The predecessor of the castle must have been built in the 1700’s, but that was completely transformed by br. Bánffy (VI.) Ferenc in 1812. The castle undergone another renovation in 1937, ordered by Bánffy (II.) Dániel and his second wife Zichy Mária Huberta.
At the beginning of the 19th century the Bánffy family gained possession of an estate in Gheja. The castle was built during that period in an eclectic style. After the nationalization the main facade undergone major transformations.
The Bánffy family’s one-storey mansion with arcades was built together with the outbuildings in the castle’s vicinity (which now belongs to the Protestant Church). On the south side of the rectangular courtyard once stood the granary, as well as the cellar below. The granary was transformed into a community centre after WW2. All the buildings bear stylistic features belonging to the baroque style.
The castle is the result of the reconstruction of the family manor, which was heavily damaged during the 1848-1849 revolution. The reconstruction works, which began before 1859, were commissioned by the estate’s new owner, Baron Bánffy Albert. He later entrusted architect Kerekes Márton with additional reparations in 1870.
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).
Urmeniș is a village located in Mureș county, on the road that links Cluj Napoca to Reghin. The estate, which existed already at the beginning of the 14th century, became the property of I. Rákóczi György in 1638, who decided to build a new modern mansion. The new building was built between the period of 1639-1641, in the place of a single-storey mansion, which had a porch. The building's designer and work supervisor was Fundáló Mátyás of Alba Iulia. Besides the well-known architect, other known personalities are the master masons Kőműves Simon and Kőműves János, originally from Bistrița.
It was constructed partially from the stones of Vitéz castle, partially from the stones of the ruined medieval church. Its left-side tip today serves as a medical cabinet, while the rest of the ground floor is segmented into small apartments. The upper floor remains empty.
„1774 G. B. M.” – can be read on the stone plaque above the mansion’s entrance. The mansion was inhabited by the Bánffy family until close to the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867. It then became the property of general Wilburg Aladár, who used the building as barracks. In the middle of the last century, the building hosted the local council, later on the collective.
Although there is still a lot of work to do: its domed ceiling should be restored, the five hundred-year-old carved stone door and windows should be replaced, we can already see how the upgraded mansion will look like: a room has been completely finished.
After its nationalisation the building had several functions; it currently serves as a special school.
The single-storey building with an U-shaped ground plan is located in the middle of an arboretum. The building is surrounded by a plinth with rounded ledge. Its protruding middle risalit is defined on three sides by a domed portico which forms a hallway.
The manor was fortified during the second half of the 16th century, as evidenced by written sources from 1567 mentioning the building as a castellum. The renaissance reconstruction of the fortified castle – from which parts of today’s building originate as well – is attributed to Báthori István, the grandnephew of Transylvanian Prince and Polish King Báthori István (they had the same name).
The construction of the castle located in the centre of Treznea was commissioned by lord Bay Ferenc in the middle of the 19th century. He and his family lived in the castle until 1944. They had moved to his wife’s native village, Curtuișeni, only a few weeks before the frontline of the Second World War engulfed Treznea. He had left Treznea for good, and because of that the villagers blamed him for the carnage that unfolded a few weeks later.
The manor took the name of Bay when Bay Miklós of Ciumești married Papolczy Mária, who received the house as dowry. They had two children, a boy and a girl, Béla (1907) and Ilonka (1908). After the second child was born, the marriage between Mária and Miklós broke, which led to divorce. Mária took the children and moved to Budapest and Miklós married Hermann Aranka, who had the same age as his son. Bay Miklós of Ciumești died in 1965, in Oradea.
The manor was built by the Lázár family in the 17th century, but it gained its final shape only in the 20th century. The base stones of the gate, which also supported the former fence, are decorated with plasterwork typical of the 19th century. The windows of the facade facing the street are divided by pilasters with Corinthian capitals.
The castle was originally built in baroque and classicist styles. It is a symmetrical building with large wings attached to the central part of the building from either side. The central part has multiple floors, while the lateral parts are only on the ground level. The central part of the main facade is accentuated by the imposing avant-corps.
