Rákóczi-Bánffy Castle, Gilău
Contact information
Address: Gilău, Main street (str. PRINCIPALĂ), ), Cluj County, RomaniaPhone:E-mail: traditiotransylvanica@gmail.comOpening Times
Currently the castle's garden is open to visitors only when it hosts some events (e.g. the "Várkert" (Castle's Garden) Festival, TIFF's Hungarian Day etc.).Short history of the building
The oldest part of the castle of Gilău - the bishop's residence -was built at the beginning of the XV.th century. Today's four-tower-style renaissance castle with regular ground plan was built around an ansamble of buildings containing Gothic style elements. This castle was built between the years of 1530-40, by one of the last medieval Catholic bishops of Transylvania, János Statileo (John Statileo) (1528-1542). The most important transformation of the castle was registered in the time of I. Rákóczi György (1630-1648), who demolished the old buildings of the inner courtyard and created a cozy, representative castle: the gun loops were changed by windows and spacious, two-story vaulted rooms were built next to the castle walls. At the beginning of the 19th century, between the years of 1830-1840, the castle has gained its actual form, but in 1861, due to a fire, the castle was burnt down. The building was restored after 1871 and was nationalized during the time of communism. Between 1972 and 2002 the castle functioned as a School for children with disabilities.Access
The locality of Gilău is located on the road E60, between Cluj-Napoca and Oradea, at aproximately 20 km from Cluj-Napoca. The castle lies in the center of the village, in the middle of a beautiful large park.- How do I get here?
Services
The locality of Gilău, as well as its nearby aria offer plenty of accommodation possibilities, but those craving for the amazing feeling given by the city of Cluj-Napoca, have only 20 km to cover.Other things to visit
Besides the castle, the village also houses another beautiful historical monument, the Calvinist Church. The three lakes - Lake Gilău, Lake Someșul Cald and Lake Tarnița - are the most famous places to visit in this area, they are located at just 5 km away from the locality of Gilău. Cluj-Napoca is of course a must-see attraction for tourists visiting Gilău.More information