Corvin Castle, Hunedoara: Europe's Majestic Fairytale Fortress in Transylvania
Corvin castle is one of the biggest castles in the Europe. It looks like something right out of a fairytale. With its pebbled lane entrance, tall round towers, drawbridge, and moat, this building makes a great impression. You cannot miss it while visiting Transylvania.
I must be honest with you. I love history and I love medieval castles, so when I first looked on the Corvin Castle, I was able only to say "Wow" (and I saw the photos of it on the internet). This building is amazing from the outside, it's an awesome place for photography.
The castle is also called the Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle. In the Romanian language it's called Castelul Huniazilor or Castelul Corvinilor, and in the Hungarian language: Vajdahunyadi vár.
Founder
Corvin's castle construction started by the John Hunyadi (Hunyadi János, Iancu or Ioan de Hunedoara). Iancu of Hunedoara was the son of a noble family of Romanian ancestry and was a leading Hungarian figure.
John Hunyadi was one of the leaders who stopped Turkish rise towards Europe in Belgrad after their conquest of Constantinople in 1456. To this day you can hear the bells in Romanian churches to celebrate that victory.
History
Corvin castle was built in 1446 in a Renaissance-Gothic style on a rock above the Zlasti River. The building has many towers, three of them were used as prisons, other was for defensive purposes and were able to handle large weapons.
The castle has two large halls: The Diet Hall and the Knight’s Hall, both in a rectangular shape and all decorated with marble. The Knight's Hall was used for feasts and the Diet Hall for ceremonies.
After the John Hunyadi death in 1456, the castle building stopped. Two years later his son Mathias Corvinas has become the king of Hungary. He also was the prince of Transylvania, so using the new source of money he built the Matia Wing. The final works finished in 1480 and the Corvin Castle was that times one of the biggest (and definitely most impressed) buildings in the whole Eastern Europe.
One of the prison towers was the place where the famous Vlad Dracula was held as a prisoner after being deposed in 1462 for seven years.
While in the 16th century not much changed with the castle, in the 17th century many military purpose additions were added. The new building has been added, called the Large Palace, which was facing the town. It has two levels and a large living area and a living chamber was there.
Also, the external yard was built and it was used mainly for the storage and administration purposes. The two new towers were constructed: the Artillery Tower and the White Tower.
Legends
There are two main famous legends related to the Hunedoara Castle: The Raven and the Ring and The Fountain.
The Raven and the Ring
The raven and the ring are both the symbols of the Hunedoara's Corvin Castle. There is an interesting legend related to it. It said that Iancu of Hunedoara (builder of the castle) was, in fact, the illegitimate son of Sigismund of Luxemburg, king of Hungary. When Iancu was born, he received a special golden ring, so people would be able to recognize him later as a king.
Unfortunately, the raven stole that ring. Iancu of Hunedoara, who was a kid that time, went outside the castle and used his bow to kill the bird with an arrow. He hit him straight in the heart and he was able to recover the ring.
Since then, The Raven and the Ring are the symbols of Iancu of Hunedoara and whole Corvin Castle.
The Fountain
When you will go ti the castle's courtyard, you will find there a fountain. The legend says that John Hunyadi told to three Turkish prisoners captured during the battle, that they will get their freedom if they will dig a well so that the castle would have drinking water.
The prisoners worked day and night for 15 years, digging in the hard rock. When they finally got to the water, Iancu was already dead, and his wife decided not to honor his promise. Three prisoners were so upset, that they carved inside the well the text: "Water you have but you don’t have a heart".
Practical information for tourists
Warning: this information are valid in the day I'm writing this article (13th of April 2017), so it can change. If you plan to visit the castle, see the actual information here: http://www.castelulcorvinilor.ro.
The castle is opened on Monday between 12:00 and 17:00, and from 09:00 to 17:00 in other days (including Saturday and Sunday). The last entry is 45 minutes before closing time, so on 16:15. The charges are:
- 30 lei in May, June, July, and August.
- 25 lei in March, April, September, and October.
- 20 lei in November, December, February, and January.
- 5 lei for students.
- There is also 5 lei photo and 15 lei video charge.
There are many signs showing directions to the castle in the Hunedoara, so there's very easy to get there once you got to the city. You can also get there by train or a bus.
Conclusion
This is for sure an attraction worth to visit. With its towers and the bridge, the Corvin castle is amazing, mostly from the outside, but insides are also worth to see. Make sure to take your camera, as the views will be awesome.
While visiting Corvin Castle don't forget, that Transylvania has also a lot of different beautiful locations worth to visit or see (or climb). Hope you enjoyed this article. If you have any questions or thoughts, feel free to leave my a comment below.
