The Dietrich-Sukowsky Castle

Pâncota is a little town located in Arad County, Western Romania. A Catholic monastery belonging to the Benedictine Order is attested here since 1177; famous handicraft center of the nineteenth century, Pâncota was known for its fairs since the eighteenth century.

The estate belonged to the Losonczy, Gyulay, Rajnáld noblemen, then to the Prince Rinaldo of Modena. The Pâncota estate, that included several villages, was bought in 1822 by the German baron Joszef Dietrich, whose family was ennobled for its military services to the Austrian Empire. He established in Pâncota, and began the construction of a castle using stones taken from the ruins of the Benedictine monastery.

The castle was completed in 1840 and at the time was the most representative Baroque castle in Arad County. It has the U shape, with three wings, one central and two lateral. The main wing facade is richly decorated and the roof with colored tiles has the shape of scales. The castle includes spacious rooms and a large living room, very interesting and with great artistic value being the wrought iron doors and the grilles on the windows. The baron Dietrich was not only a good manager, but also an arts lover, the castle being visited by Franz Liszt and the famous Hungarian writer Jokai Mor. Dietrich bought four Sequoia trees during a visit to the United States in 1835, that he planted in his wineyard, two of them surviving until today.

The prosperity of the Dietrich estate ended up after the death of the baron; the domain was inherited by the Polish Prince József Schulkowschi (or Sukowski), the baron's son-in-law since 1855. After the untimely death of his wife, the prince married an actress from Budapest, very fond of parties and spending, so the family need for money has increased to meet the insatiable spending appetite of the wife and the prince began to sell his properties. In the years 1919-1920, the surviving wife had great debts and sold the rest of the estate and castle to some Jewish merchants who have managed it through an anonymous company.

After the Second World War, the castle was nationalized. It was renovated between 1967-1968 and became the siege of Pâncota Town Hall, but the owner company claimed and obtained the castle in court.

Photos: Dream Destinations.