Marosvécs (Brâncovenești, Wetsch) is in Transylvania, Romania but it is famous for its castle which has been the property of the Hungarian Kemény family for 300 years. Location: https://tinyurl.com/2hz4h9j4
The ancient Romans did not choose Marosvécs as the site of their castrum for nothing, as it was a strategically important point in history. After its destruction, the castle was rebuilt on the high ground during the foundation of the Hungarian state and again after the Tatar invasion and was surrounded by a moat, making it seem impregnable. Access was only possible via a drawbridge.
In the mid-19th century, during excavations in the area of Vécs Castle, a brick with a stamp was found bearing the inscription “Ala I. numeri illyricorum”, meaning that an Illyrian troop unit was stationed in the castrum. From the early 1200s, a quarry was operating nearby. The remaining stones from the quarry and the castrum were later used to build the castle of Marosvécs, the northernmost monument in Transylvania’s largest river valley. It still stands proudly on the edge of the right bank of the Maros Valley, with a beautiful view from its bastions to the snowy mountains to the north and down to Marosvásárhely to the south.
The first written record of Vécs (now Marosvécs) dates back nearly eight centuries. In 1228, King Endre II of Hungary took away the estates of Kacsics Simon, who had been involved in the murder of his wife, Queen Gertrudis, and according to the donation charter, he gave the castle of Vécs to Dénes, a co-captain of the Tomaj clan of Pecheneg origin, later the reigning Palatine.
In 1467, the family took part in the rebellion against King Matthias, and therefore lost their property, and the king gave the castle to a relative from Hunyad County, Ongor János, a knight of the court. From him, it passed into the ownership of Szobi Mihály, who was also influential and wealthy in Hungary. After his death, in 1527, Szapolyai János donated the entire Szobi estate to Werbőczy, who is said to have written the famous Tripartitum here.
In the following years, the castle changed hands many times – it was bought and sold by kings and princes. The order of succession began with Kendi Ferenc, one of the leading figures of the time, then Báthori Zsigmond gave it to his maternal uncle, the then also prominent Bocskai István; a few years later (it was 1612) the castle passed into the hands of Wesselényi István, and it was also the property of Bethlen Gábor, but he passed it on to his nephew, Bethlen Péter, and after he died his nephew. After his death, it belonged to Prince Rákóczi I György.
At that time the castle included seven villages.
Rákóczi intended it for his dear friend and right-hand man in military campaigns, Kemény János, but only his son, Rákóczi György II, could carry out his will and on 28 November 1648 he donated the castle of Vécs with five villages to Kemény János (later Prince) and his successors. From then on, Marosvécs belonged to the Kemény family for three hundred years. Everyone loved it for its beautiful location and the quiet, peaceful days spent there.
The castle was surrounded by a shingled fence and had beehives and vineyards, a quarter of soldiers, stables, a summerhouse, sheds and wagons, and 60 carts of firewood.
The inner castle was surrounded by the moat, which still exists today, and through it, a drawbridge led to the castle building. The rooms had brick floors, beamed ceilings on the upper floors, and green-glazed ovens. There was also a variety of furniture: one even had a bathtub. The castle’s clock tower was also mentioned, and there were some cannons and artillery pieces in the castle.
The serpentine road leading to the castle was transformed into a flower-lined walkway during the major renovation at the beginning of the 20th century, and rose trees bloom in the former moat. On either side of the stone bridge leading to the castle gate stood a stone lion, but unfortunately these were destroyed during the Second World War.
Once inside the castle, the walls, sometimes three meters thick, show that you are in a building hundreds of years old. A generation ago, visitors were greeted on the ground floor of the castle by cozy, delicate room settings, with family photos here and there. The large new corner bastion to the north preserves the portraits of its restorer, Kemény Kálmán and his wife, and the fine library, mainly from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This huge bastion was rebuilt only in the first quarter of the last century, according to the plan of Möller István, the renowned renovator of the castle of Vajdahunyad.
Unfortunately, after the nationalization following World War II, the Kemény family was dispossessed and the castle was confiscated along with the other properties and movable.
Behind the castle is a huge park. The appearance of the park has changed considerably over the centuries. The orchard, the saffron garden, the flower garden, the bee garden, and the peacocks that used to scream around the castle have all disappeared, but the spirit of history is still there when you get close to the castle. The Latin names on the trunks of some of the trees in the park suggest that it was once an arboretum. To the west of the castle are the grassy outlines of the castle. The coexistence of the two castles offers a unique experience.
In the park, in the shade of the oak trees (which according to some were planted by Prince Rákóczi II György), is the burial place of the Kemény family. It is here that Baron Kemény János, his wife Augusta Paton, the lady of the castle, their daughter Kemény Klió, the opera singer, and their son Kemény Miklós were laid to rest, next to the Helikon table, which was erected in 1935 and is now a symbol of the family. The Helikon Table was presented to Kemény János and his wife by Makkai Sándor in 1935 as a gift from the writers of Helikon.
The stone table was made by Kós Károly and its inscription commemorates the memory of Kuncz Aladár.
The park is now again owned by the Kemény family and is open to the public.
In the last century, the castle was both a prison and a mental hospital. Unfortunately, this has left its mark on the castle. Although only a very small part of it is open to visitors, it still bears traces of these features, such as inappropriate heating elements.
However, the castle houses permanent and temporary exhibitions.
- Exhibition of the Transylvanian Helikon and the Transylvanian Guild of Fine Arts; The Transylvanian Helikon was a monthly literary and critical journal published between 1928 and 1944. It was run by the Helicon community, who met once a year at the castle in Marosvécs.
- Photo exhibition of Baron Kemény János and his family.
- Folk costume exhibitions of the villages of Szászkézd, Mócvidék, Kalotaszeg, and Beszetrce. Property of Madaras Sándor.
- Exhibition of kitchen tapestries of a religious character. Property of Madaras Sándor.
- Exhibition of photographs by Foris Zoltán.
- Statue and photo exhibition of Dr. Barabás Dénes.
- Wass Albert room, exhibition.
- Traditional black-and-white photographer’s photo laboratory in operation.
- Photo exhibition of the Marosmenti Castles (castles along the Maros River)
- Photo exhibition of the material of the Marosvásárhely Children’s Camp, accompanied by old photographic equipment!
- In the park, you can see the Helikon Table, the Helikon Memorial Kopjafa (a wooden grave monument), a gift from Törtel, and the graves of the Kemény family and Wass Albert.
Opening hours of the castle:
Telephone number: Nagy Kemény Géza +40741225141, e-mail: december5.2004@gmail.com
The castle can be reached by a serpentine road, and the courtyard can be entered by car. The staircase is tiring, as it consists of more than a hundred steps.
Only two of the castle’s four bastions show themselves to those on the highway or railway, rising out of the canopy of fruit trees and woodland. Below it, even in the late 1800s, the valley of the Maros River stretched alongside the present highway. Over the years, it has been cleared and is now occupied by rows of houses.
Over the centuries, the inhabitants of Marosvécs have lived in harmony and peace as actors of history in a multi-ethnic community. Their livelihood is mainly based on agriculture, on the health center in the castle complex, or on employment opportunities in nearby Szászrégen. The primary school in the village has been renamed “Kemény János Primary School” on the initiative of the locals.
Sources: The page of the Kemény family here: https://www.kemenyinfo.hu/en/ and their Facebook page: http://Marosvécsi Kemény Várkastély • Castelul Kemény, Brâncovenești and: https://www.terjhazavandor.ro/kemeny-kastely/
Dear Readers, I can only make this content available through small donations:
Please, support me with a coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/duhoxoxa
You can find more pictures about Marosvécs here:
