Martinuzzi Castle, Renaissance castle ruins in Vințu de Jos, Romania

Martinuzzi Castle is a ruined single-storey residence in Vințu de Jos, built on the foundations of a Dominican monastery. Its walls enclose a hexagonal courtyard with corner bastions, and Renaissance stone frames attributed to Domenico de Bologna survive in the standing masonry. Excavations in the courtyard revealed the 47-metre-long monastery church, aligned east-west beneath the castle.

The castle was built on the foundations of a Dominican monastery founded around 1300, the only one in Transylvania outside a town. In 1534 noble Nicholas Kozar expelled the last monk and turned it into a castle. George Martinuzzi, governor of Transylvania and cardinal, had it strengthened and expanded in Renaissance style between 1546 and 1551. He was assassinated inside the walls in December 1551, but the castle was later enlarged by Gabriel Bethlen from 1614.

The structure shows how Italian Renaissance building styles reached Transylvania in the 16th century through the work of architects who came from the south. Walking around the remaining walls, you can see how these foreign influences shaped the design and layout of the fortress.

The site is open and accessible at any time, with enough space to walk around the foundations and explore the layout. The setting makes it easy to see how the location relates to the rivers and the surrounding village.

Oral tradition holds that General Castaldo had Martinuzzi killed to seize a hoard of ancient coins the cardinal was said to have taken from fishermen who found them at a tree root by the Strei River, near Sîntămărie-Orlea. Local legends also say the collapsing ruin is haunted or hides secret treasures.