Bella Fay Castle, Simeria

Summary

A castle with a dendrological park (the Simeria Arboretum) at Str. Biscaria 1 in Simeria, Hunedoara County, dated by the heritage list to the early 19th century. The estate belonged to the Gyulay, Kun, Fáy and Ocskay families, was nationalised in 1949, and has housed a forestry research station since 1954.

Legal status

Nationalised in 1949; a restitution claim by the heirs of the former owners (from 2001) was decided in the state's favour according to a 2014 article ↗

History

The Simeria estate passed through the Hungarian noble families Gyulay, Kun, Fáy and Ocskay, by inheritance through the female line. The park was laid out from the early 18th century; the 1848 revolution damaged the estate, and repairs and new plantings followed in 1870-1880. The naturalist Béla Fáy, a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, settled in Simeria after 1918. The estate was nationalised in 1949, declared an experimental forestry unit in 1952, and a forestry research station was founded there in 1954. A restitution claim by the heirs of the former owners dates from 2001; according to a 2014 article, the courts ruled in the state's favour and the manor remained state property, used as the seat of the forestry research institute.

Transactions & prices

Listed components

• Castelul Bella Fay — înc. sec. XIX (HD-II-m-B-03448.01)
• Parc dendrologic — înc. sec. XIX (HD-II-m-B-03448.02)

Sources & links