The Brukenthal Summer Residence, Avrig

In his visits to Vienna Baron Brukenthal was impressed by the grandeur of the imperial palaces from Schönbrunn and Laxenburg. Brukenthal took over the model of the palaces in the construction of his summer residence from Avrig, whose location itself is visibly inspired by the Gloriette from the Schönbrunn park.

The Palace was built in the late Viennese baroque style, but its main element of attractiveness was and still remains its park planned based on the model of the Viennese baroque gardens with elements of English gardens from the Romanticism and Classicism period.

The park was made up of an ornamental garden, an orangery, gardens with triangles, the pheasants’ garden, fountains and the utility garden. A true nature lover, Brukenthal also drew a “Dutch garden” in front of the orangery with plants brought from the Dutch garden in Vienna.

And because the plants grown here had to live up to the greatness and beauty of the palace and of the park, Brukenthal grew various exotic species: pineapples, date trees, coffee shrubs, orange trees, almond trees, common figs, oleanders, nutmeg trees, laurel trees, aloe and 150 North-American plants.

When Brukenthal died in 1803, its countless subsequent owners changed its destination: a residence, a rest house, a field hospital in the Second World War.

Although the palace was abandoned for a long time, even today, two centuries after its construction, it still preserves its baroque structures and the park with its alleys, baroque fountain, Mediterranean shrubs and trees are constantly luring you to take a walk.