The Hunyadi Castle, also known as Corvins’ Castle or Hunedoara Castle is a Gothic-Renaissance castle in Hunedoara, in the region of Transylvania, Romania and after visiting it, I can say that is one of the most beautiful and well-preserved castle from Romania.

We visited the castle on a Sunday afternoon in July, on our way back to Sibiu, after having a stop to Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa, The Hateg Buffalo Reservation and the Bigar Water Cascade.

Corvin Castle was laid out in 1446, when construction began at the orders of John Hunyadi (Hungarian: Hunyadi János, Romanian: Iancu or Ioan de Hunedoara) who wanted to transform the former keep built by Charles I of Hungary. The castle was originally given to John Hunyadi’s father, Voyk (Vajk), by Sigismund, king of Hungary, as severance in 1409. It was also in 1446 when John Hunyadi was elected as the regent-governor of the Kingdom of Hungary by the Diet.

It was built mainly in Gothic style, but has Renaissance architectural elements. It features tall and strong defence towers, an interior yard and a drawbridge. Built over the site of an older fortification and on a rock above the small Zlaști River, the castle is a large and imposing building with tall and diversely coloured roofs, towers and myriad windows and balconies adorned with stone carvings.

Being recognized as one of the most impressive buildings in Eastern Europe, the castle has 3 main areas : he Knight’s Hall, the Diet Hall and the circular stairway. The halls are rectangular in shape and are decorated with marble. The Diet Hall was used for formal ceremonies and the Knight’s Hall was used for parties and feasts.

During the Hunyadi dynasty, many people were tortured and killed behind the string walls of the castle. In the first rooms of the Castle there is a presentation with torture weapons and torture procedures from the 13th century. Very well detailed, it kind of gives you the creeps. In those times, mostly soldiers from enemy armies were captured and tortured, but also people from the village, who were accused of stealing or lying.

In the castle yard, there is a well 30 meters deep. According to the legend, this fountain was dug by twelve Turkish prisoners who were promised freedom if they reached water. After 15 years they completed the well, but their captors did not keep their promise. It is said that the inscription on a wall of the well means “you have water, but not soul”.

The Hunedoara Castle is one of the most important attractions of Transylvania and a great piece of Romanian history, both from a political point of view, but also from an architectural one.

The castle is open every day from 9AM to 5 PM and a ticket costs about 6 EUR. At the entrance you can also purchase a smart phone application that will offer you an audio guide during tour visit.

More info here and here.