Brukenthal Summer Palace in Avrig

About Brukenthal Summer Palace in Avrig

At a glance: Castles and palaces in Avrig, Sibiu County. The visit takes 1 – 1½ hours. Information verified on 11 October 2026.

The summer palace in Avrig (Freck in German) was the favourite residence of Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, governor of Transylvania from 1777 to 1787 and the only Transylvanian Saxon ever raised to such a high office under Empress Maria Theresa. The Baroque ensemble, attributed to the architect Johann Eberhard Blaumann, was built in the second half of the 18th century on a terrace about 12 metres above the Olt valley: a main building with three wings, two outbuildings and an orangery, laid out in a U-shape that faces the park rather than the street. The park of around 20 hectares was conceived as a Baroque garden, in a spot once called the "Eden of Transylvania".

After the baron's death the estate changed hands several times. In the 20th century the palace served as a hospital and then a sanatorium for lung disease, until 2005, and in 1999 the Evangelical Church regained part of the property. Since 2011 the ensemble has been partly restored and reopened to the public. Today it is a listed monument (the palace, orangery and park each have their own LMI code), and the estate is run by the Brukenthal Foundation together with a private hotel business.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: Avrig lies on the DN1 (E68) between Sibiu and Făgăraș, ~35 km from Sibiu (40–45 minutes) and ~30 km from Făgăraș. The palace is on Strada Gheorghe Lazăr, close to the town centre.

Public transport: Avrig has a railway station on the Sibiu–Făgăraș–Brașov line, and minibuses and buses between Sibiu and Făgăraș also stop in the town; check timetables on mersultrenurilor.infofer.ro. From the station or the centre, the palace is a short taxi ride or walk away.

Where to park

The official website mentions a car park right behind the orangery, used by hotel and restaurant guests. Visitors also report a free car park opposite the palace, set up by the town hall. It can get crowded on event days.

Fees & discounts

Entry to the garden and the exhibition rooms is by ticket, bought at the entrance. The official website does not publish prices; visitors have reported a single ticket for all the rooms that are open, paid at a machine in the courtyard, sometimes cash only. Ask for the current price by phone before you set out. A meal at the restaurant or a coffee in the orangery is paid separately.

Rules

Your ticket covers only the areas open to the public; the hotel areas and event halls are private. Keep to the paths and look after the trees of the historic garden. Pets: ask at reception. The palace has stairs and uneven floors; the garden paths slope and have steps between the terraces, so pushchairs and wheelchairs have a hard time.

Facilities

hotel and restaurant in the orangery · historic café "Schlosscafé Brukenthal" · events hall · souvenir shop · toilets · car park