Bún
This small palace of the Hungarian Bethlen family can be found in Bún or Kisbún (Boiu, Freudendorf), in Transylvania. It is in Romania, located 8 km north-east from Segesvár (Sighișoara, Schäßburg), on the bank of the River Nagy-Küküllő. The settlement used to belong to the lands of the Bethlen family and later to the Haller family, just like Fehéregyháza which has become part of Segesvár city during history.
The village of Bún was first mentioned in 1301 as “Bwn”. The palace of Bethlen at Bún now resembles a rather ruined manor house. It was Bethlen Farkas (1639-1679) who had the palace built in Renaissance style in the first part of the 17th century. It was his son, Bethlen Farkas who had it rebuilt in 1640-1641. He enlarged the palace and had high walls and small bastions built around it, following the advice of Haller Gábor. Thus, they built Italian-bastions at the corners of the outer wall, according to the fashion of the age.
Chancellor Bethlen János (1612-1678) made further changes in 1669. Bún was the place where Bethlen János wrote his famous historical work, the “Rerum Transilvanica”. However, the final form of the palace was finished only in the 19th century. It was the time when its facade was built, similar to the palace of the Bethlens in the village of Bethlenszentmiklós. You can read more about Bethlenszentmiklós here: https://www.hungarianottomanwars.com/transylvania/bethlenszentmiklos/
The building could survive until the 20th century quite intact. The office of the Kolkhoz of Fehéregyháza had been in it until the 1970s but it was abandoned due to a flood. The palace was still standing in the 1980s. Its destruction began in the 1990s when its stones and parts were stolen. It is a shame that it could happen.
Source of pictures:
https://szaszandras.info/ajanlo/muemlekek/kisbun.html
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