The Teleki Palace in Kolozsvár (Cluj-Napoca), one of the most distinguished examples of late Baroque architecture in Transylvania, is to undergo a comprehensive restoration after Cluj County Council approved the project’s technical and financial parameters, the authority said on Tuesday.
Late Baroque Teleki Palace to be refurbished
The listed building, situated on Farkas Street in the city centre, is expected to be renovated at a cost of RON 67.5 million (approx. EUR 12.9 million. Funding will be apportioned among the property’s owners according to their respective shares: more than 36 per cent will be covered by the county council, 37 per cent by the Cluj-Napoca municipality, and 26 per cent by private and corporate co-owners residing in the building, the Hungarian news agency wrote.
Following the refurbishment, the property will continue to house a branch of the county library, which has been temporarily relocated due to the building’s deteriorating condition.
István Vákár, vice president of Cluj County Council, stressed that Hungarian representatives within the authority have a duty to safeguard the city’s Hungarian-built heritage. The Teleki Palace, he noted, is among Cluj-Napoca’s most valuable architectural landmarks, second only to the Bánffy Palace on the main square, combining late Baroque and Neoclassical elements.
He added that the aim is to restore the building as swiftly as possible and reintegrate it into the cultural and tourism life of both the city and the wider county.
Walls, roof, façades, electrical, water, sewage and heating systems
The works will include structural reinforcement of the building and its walls, as well as the restoration of historically and architecturally significant features. The courtyard will also be landscaped, and the surrounding fence renewed.
The local authority confirmed that a public procurement process for design services was launched last year, with the next phase involving the preparation of detailed technical plans and execution documentation. According to preliminary plans, the renovation will entail new foundations along the western side, reinforcement of load-bearing walls, restoration of damaged columns, and strengthening of vaulted ceilings. The roof structure, façades and timber elements will be restored, while electrical, water, sewage and heating systems will be entirely replaced.
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Built at the end of the 18th century
The palace, located at 7 Farkas (Mihail Kogălniceanu) Street, was built between 1790 and 1795 to the designs of the architect Joseph Leder. Construction was initiated by Count Ádám Teleki II and later continued by his nephew, László Teleki, after the former died without heirs.
The building was inherited by László’s son, József Teleki, a historian and Governor of Transylvania, during whose tenure the upstairs salon became a focal point of public life, frequented by both government and opposition figures.
In the 1930s, the palace passed into the ownership of the Roman Catholic Church. It was subsequently nationalised under the communist regime and used as both a dormitory and a residential building.
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