Bethlen Castle, Bahnea
Castelul Bethlen · Bethlen-kastély (Bonyha)
sat Bahnea; comuna Bahnea, Mureș · Str. Republicii 55
Open Friday-Sunday 10:00-17:00, ticket 15 lei, guided tours in Romanian and Hungarian; closed Monday-Thursday
Summary
A Renaissance-origin castle in Bahnea (Mureș County), begun in 1545 by Farkas Bethlen and reshaped in Baroque and Romantic phases, with 42 rooms. Returned to the Bethlen heirs after communism and donated to the Transylvanian Reformed Church, it was restored in 2023 with Hungarian state funds and is open to visitors.
Legal status
Nationalised 1948; returned to the Bethlen heirs after 1989 (2005 per ro.wikipedia, 2008 per Visit Mureș); donated to the Reformed Church ↗
History
The Bethlen family settled in Bahnea in 1441, and Farkas Bethlen (1505-1552) laid the foundation of the castle in 1545. Elek Bethlen, senior and junior, remodelled it between 1679 and 1719, adding a stone wall, an octagonal bastion and corner towers. Baroque decoration was added in the late 18th century and the present Romantic form dates from a mid-19th-century rebuild by Farkas Bethlen (1813-1870). Countess Kata Bethlen, the Baroque-era writer, was born in the castle in 1700. The state nationalised it in 1948 and it housed the town hall, a cultural centre, a library and a cooperative warehouse. It was returned to the Bethlen heirs (2005 or 2008, sources differ), who donated it to the Reformed Church, and a major restoration financed by Hungary was completed in October 2023.
Transactions & prices
Sources & links
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