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Bánffy Castle in Răscruci receives its Europa Nostra plaque

The 2026 European Heritage Award, won by Cluj County Council for the castle’s restoration, was marked on 12 October with a plaque at the castle. The restoration cost about 11.5 million euro.

The restored façade of Bánffy Castle in Răscruci, with the fountain in front
The restored façade of Bánffy Castle in Răscruci, with the fountain in front Țetcu Mircea Rareș / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Loredana Vale

On 12 October, at Bánffy Castle in Răscruci, Cluj county, a plaque was unveiled for the “European Heritage Award / Europa Nostra Award 2026”. The award went to Cluj County Council for restoring the castle, a category A historic monument, and opening it to the public.

The awards were presented on 28 May at a ceremony in Cyprus: the European Heritage Award and the Public Choice Award. According to the council’s president, Alin Tișe, the castle is the only Romanian monument to receive the European Heritage Award this year. Caroline Fernolend, representing the Europa Nostra Council, attended the unveiling.

The restoration

The castle reopened to the public almost three years ago, after a restoration of about 11.5 million euro, paid for with EU funds and the County Council’s own budget. It now hosts cultural events, exhibition openings, film screenings, group visits and guided tours.

The castle at Răscruci is not the one at Bonțida where Electric Castle takes place: they are two different Bánffy castles in Cluj county.

What was restored

The castle is one of the well-preserved examples of late 19th-century noble architecture in Transylvania. Its present look dates largely from 1875–1885, when Baron Ádám Bánffy reshaped the residence, built in 1809 on the site of an old family summer house.

After nationalisation in 1948 the building was a school from 1967 until the early 2000s. After it closed in 2005, the lack of heating and upkeep damaged its interiors. The restoration began in 2018 and was completed in 2023, aiming to return the castle and park to the estate Ádám Bánffy created and to use them as a cultural centre.

Wooden panelling, carved ceilings, historic doors and windows, fireplaces, terracotta stoves and stained glass were conserved, with lime-based mortars and plasters instead of cement. The works uncovered previously unknown decorated ceilings and Baroque stone frames. In the park the basin, canal and lake were restored and the Japanese-style floating dovecote rebuilt. A public 3D model of the castle has also been made.

The awards jury said the restoration shows how a neglected aristocratic estate can be brought back into community life. The project was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund through the Regional Operational Programme 2014–2020.

Source

The facts are from Cluj County Council’s release of 12 October 2026. The context comes from the sources below.

Sources