Târgu Mureș Castle is one of the largest castle complexes in Transylvania and the Szeklers. It covers four and a half hectares and has seven bastions. The Reformed Castle Church is located in the southwestern part of the castle courtyard, and the castle commandant's building is located in the southeastern part. In 1492, the Transylvanian voivode István Báthory had the first fortress built around the church and monastery. It was destroyed in 1601 during the reigns of the voivodes Basta and Mihály. In 1602, Tamás Borsos persuaded the townspeople to build a new castle complex, which was completed around 1658. Until 1962, the castle buildings (with the exception of the castle church) served military purposes. Then it was decided to convert the buildings into museums and create a recreational park on the castle grounds.