The Wessélenyi Castle in Jibou, the largest baroque ensemble in Romania’s region of Transylvania, has been put up for sale by Artmark Historical Estate, at a starting price of EUR 900,000.

The castle, which is located at 87 km from Cluj-Napoca, has an estimated price of EUR 1.5 – 1.7 million.

Its story began more than two centuries ago, when Baron Wesselényi Istvan set the administrative center of his vast domains at Jibou. The best constructors, architects and painters of the time, such as Franz Wrabetz, Johann Martin Stock and Franz Neuhauser, worked for nearly a century to build the impressive palace that can be admired today. The result is a baroque building that covers almost 3,500 sqm, with sides of over 80 meters and with pediments specific to this style, similar to those of Banffy Castle in Bonţida.

During the period of Baron Wesselényi Miklos II (1796-1850), the palace in Jibou became a true cultural and economic center of the Salaj area. The first theatre company of Transylvania staged several performances here, the domain’s horses became famous in Hungary and in the German states, while the production of silk put Jibou on the European map of luxury.

At present, the area of approximately 1.3 hectares is surrounded by an impressive botanical garden. Spread over an area of 30 hectares, this modern refurbishment of the former park of the Wesselényi palace attracts tens of thousands of Romanian and foreign tourists every year.

Read more about the property here.

Bucharest palace that hosted the U.S. Embassy, put up for sale

Irina Marica, irina.marica@romania-insider.com