Description
Built in the middle of the nineteenth century by baron Urban Petru of Monyoro, the mansion is located on the 79th National highway, on the road between Arad and Oradea, 28 km from Arad. In 1994, the mansion was completely renovated, and all the original architectural elements were preserved. The mansion provides the modern comfort, as it is connected to the water network, it has its own sewage and three gas central heating systems. There is an annex to the main building, equipped with all the standard utilities. As the yard is quite big, another house is being built, which will be used for residential purposes. In front of the mansion, there is a 50 sqm pool. There are thermal water springs at a depth of 700 m, which can be used to fill up the pool. Urban of Monyoro family was one of the important noble families of the Hungarian aristocracy. As mentioned in official records (1828), the first family member was Joseph Urban, and the family’s home was in Monyorod (today Manerau, Arad). The neoclassical mansion in Simand (only a few kilometers from Monyorod) was built in the second half of the 19th century. The mansion most likely belonged to Gyula Urban, the father of the most important member of the family, Peter Urban (1870-1935). Starting with the Eneolithic period up to the year 953 – when it is officially mentioned for the first time -, and on the modern times, Simand was one of the most important places in Transylvanian history. Moreover, in the 19th century, Simand was a strong economic hub, organizing fairs, having also present a strong Jewish community (in 1828 there were 400 Jewish people). For approximately 100 years, by the time when the mansion was built, the domain was owned by Urban of Monyoro family members. Most of them were high governors, politicians and even prefects in Arad county Photo: Cristina Budusan
