Máriaffi Castle
Castelul Mariaffi · Máriaffi-kastély (Marosszentgyörgy)
sat Sângeorgiu de Mureș; comuna Sângeorgiu de Mureș, Mureș · Str. Principală 1225
Visitmures says visits are arranged by phone; another source says it is open to the public since 2024
Summary
A two-storey eclectic castle in Sângeorgiu de Mureș, rebuilt in the 1870s for Albert Máriaffi on the site of an older Petki manor. Bought by the commune in 2010-2011 and restored with EU funds, it has been open as a cultural and tourist centre since 2024.
Legal status
Nationalised 1948; restituted in 2010 to a Máriaffi descendant abroad, who sold it to the commune (2010-2011 per sources) ↗
History
An older Petki manor stood here, which Balázs Orbán described in 1860 as a spacious fortified manor castle, partly ruined. The estate passed to the Máriaffi family after Count József Petki died in 1817. In the 1870s Albert Máriaffi had it rebuilt, with the Târgu Mureș master mason Pál Soós leading the work. A park of about 68 ha belonged to it under Lajos Máriaffi III and IV. After nationalisation in 1948 a state farm used the building, and after 1989 it stood empty and decayed, while the park was largely built over. The castle and part of the park were returned to a Máriaffi descendant in 2010, and the commune bought it in 2010-2011. The roof was repaired in 2016, EU-funded restoration (about 1.1 million EUR) began in 2018, and the castle reopened in 2024.
Transactions & prices
| Date | Type | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | Nationalisation | — | Taken by the state; used by a state agricultural enterprise ↗ |
| 2010 | Restitution | — | Castle and part of the park returned to a descendant of the Máriaffi family ↗ |
| 2011 | Sale | — | Sold to the commune (Romanian Wikipedia says bought in 2010 after the Ministry of Culture did not use its pre-emption right; price not stated) ↗ |
Sources & links
Found a mistake, or know more about this building? Write to us at contact@conace.eu.
