The Bethlen castle in the light of written sources and the latest excavations

Abstract

Probably one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in Transylvania, attracting numerous visitors every year, it is situated in Criș/Keresd4 (Kreisch in German), on one of the ancient properties of the Bethlen family. A considerable amount of educational writings, art historical analyses, and historical works discuss the history of the castle and the Bethlen family. However, there is hardly any scientific work synthesizing the relatively rich set of available written sources, the results of the previous excavations, and the conclusions that can be drawn from the still-standing building parts. Although archaeological excavations have been carried out on the castle’s territory, relatively little is known about the preceding manor or manor houses. It must be highlighted that the results of the earlier archaeological excavations and wall surveys are difficult to summarize because of a lack of documentation and never-completed publications; however, the historical and architectural importance of the building complex makes it necessary for us to survey the previous work and present a current state of research before starting new investigations. Therefore, this study aims to briefly summarize the results of the historical research and previous archaeological excavations and to formulate the research questions to be addressed by the new archaeological research project that has started in 2020, as well as the ones that may arise during a complex (historical, archaeological, art historical and architectural) investigation of the castle.