Castle Report: Corvins Castle

I’m continuing with part two of my castle series in Romania – Corvins Castle (aka Hundeoara and Hunyadi Castle). Whichever name you decide to call it, this medieval castle is considered one of the most beautiful castles and one of the largest in Europe. Not only is it the largest medieval castle in Romania, this Gothic-Renaissance masterpiece is referred to as one of the seven wonders of Romania. After my recent visit, I can see why.

Corvins Castle was originally built in 1440 by John Hunyadi (a military leader and eminent statesman) as a gothic style fortified residence (otherwise known as a home with a pretty intense defense fortress and onsite prison). His son, Mattias Corvin (the King of Hungary at the time) later took over and the construction style shifted from Gothic to Italian Renaissance. Gabriel Bethlen took over in the 17th century and added to the Renaissance elements. The final stage was in the 18th century and there were major restoration works in the 19th and 20th centuries No wonder it is called a “wonder”!

Interestingly enough, it is the only castle in Romania with a moat (yes, complete with a drawbridge) which you actually get to walk across to gain entry to the castle. But before you do go in, you will see the multiple large towers that give architectural interest for us today but served a vital purpose for defense in medieval times. The towers were used for purposes varying from prisons to defense systems. You can still see large openings for weapons in some of the towers.

Mace Tower is the tallest of all and was used as a watch tower. It was later covered with frescos which you can still faintly see on the walls. A bronze statue of a medieval knight guarding the domain is on top. Imposing Balaurs (a dragon of Romanian folklore) are just below to help the knight on watch duty. This tower screams medieval.

Walking around the castle really gave me a sense of what an actual medieval castle fortress must have been like -- very cold and dark. It’s crazy to think what life must have been like for its residents back then. The palace is interesting for its architecture and certainly not for ornate furniture or lavishly decorated rooms as with Peles Castle with its elaborate contents.

The first thing I saw when I walked into the castle was a prison and torture chambers, complete with the torture weapons used on the unfortunate souls who were being held there …talk about a grand welcome. Torture was a huge element of this castle and it shows to say the least.

So, I’m sure you can imagine my relief when I stepped in to the outside courtyard to find not only lovely displays of gothic and medieval architecture but beautiful brooks and lush foliage as well. Such a contrast to the dreary and dark prison.

After the brief reprieve from the torture chambers, I felt ready to go back inside. We entered back in to the castle through The Knights Hall. The style of the room was late gothic with armor and cannon-balls along its walls. To complete the feel of the castle, there was a lone musician playing music from the middle ages. There were also musicians in some of the other rooms which I thought it was a very nice touch.

We moved through the Knights Hall and in to the Council Hall next. It was very interesting because I saw the same Gothic style in the chapel in this room but noticed a few changes. In the Council Hall, a fresco of portraits was added to the walls which gave me a sense that aesthetics and not just defense was at play. I could just feel the intense political discussions that went on in this room!

A number of legends surround the castle and the most famous involving Vlad the Impaler who spent seven years in the dungeons here which eventually led to his madness – no one knows if the story is really true, but it sure makes for an interesting tale.

There is a 15th century 100-ft well in the castle’s courtyard. Legend tells that the well was dug by three Turkish prisoners who were promised freedom when they reached water. The task took them over 15 years and the King had died by then. His wife Elisabeth decided not to respect her husband’s word and the prisoners were executed.

There are many stories of prisoners being thrown into a bear pit and being mauled to death. I’m not so sure that this is just a legend as you will see an actual pit that seriously looks like something bad happened down there. Well …. and the sign also said it was a bear pit.

Fun fact: this castle was featured in the popular video game Age of Empires (my sons played this years ago) and several paranormal TV programs. After my tour here, I can definitely see why. I wondered what the castle might look like at night there was a large photograph at the end of the visit. it made me want to come back and see it in person because the photo looked like a castle from a fairytale…maybe next time.

Just to let you know, I will be taking next week off from my blog to spend time with my family during Christmas but will be right back the week after with my next castle report. Happy Holidays!