Bánffy Castle, Sâncrai
Castelul Banffi · Bánffy-kastély (Enyedszentkirály)
sat aparținător Sâncrai; municipiul Aiud, Alba · Str. Mureșan Andrei 100
Listed as open to visitors; opening hours are not known; check with Alba County Council
Summary
A historicist castle in Sâncrai (Aiud, Alba County), built in 1890-1896 for Baron Jenő Bánffy to designs by Lajos Pákei. After decades as an orphanage and special school it was restored in 2011-2014 with EU funding and now runs as a cultural centre owned by Alba County Council.
Legal status
Remained state property after nationalisation; now county public property ↗
History
Sâncrai (Enyedszentkirály) is first recorded in 1256, and György Bánffy owned the estate in 1576; a 1725 inventory mentions a large square stone castle there. The present castle was built between 1890 and 1896 for Baron Jenő Bánffy, designed by the Cluj architect Lajos Pákei with construction supervised by Carl Frigyes Maetz. It combines Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Baroque and Neo-Classical elements around a tall four-storey tower. Jenő left no children, and under his 1902 will the estate passed to his nephew Ferenc Bánffy, who later kept only the Borșa castle after the 1921-1923 agrarian reform. From 1920 to 1926 the building was leased to the Ministry of the Interior's health inspectorate as an orphanage, and it stayed state property, serving as an orphanage and special school under communism. The social institutions left around 2010, and The castle was restored between 2011 and 2014 with EU funding.
Listed components
- Castelul Banffi — 1903 (AB-II-m-B-00320.01)
- Grajd — 1903 (AB-II-m-B-00320.02)
Sources & links
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