Luxury / news
Gregor Roy Chowdhury on the Long Revival of Transylvania's Zabola Estate
In a conversation about Zabola Estate, Gregor Roy Chowdhury recounts how the centuries-old Mikes family property in Szekler Transylvania was carefully restored after decades of nationalization under communism.
Zabola sits in the Szekler part of Transylvania, in Covasna County, and belonged to the Mikes family for centuries. For Chowdhury, it is not simply a property but a piece of family and regional history, one that endured a turbulent 20th century.
After the war and during the communist era, the estate was nationalised and put to other uses. When it was eventually returned to the family, the challenge was not just repairing old buildings but giving the place a viable future again.
Restoration was far from glamorous. With no large family fortune to draw on, the work proceeded slowly and practically, carried out by hand with local people, year after year. This process, Chowdhury says, helped rebuild a relationship between the estate and the surrounding village.
The family never wanted Zabola to become a museum. Instead, the goal was to keep it alive, a vision that inspired the decision to develop a luxury hospitality project on the estate.