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Zabola Estate blog

This splendid Romanian castle set in beautiful forest at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains is a perfect, family-friendly retreat at any time of year
By Harper’s BAZAAR UK and None

Castles and country houses are being reclaimed by their previous owners, and it is not surprising that romantics want to return to the Arcadian life where local people still draw water from wells, practise ancient crafts and live outside with their sheep. Neil Barnett goes back a few centuries when he visits the region.
By Neil Barnett

People call him Count Gergely; Gregor Roy Chowdhury-Mikes, the majority shareholder of the Secuiana, an apparel manufactory in Kézdivásárhely (Târgu Secuiesc), has aristocratic roots both from East Bengal and Transylvania. The story of the Mikes family and the Zabola Estate, which was returned to them after a dramatic turn of events, is full of historical challenges.

Born to a Hungarian mother and Bengali father, Gregor’s roots on his father’s side trace all the way back to the now dilapidated Zamindar bari in Ulpur of Gopalganj. After reconnecting with his roots on his mother’s side, Gregor is now doing the same with his paternal ancestry.