luxury property for sale Rimetea, Romania

A unique ethnographic area in Romania is “Mărginimea Sibiului” (the surroundings of Sibiu) with its picturesque lands at the west of Sibiu, stretches from the Sadului Valley to the Săliște River Valley, comprising 18 fairytale settlements, including Săliște. This area represents without a doubt one of the strongest tourist brands in Romania and one of the most beautiful, picturesque and authentic traditional areas in Europe, receiving in the past the title of European Destination of Excellence from the European Commission. The charm of the location is given by the spectacular landscapes, the villages seem frozen in time with customs and traditions preserved with sanctity to this day, with the old buildings and churches classified as historical monuments with their special charm, with local festivals and fairs but also with the traditional gastronomy now famous in the whole country and beyond. Săliște , situated only 21 km away from Sibiu, fits perfectly in the typology of these places, it was documented for the first time in 1354 and became a city in 2003. In a city filled with historical beauty, one of the buildings really stands out through its spectacular architecture and its really great positioning right on the river bank, in the city center. It is castle dating back to the beginning of the last century, that is today partially renovated, with the interior in a pretty good condition requiring only finishings, while the exterior requires an overall renovation of the facades. The castle has a 350 sqm footprint and is built on 3 levels: demibasement, groundfloor and first floor, to which we can add the attic that can also be turned into usable space. The demibasement has large salons and a few small rooms, while at the next 2 levels we find 18 rooms with en-suite bathrooms plus two more free standing rooms. The first floor also has two large terraces that offer an amazing view of the mountains around. The interior maintains the historical character of the building, with beautiful brick decorations, high ceiling rooms with large windows, while the large cast iron stairway is the central piece that brings all elements together. Separately there is an additional smaller building with a small and charming apartment on the first floor, and free space to be used at will at the groundfloor. Being very close to Sibiu, with a beautiful architecture and in a good condition, this castle in Săliște can be easily turned into a charming boutique hotel, or maybe a clinic or a cultural center.

The castle was built during the 17th century by Gyulay Ferencz, an Austrian general, the only child of Hungarian nobleman Gyulay Ignacz. Ferencz built the mansion on the site of a smaller building. The general’s family ruled the town called Mintia, that was renamed Marosnemeti, a term derived from the Hungarian word nemet, that translates to German. Several descendants of the Gyulay family lived at the castle. Historical documents from 1806 state that the Mintia mansion was owned at that time by Gyulay Istvan, followed by Albert and K.R Gyulay. Countess Gyulay of Mintia, who married Ladislau Kuun of Osdola, later inherited the domain together with her brother, Ludovic. In 1848, the Gyulay family took refuge at Cluj and, after the revolution, Ludovic, Ladislau Kuun, his wife Constance, and their children, Irene and Geza, returned to Mintia. Ludovic was the last heir of the Gyulay family. He wrote over 100 journals about the mansion and about Mintia. All of them are preserved at the Cluj-Napoca history museum. Ludovic Gyulay modified the building in 1834, giving it the shape it has today. Ludovic Gyulay never got married and, therefore, never had any heirs. His fortune was inherited by his brother-in-law, Ladislau Kuun, followed by his son, Geza Kuun. Geza studied Hungarian and German literature at the Universities of Budapest and Gottingen, and was a member and vice president of the Budapest Academy of Sciences. He was part of Vienna’s elite social circles, and became friends with the famous composer Franz Liszt – one of the most prominent pianists of all time. It was then that he also met writer Elena Ghica – daughter of Mihai Ghica, niece of Grigore Ghica the 4th, and the first woman to have climbed the Mont Blanc peak, on June 1st 1860. After 1870, Geza Kunn settled at Mintia and married Vilma Kemeny, the daughter of baron Kemeny of Magyar-Gyeno Monosto. His presence here transformed the town into a gathering place for eminent representatives of the cultural and scientific scenes, which included V. Zakrzewski – professor at the Cracovia University, Al. Szilagyi – secretary of the Historical Society, baron Balazs Orban, A. Szecsen –Imperial Court marchal. The beauty of the mansion located on the bank of Mureș River was also admired by the president of the Archeological Society – Solyon Fekete, the director of the Deva History Museum – Teglas Gabor, and by scientist Samuel Brassay – regarded as Transylvania’s last polymath. The immense library of the Mintia Castle and the salon, decorated with family portraits and precious objects, were visited by prefect George Pogany, subprefect Coloman Barcsay, count Coloman Esterhazy – director of the Transylvania Museum, by Otto von Keller – professor at the University of Prague, Zsolt Beothy – professor at the Budapest University, and by Norwegian scientist Conrad Nielsen. Baron Miklos Josika also traveled from Brănişca to Mintia, either on foot, by car, or on horseback. He also traveled by boat on Mureş River in order to admire the park that surrounded the castle. The rare species of plants and trees that embellished the park were mesmerizing. Count Kuun named the trees after the most important Hungarian writers, many of whom had been his friends. One of the trees, for example, bore the name of Attila, in the memory of Attila Gerando. Amid the rose bushes, the visitor could also discover numerous honorary or mortuary shrines. Geza Kuun died in 1905, on April 10th, and was entombed at Cluj. Legend has it that, although the body of count Geza was inhumed at Cluj, his heart was buried in the cemetery of the Mintia Reformed Church, alongside other members of his family and former owners of the castle. The Mintia domain, that comprises the castle and the park, is classed as a historical monument of national and universal importance, class A.