One of the main goals of our historic building conservation activities is to involve the younger generations in the various cultural and professional programmes held at Bánffy Castle, Bonțida. We have been organising permanent programmes for children since 2008, and in 2022 we expanded our programme offering with thematic children’s camps. On the one hand, these camps give the opportunity to try out a lot of new and creative activities or interesting hobbies, and on the other hand, the children learn about the history of the castle through playful means, bringing them closer to the concept of natural and cultural heritage. The sessions and creative workshops are led by professionals. In addition to the diverse programmes, the castle’s interior and exterior spaces provide a unique, special environment for the activities. The castle’s grassy yard and wooden playground are a permanent location for games during breaks between the workshops.

On the last day of the camp, parents and relatives are also invited to the castle, where they can watch the works and short films created by the children.

The camp held in 2022, entitled Heritage under the Magnifying Glass, aimed at encouraging the children to discover the unique convergence of built and natural heritage.

Under the guidance of experts from the NECC Nature Education Community Center and the Milvus Association, the children had the opportunity to study and examine the fauna and flora of the castle garden, participate in bird watching, and try out historical weapons. During the camp, under the guidance of editor-director Péter Lepedus-Sisko, the children also shot a film about the natural heritage around the castle, which you can watch here.

The 2023 Fairytale Path camp focused on multiculturalism, bringing together and forging friendships among Hungarian and Romanian-speaking children through communal play, learning and creation.

Each day, the programme was based around a skill-building activity, including horse riding, visual storytelling with drawings and stop motion animation, Renaissance dance lessons, archery and fencing, which helped the children deepen their knowledge of the castle’s past and to bring its stories to life based on their own imagination. The sessions were held by the members of NECC Nature Education Community Center, the Virtus Transsylvanica Society and the Beanbag Animation Studio, as well as by Johanna Bertóti and Cristina Labo.

Click here to watch the stop motion animations made at the camp.

In 2024, we organized again our camp with the title “Heritage under the magnifying glass”. The theme of the activities designed for 7-12 year old children, was the built and natural heritage, and it was addressed through educational activities from the STEAM approach. The participants got to know the Bánffy Castle in Bonțida and its surroundings, through creative workshops and hiking trips. Also, the courtyard and the restored buildings were an excellent place to recharge, get to know each other, team building, playing board games and exploring the natural as well as the historical environment around them.

The Transylvania Trust, active in heritage conservation, cooperated with the NECC (Nature Education Community Center) team, who were in charge of the camp and the hiking trips. The Simplex team engaged the participants with logic games and a Polydron kit, and the Beanbag Animation Studio held a stop motion workshop. The children had the opportunity to try horse riding and using traditional weapons too during activities led by the Virtus Transsylvanica Society.

The stop motion animation created during the camp can be viewed here.