Banffy Castle, Romania
Banffy Castle is one of Romania’s hidden gems. It isn’t easily accessible and isn’t one of the country’s most stunning places visually. Yet, Banffy Castle has an interesting and spooky history that certainly makes up for this.
Banffy Castle is located in the small town of Bontida in Transylvania. It was built for and by the Banffy family between the years 1437 and 1543. It was occupied by this family right through until 1944 when they were evacuated and the castle was overtaken by German Soldiers. Under new ownership, Banffy Castle was then utilized as a military hospital for wounded Nazi soldiers.
Today, Banffy Castle still stands and functions as a museum for most of the year. It is probably best known for playing a role in Electric Castle, one of Romania’s largest music festivals. Though its ghost stories and legends are slowly becoming more prevalent.
Banffy Castle Ghost Stories
Due to Banffy Castle’s past as a military hospital during WWII, many believe that the castle is haunted. The souls of the many wounded soldiers who drew their final breath within Banffy Castle are thought to have remained. Numerous visitors have supposedly caught glimpse of soldiers who appear wounded, Nazi soldier apparitions, as well as many shadowy figures.
Another ghostly legend exists about the castle. It is told that a young girl who once lived within the castle would often sneak out to visit a boy she liked. This was done in secret since the girl was of noble birth and would have been forbidden from meeting with a commoner. On one particular occasion, a stableman caught her in the act of sneaking out. Wanting to protect her secret she killed this man by getting close to him and stabbing him several times. His ghost is now rumored to linger around Banffy Castle, in particular, the former stable area.
Our final ghost story describes the ghost of a murdered man. His story suggests that he was a servant who was having an affair with a married woman. He was murdered in an unfortunate fit of rage by this woman’s husband after her adultery was discovered by him. Ever since his death, his ghost has been said to roam Banffy Castle.
Visiting Haunted Banffy Castle
Banffy Castle is an interesting place to visit. It combines a crumbling medieval castle with progressive modern art. It also plays as host to Romania’s largest music festival each year, Electric Castle. There is a lot of work being put into restoration and the small entrance fee paid to wander the grounds goes towards this worthy cause.
Banffy Castle is easily accessible by car, but a little trickier to reach without one. Trains do run at limited times per day from Cluj Napoca to Bontida. From there, it is walkable to the castle, yet a decent distance. Taxi or ride share options are other affordable transportation methods to and from Banffy Castle.
If you enjoyed this article and are interesting in exploring other spooky places in Romania, I highly recommend checking out Sighisoara.
Thanks for reading!
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