{"id":9830,"date":"2026-04-21T11:01:20","date_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:01:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=9830"},"modified":"2026-04-21T11:01:20","modified_gmt":"2026-04-21T11:01:20","slug":"european-heritage-awards-restoration-of-banffy-castle-in-romanias-rascruci-among-2026-winners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/?p=9830","title":{"rendered":"European Heritage Awards: Restoration of B\u00e1nffy Castle in Romania\u2019s R\u0103scruci among 2026 winners"},"content":{"rendered":"

The restoration of B\u00e1nffy Castle in R\u0103scruci, in Cluj county, is among this year\u2019s winners of the European Heritage Awards \/ Europa Nostra Awards<\/em> in the Conservation & Adaptive Reuse category.<\/p>\n

The 19th-century aristocratic residence and its park have been returned to public use, in a project combining the conservation of its interiors and landscape with adaptation as a cultural center in rural Transylvania.<\/p>\n

The current appearance of the building dates largely to the period between 1875 and 1885, when Baron \u00c1d\u00e1m B\u00e1nffy reshaped the residence. After being nationalized in 1948, the building was used as a school from 1967 until the early 2000s. The last significant restoration works date from the 1960s. After its closure in 2005, the lack of heating and maintenance led to progressive deterioration, particularly of the interiors and decorative elements.<\/p>\n

The restoration project began in 2018 and was completed in 2023, with the work involving the conservation of the wooden panelling, carved ceilings, historic doors and windows, fireplaces, terracotta stoves, stained glass, and sculptural elements. During the works, previously unknown decorative ceilings and Baroque stone frames were uncovered and restored in situ. The surrounding park was also rehabilitated.<\/p>\n

The project was implemented by Cluj County Council and co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund under the Regional Operational Program 2014\u20132020.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe restoration project of the B\u00e1nffy Castle demonstrates how a neglected aristocratic estate can be reintegrated into contemporary community life. Its integral approach restored the building, the gardens, and the landscape as one coherent ensemble, while encouraging long-term stewardship, skills development, and strong local involvement in a rural context,\u201d the Awards\u2019 Jury said.<\/p>\n

Thirty projects from 18 countries were awarded at this year\u2019s edition of the awards, which are co-funded by the Creative Europe Program of the EU.<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s edition features a diverse range of winners across its five categories, including the Cypriot Fiddler research project, which has documented the life stories of traditional Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot musicians (Cyprus); the \u201cPacijenca\u201d program, which has revived, through hands-on training, the nearly extinct Dobrota lace tradition in Montenegro; the Gardens of Peace Project, which has created contemporary public gardens along the First World War front line in France and Belgium, inviting reflection and dialogue on Europe\u2019s shared history of conflict; and the volunteer-driven organization Din l-Art \u0126elwa, which has protected Malta\u2019s heritage, through restoration, advocacy and public engagement, for over 40 years.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The other winners in the Conservation & Adaptive Reuse category were the restoration of the Hungarian State Opera House in Budapest; the restoration of the Polirone Monastic Complex of San Benedetto Po; the DumBO project, which has reactivated a former railway yard in Bologna through reversible interventions, creating a flexible cultural hub; the restoration of Nikolai Astrup\u2019s former estate in Astruptunet, J\u00f8lster, Norway; the refurbishment of the Dome of the Church of Escuelas Pias of Valencia; and the restoration of the 1853 Salinas de La Concepci\u00f3n in Menorca, also in Spain.<\/p>\n

The winners were selected by the Awards\u2019 Jury, composed of ten heritage experts from across Europe, upon evaluation of all applications by five selection committees. A total of 261 eligible applications to this year’s Awards were submitted by organizations and individuals from 40 European countries.<\/p>\n

The public can now vote online to decide who will win the Public Choice Award 2026, amounting to EUR 10,000. Votes can be cast until 12 May.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(Photo: copyright\u00a0Andreea Marchis, Europa Nostra on Flickr)<\/em><\/p>\n

simona@romania-insider.com<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The restoration of B\u00e1nffy Castle in R\u0103scruci, in Cluj county, is among this year\u2019s winners of the European Heritage Awards \/ Europa Nostra Awards in the Conservation & Adaptive Reuse category. The 19th-century aristocratic residence and its park have been returned to public use, in a project combining the conservation of its interiors and landscape […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9830"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9830\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ofero.news\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}