Bánffy Castle, Sâncrai
  • National Monument Number:
  • AB-II-a-B-00320
  • Address:
  • Aiud municipality, Sâncrai village, Andrei Muresan street, nr. 100
  • Dated to:
  • Ownership:
  • public property

Although the Bánffy family had estates for years in Sâncrai, the castle’s construction began in the last decade of the 19th century. The designer was a renowned architect from Cluj: Lajos Pákei,  who worked for br. Bánffy Jenő (1845-1903).

The castle was built in an archaic style. The floor plan of the castle is irregular and the facades have various shapes. The overall effect is picturesque. The building has two entrances, from the side of the woods carriages could go in as well. The most dominant feature of the castle is the imposing sized, octagon-shaped, four-storey tower with medieval effect. The castle has a truly fabulous style due to the different sized window frames, the cambered spire and the semicircular doors decorated with shells which open onto a small balcony. Another tower is located on the opposite corner of the west side facade overlooking the Mureș river. This square-shaped tower is smaller than the other one, but it was built in an archaic style as well. Between the two towers there is a building with Renaissance pediment and semicircular entrance. Today, only a life-threatening stone staircase leads to that entrance. On the east side of the estate two buildings can be seen with Neo-Renaissance and Baroque ornamentation (the main entrance is on the right side).

In a beautiful natural environment due to the amalgamation of different shapes, designs and elements of historicist architecture the most picturesque Transylvanian castle was created in Sâncrai. The park which reached to the Mureș river is now unfortunately vanished. The castle was recently renovated.

 

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