Teleki Castle Gornești

An impressive Transylvanian Baroque-style castle built in the Grassalkovich tradition, designed by architect Andreas (and József) Mayerhoffer. U‑shaped with a central dome above the reception hall. It features 52 rooms and 365 windows, symbolising the weeks and days of the year. Original rococo stoves, chandeliers, stucco and decoration have been preserved. The surrounding park was first French-style, later transformed into an English landscape garden.

The village of Gernyeszeg (Gornesti) is situated in the valley of the River Maros between Marosvásárhely (Targu-Mures) and Régen (Reghin). The history of the village dates back 700 years and is closely connected to the life of its Landlords.

The name of the village listed as ‘Knezeg’ appears in 1319 in documents for the first time as a donation made by the Hungarian King Károly Robert to his subject Szécsényi Simon. Later Sigismund of Luxemburg (1387-1437) gave the property in 1405 to Somkereki Antal who saved his life in the lost battle at Nikapoli in 1396.One of his sons Antal built a fortress in the village first mentioned in 1477.The fortress, mostly built of stone, had three towers and two smaller bastions. It was surrounded by a moat with a drawbridge over it. Its size was mostly similar to that of the baroque castle of today. The family died in 1642 with the widow living there until 1670. The next owner was Bánffy Dénes , but after only 4 years he lost the property in favour of Teleki Mihály.