Săvârșin Castle (, ) is a large

country house image:Blenheim - Blenheim Palace - 20210417125239.jpg, 300px, Blenheim Palace - Oxfordshire An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a Townhou ...

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

Săvârșin Săvârșin (, ) 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 (; SI symbol ...

Arad County Arad County () is an administrative division ( județ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative cente ...

, Romania. It is the Romanian Royal Family’s official country residence where the statutes defining the role and powers of the

royal family A royal family is the immediate family of monarchs and sometimes their extended family. The term imperial family appropriately describes the family of an emperor or empress, and the term papal family describes the family of a pope, while th ...

are signed. King Michael I and Queen Anne spent their annual Christmas holidays here following the castle's

restitution Restitution and unjust enrichment is the field of law relating to gains-based recovery. In contrast with damages (the law of compensation), restitution is a claim or remedy requiring a defendant to give up benefits wrongfully obtained. Liability ...

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 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...

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 Public holidays in Romani ...

. 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 politician who was the second and last Communism, communist leader of Socialist Romania, Romania, serving as the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 u ...

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 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 Arad County () is an administrative division ( județ) of Romania roughly translated into county in the western part of the country on the border with Hungary, mostly in the region of Crișana and few villages in Banat. The administrative cente ...

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 and gardens, King Michael's collection of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Jeeps, his recreated car workshop and the royal courtyard are now open to the public during the summer months.

References

External links