Apafi Gergely Castle

Dumbrăveni, Romania, Romania

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Apafi Gergely Castle in Dumbrăveni, Romania, is a Renaissance fortress built between 1552-1567 by nobleman Grigore Apafi, later serving as the opulent residence of Prince Mihai Apafi I during Transylvania's golden age with lavish balls, hunting parties, and high society gatherings amid fortified towers and gardens. Key historical events unfolded here, including the 1685 Treaty of Ebesfalva signed between Apafi and Austrian envoys to curb imperial troops, alongside its role as an Armenian merchant community's hub after passing to them via inheritance disputes with the Bethlen family. Expanded with administrative wings and polygonal defenses diverted from the Târnava Mare River, it declined into partial ruin by the 19th century—used as court, jail, and school—before recent Norwegian-funded renovations house a museum of Armenian heritage today.