The stone house is the only monument of civil Romanian architecture, built up entirely, in the interior, as well as at the exterior, of grinded stone. It is said that the stone was brought from the Danube, with the canoes from Rusciuc (Ruse).
The stone house or better known as being the Palace Udriște Năsturel is founded by the family Năsturel (the logothete Udriște Năsturel and by his brother Cazan) in the period of the era of Matei Basarab, between the years 1640 and1642, as a summer residence.
The building has the aspect of the Viennese palace, with the elements specific to the Baroque style.
Năsturel – Herescu is one of the oldest families of landowners, with ancestors until Basarab the Founder. In marble there also appears the family’s blazonry: the two-headed crowned Aquila, with opened wings, having on the chest the shield with the lion and the snake standing face to face. Flanking the bird there are placed two cavaliers with different weapons, and at their feet there is opened the family’s slogan: Honor et patria.
The mansion was built on three levels (basement, ground floor, first floor) in the shape of a L and incorporates two apartments, almost identical built in mirror. The system and the distribution of the saloons, lobbies and the interior stairs, the beauty of the basements and of the small cylindrical bolted rooms, together with the working techniques used and the quality of the material give a distinguished aspect of originality and charm to the whole monumental ensemble.
In the garden there are found three old anchors, big enough. The legends of the place state the fact that in ancient times, the plane of Hereștiului known nowadays was covered by the sea and the boats came all the way to the place where now it is situated the mansion. They transported the construction stone brought on the Danube from Ruse or from Greece. The anchors remaining anchored there from some of the ships.
The mansion from Herești has suffered damages in the times of the First World War, being vandalized. And in 1931 a fire brings it significant damages. The arrival of the Second World War delays any kind of possibility of renovation or modernization. In 1949 the house has been nationalized, back then being under the possession of the Stolojan family. Starting with 1972 it was put under the administration of the Museum of Popular Art (the predecessor of the National Museum of the Romanian Peasant).
Starting with October 2013, the Stone House Udriște Năsturel from Herăști, the county of Giurgiu, has been re-ceded to the owners, the descendants of the Stolojan family.
