The Bánffy castle of Bonțida, Cluj county spans over a history of several centuries, the Bánffy de Losoncz family name being linked to the village since the 1340s. The castle and the surrounding buildings of the complex stand as a present-day historical testimony for the ensemble’s building, reconstruction and restoration stages. The rectangular shape with four towers and fortified walls emerged in the 18th century. During the same period a formal front courtyard in the shape of a horseshoe wass built. Around the middle of the 19th century all the buildings’ facades went through a general makeover process in neogothic style.
The building complex is formed of a main building, two secondary separate buildings and the stables. The Miklos building is currently used as classroom space and lodgings, the kitchen building serves as kitchen, mess hall and lodgings, while the stables are used as workshops area.
The Bánffy family, owners of the castle, lived here until 1944. After the nationalisation of the family's buildings and domains the state of the castle declined. It was abandoned and left in ruins, together with the extensive park, now extinct.
In the 1990s, following Transylvania Trust Foundation’s proposal, the castle was nominated on the World’s Most Endangered Heritage Sites List, published by World Monument Watch. In 2003 the Foundation leased the castle from the Local Council of Bonțida. Later in 2008, when the domain was reclaimed by the legal heirs of the family, the lease was renewed by Katalin Bánffy, the daughter of Miklós Bánffy, the last owner of the castle. The goal was to restore and revive the castle by creating a cultural and educational center for traditional building crafts. The castle was to serve as workshop and teaching grounds for the center.
