On Sunday, September 20, on the occasion of the Open Doors Days at the Bánffy castle in Bonțida, Remarkable Romania invites you to get to know the community and the stories around Bonțida. For one day you have the opportunity to enter the households of local residents or local artisans and discover lesser-known locations in the area.
Our initiative opens, in parallel, 6 other locations, offering workshops, gastronomic tastings or exhibitions.
Bonțida is part of the network of communes Remarkable Romania, a program of the Cluj Cultural Center, which aims to give an important role to culture and heritage in view of local and regional development.
See:
the full program
location map
1. The gingerbread house – the Rigo family household
With a history of 3 generations, the Rigo family from Bonțida preserves the craft of making gingerbread by hand. Considered as much a tradition as a family business, the traditional craft process is carried forward. You can always meet the husbands of the Rigo family at the big events and fairs in Cluj and the region, but now, for the first time, their workshop and yard are open to the public.
Gingerbread decorating workshop (recommended for families with children, but not only)
You will have the opportunity to return for a short time to the universe of childhood and feel the sweet smell of cinnamon and dough fresh out of the oven. You will be able to participate in the decoration craft and get your fingers dirty with the colored sugar that gives life to each cake.
On the day of the event, gingerbread with different shapes and appearances can be purchased directly from the Rigo family location.
Workshop details
Exact address location
Liviu Rebreanu Street, no. 202
Number of participants
16 people (including parents and children)
Start time
11:00, 12:30
DuRATion
30/45 minutes
www.facebook.com/turtadulceRigo/
With access to the toilet
Parking on the road
2. State Terrace – gastronomic openings of the Pop family
The state terrace is the project of the Pop family. Here two young men, husband and wife, combine gastronomy and art in a small courtyard in Bonțida, creating an atmosphere so chic that you could say you have returned to the noble days of the area’s past. In this place, they cook for those who cross their threshold, in small but flavorful events.
Gastronomic opening – a tasting of old recipes put in a contemporary context
“The State Terrace is not a restaurant, it is a new concept through which we seek to bring to the rural environment, peripheral to the city, more precisely, to our yard, city people, curious, with common interests, to spend quality time together, in around a table. The goal is to discover identity culinary routes and contribute to the construction of local gastronomic specifics. It sounds pompous and abstract, but we believe that we are living in a historical moment in which Romanian gastronomy is professionalizing, looking for its specificity and identity. Being a rural society at its core, Romanian recipes are also of rural origin, to which foreign influences have been added on the one hand, and urban influences (from professional gastronomy). What is happening now is the resumption of old peasant recipes, specifically Romanian, and putting them in a contemporary and professional urban context. Here and now we also find ourselves.”
On September 20, for one hour, you can enjoy recipes and art next to a glass of good words.
Workshop details
Exact address location
Mihai Eminescu Street, no. 127, Bonțida Village
Number of participants
12 people
Start time
13:00, 14:30, 16:00, 17:30
DuRATion
1 hour
www.facebook.com/Terasa-de-stat-2346138055662854/
With access to the toilet
Parking on the road
3. Nádudvary family workshop (craft/craft)
In the village of Răscruci (Bonțida), on the road that leads to Borșa and Vultureni communes, two artists and artisans have settled a few years ago, who make unique pieces in their small workshop here. The Nádudvarys share the same workshop but create pieces using completely different materials. On September 20 you have the opportunity both to meet them and their stories, and to steal a bit of the job.
About Mary. She graduated from the Faculty of Fine Arts in Timișoara, Department of Clothing Design, and has been working in the field for 15 years, generally making unique bags and scarves.
About László. His dream is to become a jeweler. Being a self-taught craftsman, this is also a way of life, a path full of trials and failures that lead to a deeper understanding of metal and its processing. This craft is already turning his life, step by step, into success.
At the location of the event, those wishing will be able to purchase unique products made by the Nádudvary family. Payment can be made in cash or by card.
Maria’s workshop – Handicraft demonstration – headscarf technique
For 30/45 minutes, the workshop will consist of a traditional demonstration of the headscarf technique – starting from the drawing and wax painting of m