CANTACUZINO Castle Busteni
About CANTACUZINO Castle Busteni
The Cantacuzino Castle, located in the Zamora neighbourhood, from Bu?teni, was built in the year of 1911, in a park owned by the prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, also known as ‘Nababu’ (tr.n. the nabob), due to its impressive fortune.
The castle is surrounded by waterfalls, caves and fountains and it is placed among the first class castles from Romania, in terms of architecture.
With an impressive size, the Cantacuzino castle is compared with other edifices built in a neobrâncovenesc style, like the Patriarchal Palace, the Pele? complex from Sinaia and the one from Cotroceni. The decorative repertoire, inside the castle, composed of a polychrome moulding, ornamental and figurative paintings, stained glass, carved woodwork, coffered ceilings, carved stone balustrades with wrought iron or wood, floor with decorative tiles and marquetry parquet, gives the ambiance a well-defined romantic character, even if the structure of the interior columns and thecarved door headboards are a reminiscence of the brâncovenesc decorative repertoire. The stained glasses, the balustrades, the pavilion’s stairs and the ceilings with exposed beams, some painted, some not, are a reminiscence of the romantic decorative repertoire.
This repertoire is nothing else but a clear evidence of the uniqueness of the edifice. The blazon of the Cantacuzino family and the blazons of the families related to it, painted in the reception hall, among the fresco of the most illustrious members of the Cantacuzino line of noblemen, highlight the uniqueness of the castle.
The complex is in full coordination with the ample landscaping, terraces and sustaining walls, ramps and stairs with stone railings, which, in addition to the perfect functionality, integrate the volumes in the mountain area.
Moreover, the complex is located in an area scientifically proven to be an important power pole.
The Cantacuzino Castle is open to the public since the summer of 2010 and it can be used as a venue for cultural or private events. Visiting hours are between 10.00 am and 18.00 pm, from Monday to Sunday.
On the terrace located in front of the castle, with a view of the Bucegi Mountains, tourists can enjoy a coffee at the Nababu Café, just like Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino and the select society of the time did many years ago.
On the Cantacuzino domain tourists can practice equitation, enjoy wonderful hours in the ‘Escapade Adventure Park – Zamora’ and starting the fall of 2012 they will be able to serve meals in the castle’s restaurant.
The castle gathers more and more visitors, who discover this architectural jewel, filled with history under the inscription left by the Nabab: ‘I, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, with my wife Ecaterina, nee B?leanu, have built this castle in memory of the ancestors and to serve as a shelter to the descendants.’