the 20th century ruined the harmonious composition of the buildings completely and the final aspect which thus resulted was completely inadequate. The furniture and the interior organization of the castle are unknown. In 1900 the main staircase was panelled and it had a turned balustrade. Opposite the main staircase, there is an eclectic fireplace on the first floor, with green glazed ceramic tile and late-Renaissance motifs (dentilled cornice, ornate freize, flower and fruit garlands).
The façade from the back of the castle looked on to the sophisticatedly arranged park. The trees of this park were cut down in the 1960s. Today only one of the secondary buildings exists and it is transformed into a museum. Ten years ago there were two buildings left (one for the servants and for cooking, the other for the guests) and the stables with their Baroque windows, which originated from the 18th century, most probably. Only that, these were demolished since then.
https://castleintransylvania.ro/

Bethlen Pál Castle in Beclean

In 1935 count Teleki (VI). Ádám sold the castle to dr. Gyergyay Albert, Professor of Otolaryngology, but the Liberal Party MP, Augustin Prodea, had an eye on the castle and made everything in order to get it. Changing the Agricultural Law, the half of the estate became the property of a rural cooperative, which then sold it to Prodea. In 1938, Gyergyay finally gave up his remaining part and sold it to Prodea. After the change of regime, the model farm, founded by the legendary family of Teleki was bought by Alexandru Biris - local resident.
After the allegedly ill-fated Kenedy family, in 1616 the estate of Luna became the property of the Haller family. Seventy years later, the Hallers have lost their estate as a result of a diplomatic scandal, when Haller János was sentenced to death for insulting the emperor and his father, to save his life, asked for the help of Teleki Mihály. Haller was acquitted and Teleki Mihály received the Luna estate in return for his help. The tenth child of Teleki Mihály, Paul Teleki, who started the construction of the castle, was actively involved in Rákóczi's War of Independence on the Kuruc side and as punishment of his involvement, the imperial army has burned down the newly built castle. As result, the only thing that remained intact was the 35-meter tower. The castle building is considered to be from the XVIIIth century, although the current form of the building shows as it would be much older, being the subject of numerous reconstructions.
https://castleintransylvania.ro/

Teleki Castle in Luna de Jos

Bánffy Castle is an architectural monument situated in Bonţida, a village in the vicinity of Cluj-Napoca, Romania, with construction phases and stylistic features belonging to Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical and Neogothic styles. It is owned by the Hungarian Bánffy family (of which Miklós Bánffy was a member). The current owner is Katalin Bánffy.
History
In 1387, the Bonțida estate came into the possession of the Hungarian Bánffy of Losonc family, when Sigismund of Luxemburg donated it to Dénes, son of Tamás Losonci. The present castle was preceded by a manor house, whose history dates back to the 15th-16th centuries. After 1640, the estate was inherited by Dénes Bánffy (II) (1638–1674), county governor of Doboka and Kolozs counties, brother-in-law and counselor of Prince Michael I Apafi, who fortified the initial building between 1668 and 1674 by surrounding it with curtain walls that formed a rectangular enclosure, reinforced at the corners with massive circular towers. The castle could be accessed through a seven-storey high gatehouse located on the fortification's eastern side. The works were continued after his death by his successor, György Bánffy (III).
This Renaissance ensemble was involved, between 1704 and 1711, in Rákóczi's War of Independence, needing repairs and restorations at the beginning of the 18th century. Elizabeth the 3rd.
In the 18th century the estate was inherited by Dénes Bánffy (IV), who, after a time spent in the Viennese Court of Empress Maria Theresa, returned home in 1747 and started a reconstruction of the castle in Austrian Baroque style. Between 1747 and 1751 a Cour d'honneur in U shape was built to the eastern side of the Renaissance building, which contained: the riding school, the stable, the carriage rooms and servants' quarters. An important achievement was the castle's park near the Someș (Szamos) River, with walkways, statues and fountains. In the integrative concept specific to Baroque art, the residence and the environment were in a relationship of close interdependence and mutual influence. Based on this concept, the park of 70 ha was set up after the design of architect Johann Christian Erras, which transposed into this space forms dominated by a strict geometry. The sculptor Johann Nachtigall made grandiose stone statues inspired by the ancient poet Ovid.
József Bánffy, the descendant of Dénes Bánffy, decided the demolition of the gate tower in the 1820s, uniting the Renaissance courtyard with the Baroque one, and from the resulting stone a water mill was built for the villagers in Bonțida. In 1850 building's western wing was modified under the direction of architect Anton Kagerbauer (1814–1872), following the park's landscaping after the English Romanticism model.
In 1944, the castle was transformed into a field hospital. German troops plundered and devastated the castle, as retaliation against political attitude of its owner, count Miklós Bánffy, which has initiated negotiations between the governments of Romania and Hungary for the return of weapons against Germany. Thus, the furniture, the library and the gallery of paintings were destroyed.
During the communist regime, whole building was used as a driving school, cooperative farm and hospital for children. In 1963, Bánffy Castle was used as decor for filming Pădurea spânzuraților, directed by Liviu Ciulei. The film comprised a short scene with fire, thus scenographers lit one of the buildings, causing massive damage to the building.
In 1990, the castle was declared a historic monument.
Since 2013 the castle has been the venue for an annual music festival called Electric Castle, held each July.
Restoration
In 1999, due to its ruinous state, the castle was included, at the request of the Transylvania Trust, in the World Monuments Watch List of 100 Most Endangered Sites. Also in 1999, a bilateral State Agreement was signed between Romania and Hungary for the restoration and rehabilitation works. In the following period, with Romanian state funds, about 2/3 of the main building's roof was reconstructed. In 2003, the Transylvania Trust signed with the authorities a long-term lease agreement for the castle, resigned with Katalin Bánffy in 2008 (who was given back the building in the meantime) for the duration of 49 years. In 2001, the Built Heritage Conservation Training Program was implemented, the kitchen buildings being the first one to be restored under its banner.
In 2005, The Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre was officially opened at Bánffy Castle, which functions to this day, teaching traditional building crafts skills for the restoration, repair and maintenance of historic buildings and which was awarded, in 2008, the Europa Nostra prize in Cultural Heritage for education, training and awareness training. The program is supported by Charles, Prince of Wales, who visited the castle. The patron of the training centre is Princess Margareta of Romania.