Bánffy Castle

Bonțida, Romania, Romania

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Bánffy Castle in Bonțida, Cluj County, Romania, began as a Renaissance fortress in the 16th century when the Bánffy family received the estate in 1387 from King Sigismund of Luxembourg, later fortified around 1668-1674 by Dénes Bánffy with rectangular walls and cylindrical corner towers. Transformed into a grand Baroque residence in the 18th century by another Dénes Bánffy, master of the horse to Maria Theresa, it featured a U-shaped court d'honneur with stables, a riding school, and a statue gallery by sculptor Johannes Nachtigall, serving as one of Transylvania's most opulent aristocratic complexes. Severely damaged in 1944 by retreating German troops who looted its library, art, and furniture before setting fire to parts of it, the castle underwent partial restorations but remains a poignant ruin managed today as a cultural heritage site.