Săvârșin Castle (, ) is a large Country house situated in ''Săvârșin Park'', a private estate that was owned by King Michael I of the Romanians (1921–2017) in

Săvârșin Săvârșin ( hu, Soborsin) is a commune in Arad County, Romania. Săvârșin commune lies at the foot of the Metaliferi Mountains, at its contact point with the Mureș Couloir. Its surface occupies approximately 22000 hectare The hectare (; ...

, Arad County, Romania. It is the

Romanian Royal Family The Romanian royal family ( ro, Familia regală a României) was the ruling dynasty of the Kingdom of Romania, a constitutional monarchy in Central-Eastern Europe. The kingdom existed from 1881, when Carol I of Romania was proclaimed king, until ...

’s official country residence where the statutes defining the role and powers of the Royal Family are signed.

King Michael I Michael I ( ro, Mihai I ; 25 October 1921 – 5 December 2017) was the last King of Romania, reigning from 20 July 1927 to 8 June 1930 and again from 6 September 1940 until his forced abdication on 30 December 1947. Shortly after Michael's ...

and Queen Anne spent their annual Christmas Holidays here following the Castle's

restitution The law of restitution is the law of gains-based recovery, in which a court orders the defendant to ''give up'' their gains to the claimant. It should be contrasted with the law of compensation, the law of loss-based recovery, in which a court ...

to royal ownership, a tradition continued by Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown. Since 2021 the Castle grounds and King Michael's collection of WW2 Jeeps have been open to the public during the Summer.

History

Formerly known as Forray Castle, Săvârșin was owned by various Hungarian noble families for three centuries during the territory owned by the

Kingdom of Hungary The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from the Middle Ages into the 20th century. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the coronation of the first king Stephen ...

until the

Union of Transylvania with Romania The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a national holiday in Roman ...

. In mid-18th century, at the center of the estate on which the current Royal Castle lies, there was a building raised in western baroque style (dating from 1680), that belonged to the Edelspacher de Gyorok noble family. After having been set on fire in November 1784 by the peasants in the uprise led by Horia, Closca and Crisan, and needed being restored from the foundations, the castle had various owners, till 1858 when it became the possession of Leopold Count Nádasdy de Nádasd et Fogarasföld, the one who re-built it in its present form in 1860. In 1941, following an exchange of properties, the Castle became the property of the Mocioni- Starcea family, who prepared the Castle for so-called "crown weekends". In 1943, the Castle became the property of King Michael I, who was the king of Romania at that time and bought the Castle from the Crown property as a gift for his mother Queen Helen.

Nationalization and later usage

The Castle was nationalized by the communist authorities after King Michael's abdication in 1947. Consequently, it was used as a hospital for internal diseases, a tuberculosis sanatorium and nervous disorders sanatorium until 1967, when Romanian leader

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He ...

decided to turn it into a guest house for visiting heads of state.

Return to ownership

In 2000 the

High Court of Cassation and Justice The High Court of Cassation and Justice ( ro, Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție) is Romania's supreme court, and the court of last resort. It is the equivalent of France's Cour de Cassation and serves a similar function to other courts of c ...

declared that the entire property and land was to be restored to King Michael I. On certain occasions, the Royal Estate is open to the public and the building can be seen from a closer distance. Traditionally, the Royal Family spends the winter holidays at Savârșin, on which occasion many groups come to sing carols for the former sovereign and the royal family. The carol singers come from the nearby villages, but also from other communities in Arad county as well as from the neighbouring counties of Alba, Hunedoara, and Timiș. On Christmas Day, the family members take part in the religious service at the Orthodox church in the village.

Public opening

On 10 May ( Monarchy Day) 2021 Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown formally opened the grounds and Royal Automobile Museum to the public. The park & gardens, King Michael's collection of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

Jeeps, his recreated Car Workshop and the Royal Courtyard are now open to the public during the Summer months.

References

External links