Manor houses in Mures County

A look at some of the architecture and style of manors in Mures County

Christine Leșcu, 11.07.2015, 11:56

An important noble family in mediaeval and modern Transylvania, Teleki family also had a notable cultural contribution. Its residences in Mures, Cluj and Bistrita counties can still be admired today. The estate in Gornesti, in Mures, located 17 km from the city of Targu Mures, came into the possession of the Teleki family in 1675, when Michael Apafi, the then Prince of Transylvania, donated it to his chancellor, Michael Teleki. It wasnt until a century later, however, that the residence we see today on this site was built by count Lazslo Teleki. Art historian Irina Leca, who studied the property of the Teleki family as part of a project entitled “Forgotten Monuments, tells us that the residence is U-shaped and also has a central pavilion. The building has a basement, ground floor, first floor and attic. Its wings form a large courtyard facing the gardens. The decoration of the facades is simple, with the exception of that of the central pavilion. Irina Leca tells us more about the residence in Gornesti:

“In a nutshell, the residence in Gornesti is a Baroque structure built in the second part of the 18th century on the ruins of an older mediaeval castle dating from the 15th century. The baroque structure is truly imposing and has tens of rooms. It was designed by a family of architects who were famous at the time, namely the Mayerhoffers, who also designed palaces in Bratislava, Budapest and other European capitals. The residence in Gornesti is their easternmost work. The building is surrounded by a big English garden created in the first part of the 19th century by a member of the Teleki family who had ties with the West and important European figures of the day. Having returned from one of his travels, he decided to improve the residences garden and transform it into a romantic English garden.

Building the residence in Gornesti took a long time and spanned over several generations of the Teleki family. Art historian Irina Leca explains:

“The residence was ransacked during the 1948 revolution and much of the furniture and art were stolen or lost. Later, the family struggled to restore the building to its former glory. In the 19th century, the residence was famous for its beauty and even served as a source of inspiration for the British writer Bram Stoker. While he was doing his research for his novel Dracula, Stoker came across the accounts of other British writers who had travelled to Transylvania. So, Draculas famous castle is also partly inspired by the residence in Gornesti. During the Second World War, the residence was plundered by the Soviet troops. Its valuable book collection was destroyed. In 1948, the residence was nationalised like most private properties in Romania, and in the 1960s it was turned into a tuberculosis preventorium for children. In 2011, it was returned to its original owners. Inside, the ceiling of the main hall features a fresco from the early 19th century, which is well preserved. The woodwork and some of the ovens used for heating have also been preserved. The residence is open to the public and can be visited all year round.

Count Samuel Teleki, the founder of a different branch of the family, who was born in 1739 in Gornesti and became the chancellor of Transylvania, built another impressive residence, Dumbravioara, also close to Targu Mures. Art historian Irina Leca tells us more about this property:

“The residence in Dumbravioara was built by Samuel Teleki, who also laid the foundations of the Teleki Library in Targu Mures. Samuel Teleki decided to build the house in Dumbravioara as his main residence after a journey through Europe and before his marriage. At the end of the 18th century, works in Dumbravioara started almost at the same time as the works in Gornesti. The building remained in the possession of the family and at one point, at the turn of the 20th century, it belonged to a member of the family who was an explorer of Africa. He brought back from Africa many animal hunting trophies and artefacts with which he decorated the residence.

U-shaped, the residence in Dumbravioara was one of the most lavishly decorated aristocratic homes in Transylvania at the start of the 20th century.