Voivodeni Castle

Voivodeni (Hungarian: Vajdaszentivány; German: Johannisdorf) is a village in Mureş County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located 25 km north of Târgu Mureş, and it was documentary attested in 1332 as Sancto Johanne, and in 1366 as Marosszentiványa. Voivodeni belonged to the Kingdom of Hungary, Austrian Empire, Austria-Hungary Empire. During the 1848 Revolution, there was a battle between the Imperial army and the Szeklers. Since 1918 it belongs to Romania, after the re-unification of Transylvania with Romania. It was occupied by Hungary between 1940-1944, time when the Jewish community was exterminated by the Nazis.


The Zichy-Horváth complex is a wonderful example of Baroque architecture in the 18th century in Transylvania. The old building was owned by Franciscan order, and the Kemény family is the first known owner of the domain. In 1829, the Voivodeni domain was inherited by Samuel Kemény II, which in 1841 donated the archive of manuscripts to the library of Transylvanian Museum founded in 1842. The single-storey high building has an impressive aspect. Supported by eight columns with Corinthian capitels, indoor portico has a classical triangular fronton decorated with the Bethlen Kata family coat of arms and an urn. The Empire-style windows have frames decorated in the classical Baroque manner.


The next owner was the Klebelsberg family. After the Second World War, the domain was nationalized, but recently was returned to its legitimate owner, Melanie Georgina Huberta Josefa Antonia, Countess of Zich and Vasonkeo, who lived in the castle until 1949. After the nationalization, only two buildings of the complex preserved their original form. The main building is currently in good condition, was recently renovated and now operates as a cultural center, library and ethnographic museum. The manor stables were converted into a mill.

2 comments:

Octavia said...

Am reusit sa rasfoiesc putin arhiva acestui blog, dar sunt lucruri de-a dreptul impresionante!!! Oare ce-ar fi daca ar fi postate si in franceza, ca oricat ar fi ei de ciudati uneori, tot francezii sunt mai fata de noi, romanii, iar ei, cu engleza...

Adrian said...

Am ales engleza deoareca blogul asta a pornit de la un parteneriat pe care-l avem cu o scoala din Turcia - si asta ar fi fost limba in care ne-am fi putut intelege. Eu verific zilnic lista cititorilor si chiar sunt destui francofoni intre ei. Oricum, se presupune ca engleza e inteleasa cam peste tot, pe cand franceza si-a pierdut statutul de limba de circulatie internationala.