English
Magyar
RomânăThe Kétegyháza estate returned from the Andrássy family to the Treasury, which in 1794 sold it to Count Ignác Almásy. Later, following the fire in Gyula, the Gyula domain passed to the Wenckheim family, and it is presumed that the Gyulavári castle was built around this time.
The History of the Castle from the 18th Century to the Present Day
In his work The History of Békés County, Dr. János Karácsony mentions for the first time a measure affecting the region: following the expulsion of the Turks in 1698, János Jakab Lőwenburg had the deserted villages along the Körös rivers surveyed and appraised, and purchased the lands of Gyulavári, Kétegyháza, Várai, and Keszi. In 1716, he moved to Gyulavári, where he built a manor house and established an estate.
After Lőwenburg’s death, the estate passed to Count Antal Gaisruck, after which it was repurchased by the Treasury and, in 1741, sold to Zsigmond Andrássy, deputy-lieutenant of Csongrád County. Andrássy made Kétegyháza the center of the estate, where he also built a castle and a chapel.
The establishment of the Gyulavári castle was strongly influenced by the area’s hydrographic and topographic features. Based on period maps, it can be determined that the castle and the estate were located on a peninsula enclosed by the Fehér-Körös River.
1869-től a Wenckheim-birtok az Almásy családé lett. Almásy Dénes és felesége, Károlyi Ella költöztek a gyulavári kastélyba, amely később lányuk, Jeanne öröksége lett. Férjével, Pongrácz Jenővel újabb ipari létesítményeket hoztak létre: malmot, szeszgyárat, húsfeldolgozót, téglagyárat. A család főként nyáron és ősszel tartózkodott itt, a vadászatok népszerűek voltak a környéken.
After 1945, the estate came into the hands of a cooperative, and the castle was used as a warehouse. The building, looted during World War II, was partially renovated by the agricultural cooperative in 1963 and then used as offices. Following the political changes of 1989–1990, it stood abandoned for a long period, and its condition deteriorated.
In 1995, the Municipality of Gyula purchased the building complex, which was fully restored in 2004 by the Körös-Maros Foundation, including the surrounding park. The Gyulavári Castle Visitor Centre opened its doors in 2007 and has since welcomed guests amidst its nearly five-hectare, beautifully maintained park.
Today, this historic building not only evokes the atmosphere of the past but also offers unique accommodation experiences.