Kornis Castle

Szentbenedek, Romania, Romania

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Kornis Castle in Mănăstirea (Szentbenedek), Cluj County, Romania, began as a Renaissance fortress constructed between 1573 and 1593 by Kristóf Keresztúri, prefect of Dej, on land granted by Prince István Báthory, featuring a square layout with a prominent tower marked by his monogram and date above the entrance. Acquired in 1602 by the Kornis family through Boldizsár Kornis's marriage to Keresztúri's daughter, it underwent major expansions including a second floor around 1673 by Gáspár Kornis, a grand gate tower with drawbridge and wolf pit completed in 1720 by Zsigmond Kornis, and later 19th-century Classicist additions like a 20-room mansion with modern amenities. Nationalized in 1948 after surviving WWII damage, the castle was looted and vandalized by locals, with its library of 9,000 volumes dumped in the Someș River, wooden elements burned, and prized collections destroyed, leaving it a decayed shell of Transylvanian aristocratic splendor.