Bánffy Castle Reconstruction, Bonchida

“I worked for him [Bánffy] several times also as an engineer: I remodeled his apartment in Cluj, and at Bonțida I restored one of the bastions and carried out interior works as well. In the hall, for example, I designed a fireplace in a Late Renaissance–Early Baroque style, at his request. I brought a skilled stonecutter from Vista to Bonțida to carve the stones directly from my full-scale drawings…”

(Benkő Samu: On Public Affairs – The Last Conversation, Conversations with Károly Kós, Kriterion, 1978, p. 132)

“Once [Miklós Bánffy] was terribly frightened because one of the bastions of the Bonțida castle had cracked. Several people advised him to demolish the damaged part and rebuild it. He called me to take a look as well. We had barely walked around it when he asked what should be done. ‘You know what, Count,’ I replied at once, ‘nothing should be demolished here at all. Whatever we rebuild will never be as good, nor will it ever truly fit with the original. We must come up with something else. Let us wire it together. That is the best and safest solution.’ We wired it up. I had grooves cut into the wall for the iron wires, tightened everything firmly with strong turnbuckles, carefully replastered it, and it was done. Bánffy was delighted. His study and modern library were located there.”

(Benkő Samu: On Public Affairs – The Last Conversation, Conversations with Károly Kós, Kriterion, 1978, p. 136)

The castle fell victim to the destruction of the Second World War. In recent years, however, it has been undergoing a gradual, step-by-step reconstruction.