Bánffy Castle in Bonţida, Romănia

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Name	The International Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre, Bánffy Castle, Bonţida
Place	Bonţida
Country	Romania
Author(s)	Wendy-Laura Cinţa
Project start	1999
Completion	enter the date of completion
World Heritage	enter the year of listing
Client	enter the client
Project costs	enter the costs (if known)
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Rationale: Why is the case study interesting?

Please summarise:- e.g. Design Innovation? Planning Exemplar? Theoretical Insights? Lessons from its failure?

Bánffy Castle from Bonţida near Cluj Napoca, also known as the “Transylvania’s Versailles” is one of the most important historical assets in Transylvania, with a significant cultural, architectural and landscaping influence throughout this region. [1]

The Castle of Bontida is now being restored as a cultural center. An apartment is being prepared for the use of the Count’s family. It was owned by the Bánffy family (of which the last member was Miklós Bánffy). The owner is Katalin Banffy, who has 2 daughters, Nicolette and Elisabeth. [2]

The International Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre, Bánffy Castle, Bonţida - opened on the 26th of August 2005

Highly valued for its double approach: training for conservation and conservation through training. It is an excellent example of cross border exchange of knowledge and a worthy winner of an Europa Nostra award in the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue. So far more than 800 students participated in the training, from 13 european countries, being specialised in rendering, masonry, carpentry and stone masonry skills, use of traditional materials and techniques in the restoration of historic buildings. The teaching activities contributed to the restoration of the former kitchen block, the Miklos building, the entrance gate and partially the stables. Training modules are also organised for landscape, art historian and archaeology students.

Author's perspective

What theoretical or professional perspective do you bring to the case study? Please make a short note on your personal background

Author's personal background

University of Agricultural Sciences of Banat, Timisoara, Romania – Faculty of Horticulture – Landscape Architecture Department – graduated in 2008

Postgraduated studies – Faculty of Architecture – Politehnica University, Timisoara, Romania – Department: Urbanism – Master in Urbanism – graduated in 2009

2008/2009 - urban planning, architectural designing, architectural CAD drawing - in a large office of Architecture Planning in Timisoara, Romania

2009/2011 - IMLA (International Master in Landscape Architecture) Hochschule Weihenstephan, Freising, Germany

Oct.2009 / Febr.2010 - Internship in blue! advanced european projects office in Freising, Germany

Cultural landscape context

Biogeography, cultural features, overall landscape character, history and dynamics

Biogeography, cultural features and overall landscape character

Located on the right bank of the Somesul Mic river, Cluj-county Bontida village is located in the north-western Transylvanian Plateau, close to the contact between the Transylvanian Plain and Somes Plateau, 30 km from the city of Cluj and 17 km from the town of Gherla.

The name of the village would mean in Hungarian "the bridge of Boncz", an inhabitant of the old settlement, Benko Boncz, who, according to the legend, built a bridge over the Somesul Mic river, to establish contact with the army of Tuhutum, located on the right bank of the river. The bridge remained in local tradition as the Bridge of Boncz (in Hungarian Boncz-Hid), hence the Romanian name of Bontida.

Bontida village covers an area of 8.083 hectares and has over 5,000 people spread in four villages: Bontida, Rascruci, Coasta and Tauseni.

The landscape is hilly and the area is crossed by the following rivers: Somesul Mic, Borsa Valley, Gadalinului Valley and Sicului Valley.

History and dynamics

The Banffy Castle from Bontida in its beginnings

The castle was built in the baroque and renaissance styles and dates from 16th century. According to a military report, a fortification system already existed, that surrounded the manor house. It is suspected that on this spot a nobiliary residence existed since 14th century, when Baron Banffy received from King Albert the permission to build a fortress. In 1387, the buildings and surrounding land became the property of the Banffy family, as a gift from King Sigismund.

The construction started in 1437 and was finished in 1543. The construction of today’s castle was initiated by Denes Banffy and lasted between 1638-1674, having as architect the Italian Agostino Serena. A flourishing architectural age for the Transylvanian Versailles

His heir, Denes Banffy II reconstructed the castle beginning with 1745 in baroque style, following the plans of the Viennese architect Joseph Emmanuel Fischer von Erlach. The reconstruction was concentrated on the honor courtyard from the front of the gate building, and was inspired from the Viennese baroque architecture. New buildings have been constructed, such as: the stables and the homes of the servants. He was also the one who gave the castle its new shape, that of two wings in the shape of the letter U.

A new wing was built in 1850 by the architect A. Kagerbauer, while Johann Nachtigall sculpted the “Metamorphosis” of Ovidiu through imposing stone statues which decorated the gate.

Jozsef Banffy decided the demolition of the gate tower in 1820, uniting the renaissance courtyard with the baroque one, and from the remaining stone the close by water mill was constructed. He also decided the transformation of the baroque park into an English romantic one.

Enduring a time of destruction during the WWII

In 1944 the castle was evacuated of its owners by the German troupes in order to use the castle as a military hospital. The building was seriously damaged at the end of the WWII, when the German troupes that were retreating, attacked, robed and burned the entire ensemble. The entire furniture, the well known portrait gallery and the library were destroyed.

The baron Nicolae Banffy, the owner of the castle at that time and also the last owner of the castle initiated a negotiation of Hungary with Romania so that both states change camps and turn against Germany. The devastation of the castle is considered to be a vendetta of the German government. Struggling through the Communist Era

In the still functional wing of the castle, in 1950 was installed the Bontida Agricultural Production Cooperative. The lack of any maintenance and the nationalization of the buildings and of the park has lead to the serious degradation of the castle.

The Art Museum from Cluj Napoca was able to save the statues from the baroque park, keeping them under storage in the donation section, where they are to be found today.

In the 60’s the Historic Monuments Direction tried to restore the castle, but the lack of funding could not lead to any concrete action. The castle was still used for the storage of construction materials, the park became a pasture zone and the trees have been cut down as fire wood.

In 1963, the Banffy castle was used as a film-set for shooting the "Forest of the Hanged", directed by Liviu Ciulei. Being in need for a fire, the scenarists lit a one of the buildings, and despite the fact that the incident took only a few minutes of video, massive damage was caused.

The well deserved recognition of its value

After the fall of the Communist Era, in 1990, the castle was declared a historic monument and in 1999 the restoration and rehabilitation began. Decisive in this matter was the collaboration of the "Institute of Historic Building Conservation" from Great Britain, the Office for Cultural Protection of the Patrimony from Hungary and The Ministry of Culture and Cults from Romania.

The restoration works have been made under the high patronage of Prince Charles of Wales, which visited the site numerous times.

The objective can be visited, is hosting restoration courses and even weddings and in one of the buildings there is even a café. [3] [4]

Illustration: Map; sketches; short descriptive analyses

Socio-political context

Brief explanation of political economy, legal framework

Actual trends are dealing with the change of the value judgment which, beginning from the second part of the 20th century, started to move in the wrong direction in Transylvania/Romania. This was also the case with the built cultural heritage. As we learned, it is a gargantuan challenge, a bold initiative. The survival instinct in itself of the financially and morally bereft inhabitants of Transylvania/Romania is insufficient to deliver sustainable built heritage management. The regeneration process is slow, slower than the disappearance of the heritage values. Without the dramatic change aspired to for 60 years now, the heritage will gradually disappear. [5]

Aid support fields:

• Research and documentation is needed, because just the known values can be saved; • Education and training is needed, because results can be achieved only in societies that know and acknowledge the value of the heritage by adequate number of highly skilled professionals. The “educated” society will support the issue, and the historic building conservationists need training; • The owners of the heritage values need support, to have someone to turn to with their problems; • The exchange of knowledge and expertise with professionals facing the same problems from other regions is very important; • Last, but not the least, examples need to be set, to illustrate the possibilities of conservation on practical projects. [6]

Integrated heritage protection projects (Transylvania Trust Working Group) are designed to implement the conservation strategy. In these projects, vernacular heritage is ensuring the sustainability of a village community.

Examples of projects developed by Transylvania Trust:

- Rimetea heritage conservation project;

- Transylvanian Versailles, revitalised through the training of professionals (Built heritage conservation training centre at Bánffy castle, Bontida);

- providing appropriate infrastructure for postgraduate and Phd training (Built Heritage research and training centre, Breaza).

Awards for Transylvania Trust:

many national and international awards (Grigore Ionescu Prize, Europa Nostra Medal) [7]

Illustration: Bullet points, image, background notes

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Spatial analysis of area/project

What are the main structural features?
How has it been shaped? Were there any critical decisions?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

Analysis of idea/program/function ("Planning Objective")

The Professional training in built heritage conservation project addresses a number of levels, in all cases having an accredited partner-institution (PhD Students, Centre of excellence, Postgraduate Studies, Field study project for graduate students, and the Built heritage conservation training project). [8]

What are the main functional characteristics?

The activities at Bánffy castle are directed at a wide audience with the aim of promoting the historic environment as a location for training, education, cultural activities and enjoyment.

  Short description, history of the course
      
  Types of courses: rendering, carpentry, stonemasonry
      
  Students
      
     The courses provided through the centre are available to craftsmen who are already within the building industry, who seek to either specialise or widen their personal skills.
     Undergraduate students in Architecture, Structural Engineering, Conservation, to undertake their vocational training through the BHCT Centre.
      
     Students attending the courses have come from Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Belgium, USA, and UK. New links are being developed with Norway, Sweden, The Czech Republic, and France.

  The dates for this year's teaching modules of the Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre are:

     Modul I. – 3-17. July 2010. (rendering, carpentry and stonemasonry)

     Modul II. – 24. July - 7 August 2010. (rendering and carpentry)
      
  5. How to participate
        1. as individual, to register on one of the modules
        2. as an organization, to book the facilities for specialised courses    [9]

How have they been expressed or incorporated?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

Analysis of design/planning process ("Process Biography")

How was the area/project formulated and implemented?

Who initiated the project and why?

In 1998 the British Council and the Romanian Ministry of Culture, recognising the need to develop a built heritage conservation strategy, invited the Transylvania Trust and the Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC) to design and implement a project to promote historic building conservation in Romania. The result is now the Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre at Bánffy Castle, Bontida. [10]

Which stakeholders have been involved?

Many people and organisations have been involved in the implementation of the Training Courses since their inception at the castle in 2001:

financial support offered by:

- The Headley Trust

- The Getty Foundation

- The World Monuments Fund

- the European Union through Culture 2000 and Phare Programmes

- the governments of Romania and Hungary (who also provided funding through their national cultural funds)

- private companies such as Bronto and Secpral Pro Instalatii, both companies from Cluj who have directly supported the work of the Centre [11]

Who made the major decisions and when?

Were there any important consultations/collaborations?

BONŢIDA CULTURAL DAYS - the 8th EDITION - 2009 AUGUST 29-30

7th BONŢIDA CULTURAL DAYS 2008

Expositions, horse riding demonstrations, diverse children’s activities, concerts, Renaissance dances and many other cultural performances comprised the program of the 2008 Bontida Cultural Days. Organized every year during the last weekend of August, this 7th edition of the event attracted around 4,000 visitors to the courtyard of the Bánffy castle.

The festival’s opening began with Renaissance songs and dances offered by the Ensemble Passamezzo, and they were followed by speeches delivered by political personalities of Cluj-Napoca County. During the day, in addition to interactive scout programs, board games, wine tastings, textile design and photography expositions, anyone interested could participate in traditional furniture painting, stone carving or other handcraft workshops. Saturday night was booked for music concerts and followed by late night film projections in the old chapel of the Main Building.

On the second day, while similar activities brought the same excitement to the atmosphere of celebration, the star attraction was the annual presentation of the giant puppets, Hentida and Bontida. A considerable number of the crowd was involved in their animation - a dance performance which is, in fact, a quick glimpse of the marriage episode from the traditional folktale. Before noon, the puppet and illusionist shows drew the excitement of children, while later that afternoon, the highlight became a series of dance shows and concerts. Finally, to close out the celebration were a series of Romanes songs and dances performed by the Roma Ensemble of Bontida. These dances fit perfectly with the expectations of the crowd that was gathered around the stage eagerly waiting for the dance to start.

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

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Analysis of use/users

How is the area/project used and by whom?
Is the use changing? Are there any issues?

Illustration: Map/diagram/sketches photos and background notes

Future development directions

How is the area/project evolving?
Are there any future goals?

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Peer reviews or critique

Has the area/project been reviewed by academic or professional reviewers?
What were their main evaluations?

Please add references, quotes...

Winner of the 2008 “European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage/Europa Nostra Awards” category - Education, training and awareness-raising

The International Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre at Banffy Castle Bontida has been awarded the main prize for Education, Training, and Awareness Raising by Europa Nostra and the European Commission in 2008. A special ceremony took place in the UK at Durham Cathedral on 12th June 2008.

Europa Nostra is the pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage and is one of the most influential and respected heritage bodies in Europe. "This is the first time that such an award has been made and we are therefore very honoured to be the first recipients. In its statement regarding the award, Europa Nostra wrote the project is highly appreciated for its twin approach: training for conservation / conservation through training. The Built Heritage Conservation Training Centre is an excellent example of cross border exchange of knowledge and a worthy winner in the 2008 European Year of Intercultural Dialogue." [12]