Castle Bethlen-Haller

Cetatea de Baltă, Romania, Romania

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Castle Bethlen-Haller in Cetatea de Baltă, Alba County, Romania, originated from a medieval fortress first mentioned in 1177 and destroyed by Tatars in 1241, later rebuilt in the 14th century before final demolition in 1557. The current Renaissance-style castle with rectangular plan, four corner circular towers, and a secondary stair tower was built between 1615-1625 by Ștefan Bethlen, brother of Prince Gabriel Bethlen, and renovated in Baroque style from 1757-1773 by Miklós Bethlen, adding decorative elements like a vestibule and chapel. Passing to the Haller family in the 19th century after Markus Bethlen lost it in a card game, it was nationalized in 1948 for use as a sparkling wine facility by IAS Jidvei, then restored since 2003 by current owners and opened for tourism with wine tastings.