Miclauseni Castle: Neo-Gothic Architecture and Troubled History

Hidden in a dense forest from Moldavia, Miclauseni Castle is a small Neo-Gothic monument with a history that goes back over one hundred years. It belonged to one of the oldest families in Eastern Romania, Sturdza, whose crest inspired by Saint George and motto ‘Utroque clarescere pluchrum’ (Beauty shines everywhere) are still engraved on the walls.

Miclauseni Castle

The castle belonged to one of the oldest families in Eastern Romania

Located just some 60 km from Iasi, the second-largest city in the country, the castle was built between 1880 and 1904 on the vast property that belonged to the Sturdza family since the late 17th century. Surrounded by an English-style park and a vast forest that still extends on tens of hectares today, Miclauseni Castle was famous back in the day for its precious art, books, and religious collections.

Coat of arms of the founding family

The castle served as a residence for the members of the family until the Second World War when it was occupied by Russian troops who partially destroyed it. This moment marked the beginning of the castle’s most dramatic experience. Still, the worst was yet to come.

Just a few years later, the monument was nationalized as part of the communist regime’s violent confiscation of all private property. The monastery established here in 1947 on the wish of Ecaterina Sturdza Cantacuzino, who donated the entire property to the church, was evacuated. From this point on, Miclauseni Castle shared the sad destiny of most aristocratic properties: theft, degradation, and indifference.

Coat of arms on the castle’s wall

Valuable art and books collections were destroyed starting with WW2

The monument’s preservation was completely ignored by communist authorities who used it to host one of its dreaded orphanages for disabled children. The castle’s art collections — weapons and medieval costumes, jewels, sculptures, and paintings — simply disappeared.

Only one thousand books were recovered from the library of 60,000 volumes that was once one of the most important in the country. The members of the Sturdza family were passionate collectors of rare and old Romanian and European books, most in princeps editions. Sadly, WW2 and the communist regime that followed were immune to such values. The Russian soldiers burnt many of the rare volumes from the library, some were used as wrapping paper, but most were confiscated and never found again.

Decorative details on the castle’s facade

The last furniture and original decorations were turned to ashes in the fires from the castle’s time as an orphanage that was only relocated in 2001. The monument was partially renovated after 2004 and is open today to visitors who can also enjoy lunch or dinner in the restaurant from the park.

Miclauseni Castle is more than worth the trip from Iasi as it’s one of the few aristocratic properties from Eastern Romania that survived, at least partially, the destructive strategy of the communist authorities against the former elites’ legacy.

Travel tips

Don’t miss a visit to the nearby Ruginoasa Palace, the place of romantic drama from the 19th century.

For visiting hours, check www.miclauseni.ro