Lăpuşna Castle

Lăpuşna is a village belonging to Ibăneşti commune, Mureş County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in Gurghiu Mountains, 45 km far for Reghin, in an area of outstanding beauty.

The story of the Lăpuşna Hunting Castle (or the Royal Hunting House) starts in 1923, when King Ferdinand I of Romania (1914-1927) had visited for the first time the area of Gurghiu Mountains. Charmed by the picturesque beauty of the landscapes, he decided to build in Lăpuşna a hunting lodge. The castle was built between 1925-1926.

The ensemble is composed of of 7 buildings with 35 rooms and a park of 4 hectares. It seems that the firs planted around the buildings form the contour of Romania. Not far is the wooden Lăpuşna Monastery (1779), brought here from Comori village by King Carol II, church that served as a place of worship for the Royal House. Once the relocation of the church, were brought here icons which proves the strong links between Moldavia and Transylvania during the 18th century.

The Hunting Castle was owned by the Royal House of Romania. King Ferdinand I, King Carol II (1930-1940) and King Michael I (1927-1930 and 1940-1947) often came here to hunt. It was nationalized in 1947, and was administrated by the commune of Ibăneşti.

Then, the castle became the favorite hunting place of the Ceauşescu family, the dictator bringing here numerous heads of state as Nikita Khrushchev, Todor Jivkov or Josip Broz Tito. Ceauşescu used the castle at least three times a year.

After the fall of Communism in 1990, the castle was used as a hunting base by Ion Ţiriac, Prince Dimitrie Sturdza, and many American and European hunters. Here were established several world records for trophies of Carpathian brown bear, black goat and deer. In total, there were obtained more than 300 gold medals for hunting trophies. Here is also a good place for trout fishing in Gurghiu River.

Images from here.

Bucharest Royal Palace

In 1837, the Wallachian ruling Prince Alexandru Ghica moves his official residence to the large mansion built between 1812 and 1820 by boyar Dinicu Golescu on the site of the present-day south wing of the Palace. Following the Union of the Romanian Principalities of Moldavia and Walachia in 1859, ruling Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza uses the house as a ceremonial palace and residence. In 1866, German Prince Karl of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (since 1881 King Carol I of Romania), brought in to rule the Romanian Principalities, makes the palace his official residence. Until 1881, the building sustains only minor alterations (mostly additions) designed to meet growing administrative needs.


Between 1882-1906, King Carol I remodels and enlarges the palace. Successively he hires French architect Paul Gottereau and German architect Karl Liman (also involved in the Peleş Castle project). By 1906 the palace becomes the winter residence of the Royal Court.


In December 1926, a fire destroys the central part of the palace and the Throne Hall. King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie (granddaughter of Queen Victoria and of Tsar Alexander II of Russia) undertake to reconstruct the affected area retaining the original size and decoration of the rooms. Architects N.N. Nenciulescu and Karl Liman are commissioned to carry out the project. The government recommends that at least one floor be added above the Throne Hall. Between 1930-1937, King Carol II embarks on rebuilding and extending the palace; architect Karl Lorentz is hired to draw the plans. The restoration of the central part is completed. The old city mansion erected by Dinicu Golescu is demolished to provide room for a new south wing (known as the Kretzulescu wing, after the church in whose proximity it is built). Architect N.N. Nenciulescu is once again in charge of the works. Closely following the king’s instructions, he designs the new wing of the palace, which has remained virtually unchanged to this day and which includes several rooms devoted to the display of the royal collection (mostly of the Picture Gallery of King Carol I). Between 1938-1940, the Royal Palace is further enlarged by the addition of a north wing extending along Ştirbei Vodă Street, from which it takes its name.


During the massive air raid in April 1944, about 80 heavy bombs hit the palace; the Ştirbei wing is partly destroyed, yet the building retains the shape and the classicist style of the reconstruction works done during the reign of Carol II. Following the abdication of King Michael I in 1947 and the communist takeover, the royal palace is nationalized in June 1948. It is to be jointly used by two institutions - the Council of Ministers and a National Museum of Art whose project dates several years back.


On 20 May 1950, the National Gallery, displaying works by famous Romanian artists, is officially inaugurated. Over the following four years the Foreign Art Gallery, exhibiting both European and Oriental art, and the Department of Romanian Medieval Art are established. In 1961 the museum is relocated from the south to the north wing, completely rebuilt by that time. It will remain open for visitors until 1989.


During the events in December 1989, which put an end to Ceauşescu’s dictatorship and to the communist regime in Romania, the palace is caught in the crossfire; both the building and the collection suffer great losses, with over 1,000 works of art badly damaged, and some completely destroyed.


In 1990 the museum is granted the use of the entire royal palace. Between 1990-2000, the permanent display of the museum is closed to the public, as the building undergoes extensive restoration, including the overall refurbishment of the exhibition areas in compliance with the latest conservation standards. In 2000, The Gallery of European Art is the first to reopen for visitors. The Gallery of Romanian Modern Art and the Gallery of Romanian Medieval Art follow suit in 2001 and 2002, respectively.