Corvin Castle

Corvin Castle rises on a rock above a stream in the industrial town of Hunedoara, and it looks so much like the idea of a castle that it is regularly used as a film location: a mass of steep slate roofs, pointed turrets, buttresses and a long wooden bridge on stone piers crossing to the gate. It was rebuilt in the fifteenth century by John Hunyadi, the great Transylvanian commander, who turned a fortress into a Gothic residence, and later owners added Renaissance halls, so the interior runs from the vaulted Knights' Hall to a spiral stair and a deep well that local legend says was dug over years by prisoners promised freedom they never received. Restoration has been heavy-handed in places and the town around it is unlovely, but the castle itself is genuinely spectacular, and far less crowded than Bran.

History

John Hunyadi began the castle in 1446, turning a keep built by Charles I of Hungary into a residence; Sigismund had given the estate to his father Woyk in 1409. Work stalled after his death in 1456 and the Matia Wing was added from 1458, while the 17th century brought a large new palace facing the town and the White and Artillery towers. Its present look comes from a fanciful restoration after a disastrous fire and decades of neglect (Wikipedia, Corvin Castle).

What to look for

• The drawbridge approach - the long timber bridge on stone piers to the gate.
• The Knights' Hall - the great vaulted hall of the Hunyadi rebuilding.
• The turrets and roofs - the mass of pointed towers and steep slate above the rock.
• The deep well - the shaft and the legend of the prisoners who dug it.

When to go

April to October is mildest; the castle is open year-round but winter days are short and cold. Weekday mornings are quietest, as Romanian school groups and tour buses arrive later. Allow two to three hours including the walk round the outside for the best views.

Good to know

Hunedoara is a working industrial town and the approach through it is bleak, which surprises people expecting a fairy-tale setting. Restoration over the years has been criticised as too heavy, and some interiors feel more rebuilt than original. It is a long drive from the main Transylvanian circuit of Brașov and Sibiu, so it works best combined with Sarmizegetusa or the Retezat mountains.

Nearby

The Dacian citadels of the Orăștie mountains and Retezat National Park lie to the south; Sibiu is a couple of hours east.

Key facts