Năsturel Herescu family court, Stone mansion in Herăști, Romania.
The Năsturel Herescu family court is a three-level L-shaped building with basement, ground floor, and upper story containing mirrored apartment layouts on each side. The entire structure was built from cut stone, giving it substantial walls and a solid appearance.
The residence was built between 1640 and 1642 during the reign of Matei Basarab when logothete Udriște Năsturel and his brother Cazan commissioned it as their summer home. This period marked when powerful families began investing in substantial stone structures to display their wealth and influence.
The design reflects Viennese palace aesthetics popular among local nobility, with refined details that shaped how powerful families presented themselves during that period. The structure became a statement of the family's standing in the region.
The mansion is located roughly 30 kilometers south of Bucharest and can be reached with moderate effort. Wear sturdy shoes when exploring since the stone structure may have uneven surfaces and older flooring.
The stone material was transported by canoe down the Danube, demonstrating the extraordinary effort invested in this project. This construction approach using ground stone made it a rare example of Romanian residential architecture from that era.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
