The Bene House and its Hunting Relics

Today it is the home of the Hunting Exhibition of Szeklerland, but the history of the Bene House, considered one of the most beautiful historical buildings in Sfântu Gheorghe, is far from a hunting fairy tale. The house of the late lawyer Dr. István Bene was most probably built in 1914 - according to other sources in 1908 - and some elements of the Art Nouveau style building were made in the most renowned Hungarian workshops of the time. One of the window frames of the home of the former city councillor, member of parliament, and president of the local Kossuth Circle and Masons in the city, for example, bears the inscription "Justus Sándor and his son Budapest". The beams were made at the Steel Mill in Diósgyőr. The façade of the building is guarded by faces resembling jellyfish, decorated with rich plaster elements, which have only been partially restored. The restoration of the city-owned building, completed in 2013, was based on the plans of architect Attila Zakariás.

The hunting museum is now one of the most visited institutions in Sfântu Gheorghe. The main part of the exhibition is made up of the private collection of Árpád Sárkány, owner of the hunting company Abies Hunting, worth around €100,000, but other hunters from the area have also contributed to the rich collection of trophies, weapons, documents, and photographs.

Samu Csinta