After the nationalization, the building was home of the State Farm offices and after the regime change no one has re-claimed the castle, therefore its condition is continuously deteriorating.
While the beginning of the century was characterized by the modernization, transformation of old buildings, the second half of the century was characterized by the appearance of new baroque-style castles and manor-houses. Among these, the castle from Hodod is considered one of the earliest. Fortunately, the Wesselényi family's archives have preserved almost all construction documents, so we are able to follow the course of construction and determine the identity of craftsmen involved in building the castle. The castle built in Baroque-style can be found in the center of the village, near the highway that crosses the locality.
The castle gained its current shape during the time of Wesselényi Miklós the Elder. He was also the one who built the estate’s stable in 1771. There is a statue of a horse inside the stable, which was sculpted by Johannes Nachtigall. The famous stud of horses was the pride of the Wesselényi family, and was passed down from father to son.
Obreja is a late Romanian serf-village, which was from the beginning in the hands of the noble family Esterházy. Sometime in the second half of the 19th century it became the property of the Wesselényi family, being owned by br. Wesselényi (V) Miklós (1845-1916). After the nationalization a special school functioned in the castle, and then an orphanage. In 2003, the Greek-Catholic Church has reclaimed the building, so today it houses the sisterhood. The new owners placed a tasteless metal roof on top of the building.
One and a half century later, at the turn of the 18th century, the owner of the time, Baron Wesselényi István VI, incorporated the renaissance manor in a new, classicist castle with a U-shaped layout. The construction works most likely ended around 1816, as the wrought iron gate and fence, which once displayed the year number and the family crest, were installed in that year. The urns from the gate pillars hint towards the beginning of the 19th century as well.
The building with a rectangular ground plan is perpendicular to the street and is made of stone and brick. The manor has five rooms and a porch. A pantry, a restroom and a drier was subsequently added to the northern side of the manor, this part is neglected today. A stall is also part of the estate, its northern side currently being used as a kitchen, which was built in the second half of the 19th century. According to its current owner, Sorbán Rozália, before World War II. the manor was bought from the Zathureczky family by Sántha Gyula and later in became the property of Sorbán József, originally from Zălan.
The manor was built with natural stone masonry and has a jerkin-head roof covered with tiles. A small air-shaft lies on the western gable wall, solution which resembles of that of the Saxon relative houses from the nearby region of Barcaság (Țara Bârsei). A cellar composed of a single room is extending under the manor. During the renovation, the rotted beam ceiling of the cellar was replaced with a modern structure. The porch, supported by rectangular pillars, placed at the south-eastern corner of the building was also rebuilt during renovation. The manor was renovated for the purpose of hosting guests.
Knowing the property relations of Transylvania’s old aristocracy, it is highly improbable that the commissioner of the castle’s construction was a member of the Zichy family, who primarily owned land in Hungary; it is essential, therefore, to uncover documents relating to the estate’s newer ownership status and owners, as these pieces of information can help better understand its architectural history.
The listed building was constructed in eclectic style, on a mountainside far from any settlement. The hunting lodge’s fenestration and other ornaments have disappeared along the years. They included a memorial plaque which stated that the castle was built in 1891 in place of the old castle that had burned down.
The construction of the castle was commissioned by Zichy Domokos, bishop of Roznyó (Rožňava in Slovakian), later of Veszprém, and was finished in 1860. This was after he was struck by the grief of losing his brother Ödön (1809-1848), who was executed for treason. After the circumstances of the political scene forced him to renounce his position, he moved to Transylvania. He died in 1879. The castle has remained in good conditions to this day.
The building was part of the Zichy family’s estate, who were the lords of this part of the countryside. Today it functions as a hotel. At the beginning of the 1900’s, the one-storey manor with jerkinhead tiled roof was the property of count Zichy Jenő. The listed building has been modified to serve its new function, and has consequently lost its former elegance.
The mansion is located on a hill and is surrounded by a stone fence covered with tiles, supported by pillars. The gun-holes of the fence refer to the former protection function of the settlement. The entrance into the estate is made through a stone gate. The mansion's main facade, which has a tented roof covered with tiles, is dominated by an asymmetrically arranged vaulted porch with tympanum. Its gable contains the inscription of the year 1881, which is probably the year of its reconstruction.
