(www.huro-cbc.eu , www.hungary-romania-cbc.eu)
JOINT DEVELOPMENT AND INTEGRATED PROMOTION OF THE RURAL THEMATIC TOURISM
IN THE BIHOR - HAJDU - BIHAR EUROREGION
Două ţări, un scop, succes comun!
Departamentul de Geografie, Turism şi Amenajarea Teritoriului (DGTAT)
Universitatea din Oradea
Str. Universităţii nr. 1, 410087, Oradea, Tel/fax: +40 259 408 475, e-mail: iliesdorina@yahoo.com, internet: http://www.geografie-uoradea.ro/
Departamentul de Geografie Socială, Dezvoltare şi Planificare Regională
Universitatea din Debrecen
H-4032 Debrecen, Egyetem tér 1., e-mail: radiczs@delfin.klte.hu, internet: http://www.unideb.hu/portal/
Bocskai Mansion, local historical exhibition – The building of the castle in Nagykereki is dated to the
twelfth-thirteenth century. It got into the property of István Báthory, Transylvanian Prince after the
extinction of its first owner, the Ártándi family. Its most famous dweller, István Bocskai (1557-1606) was
given the castle in 1578 which he kept until his death. It was developed into a serious fortress between
1582 and 1595: the originally single-storey, rectangular castle with corner towers of a circular layout at
each corner was rebuilt by Bocskai in Renaissance style, and fortified it by a wall and an open ditch. It was
besieged both by German and Turkish troops: some people believe that in 1660 Turkish pasha Szejdi
heading towards Várad from Debrecen attacked and destroyed the building with his Tartars. The castle thus
lost its military functions by the eighteenth century: Sámuel Csanády imperial lieutenant-colonel got the
castle who built his Baroque style mansion from the ruins in 1770 which was enlarged with a baluster lobby
at the time of the renovation in 1850. The building reached its present form at that time. The castle walls
from the seventeenth century remained until 1945, then its stones were carried away by the local
inhabitants to build houses for themselves. The decayed building was reconstructed between 1955 and
1962 on the local initiative of the National Inspectorate for Historic Monuments taking into consideration
the facade forms used during its history. In 1987-1989 the castle was fully reconstructed with help of the
County Subcommittee for Historic Monuments. The castle today consists of the mansion building, a round
tower in the northern corner and a barn in the southern corner which was transformed from a rectangular
tower in 1920 and fortified by buttresses, and on the side facing the mansion divided by circular blind
arcades. The mansion has a rectangular layout, it is a single-storey building with cellar and high roof. The
inner courtyard is surrounded by cloistered corridors on three sides, and there is a well in the middle. The
property is in free use of the local government of the village of Nagykereki: the village library is given place
in the building, together with local historical exhibitions of the Déri Museum of Debrecen. Within the
framework of the latter, the history of the castle and the role of Bocskai and the Hajduks are shown with
the help of tableaux and contemporary engravings. At the art exhibition we can find the copies of full figure
and portrait paintings, copies of charters and engravings, dresses and weapons of the period, and
photographs. The model of the parental house of Bocskai in Kolozsvár can be also seen here, and a plotting
board demonstrating the battle of Álmosd which meant the start of the war of independence. The saloon
of the building is available for organising conferences, and in the garden we can find the bust of István
Bocskai made by Pál Pátzay.
Bibliografie:
Touristic database of Bihar Association for Nature (http://www.biharite.hu/latnivalok);
Website of Nagykereki village (http://www.nagykereki.hu);