The Kendi-Kemény in Brâncovenești

At a short distance from Reghin, in Brâncoveneşti, stands the Kendi-Kemény Castle, a Renaissance-style jewel in Transylvania. The architectural ensemble was built in the 15th century by the Losonczi family, and in the subsequent years the owners changed several times.

In 1610 the castle was owned by Gabriel Bethlen, Prince of Transylvania; later on it became the domain of Gheorghe Rákoczi I; Gheorghe Rákoczi II left it, together with the five surrounding villages, to his adviser Ioan Kemény, the future Prince of Transylvania. From that moment on, for 300 years, the castle remained the property of the Kemény family.

The castle is square-shaped, with an inner courtyard and corner towers, two of which are larger and two smaller. The building gained its Renaissance aspect during the works of 1537 and 1555 respectively. The frames of the current windows are part of the remaining Renaissance elements. Möller István restored the castle in 1816, when the big bastion and a balcony on the stone console above the entrance were added.

In the castle park is the Helikon Table, a table that was carved in 1935, in memory of Kuncz Aladar, a member of the Helikon literary circle. Around the garden table, the events of the Helikon circle were held every summer.

In 1948 the castle was nationalized, and until 2014 it hosted the Brâncovenești Center for Neuropsychiatric Rehabilitation.

By the end of September 2014, the castle came into the possession of the Kemény family and since then it has been open to the public.