info sáv: www.castelekarolyi.ro ∙www.e-castellum.eu

Its building started in 1482 by László Láncz-Károlyi , when they got the permission from King Matthias to build a house of stones. In 1592 the building with a square base was fortified by Mihály Károlyi in order to make it stronger against the invading Turkish armies. The stone building – which functioned as a border fortress at that time – received bastions, crenel, an inside yard, and outer walls were added with a deep moat. In 1794 duke József Károlyi demolished the old castle and built a new one by the plans of Joseph Bitthauser in baroque style. During the building of the new castle, its protective function was given up and the internal area was reconstructed according to the requirements of the tenants. The four-storey building was triangle-based with ornamental towers, a covered inside yard and with an arched cellar. Its large salon was decorated with paintings and sculptures. In 1894 Duke István Károlyi re-constructed the castle by the plans of Miklós Ybl; in neo-gothic-neo-baroque style with seven towers and with moats around it. The transformation was done by Arthur Meining, an engineer from Budapest. The total renovation of the building was finished in 2011. In one section of the castle a library, a museum and the Károlyi Waxworks can be found.

Prior group appointments to be made:026186498

Carei tourism information: 0261861481