Ah, Romania. I fell in love the moment I stepped foot out of the airport. I knew it to be the land of Dracula and the mysterious Transylvania, but I wasn’t prepared for the history, culture, or the forgotten romance language to take such a hold of me.
But if I have to pick my favorite feature of the country, it must be the terrain: winding roads cutting through lush green countryside, unique villages sporadically dotting the faraway hills and the occasional fortress daring visitors to venture closer.
Corvin Castle was once such a fortress. Originally built during the 14th century (exact date unknown) for Charles I, King of Hungary and Croatia until 1342, the fortress acted as a keep and strategic stronghold.
When it became the home to John Hunyadi, regent-governor during the mid-1400s, Corvin Castle underwent the first of many transformations. Over the next few centuries, wings, halls, rooms, and towers were constructed for reasons both aesthetically-pleasing and defensive.
Now known as one of the Seven Wonders of Romania, Corvin Castle is one of the largest castles in Europe and probably one of the least well-known outside of Eastern Europe.
And of course there are legends and myths surrounding Corvin Castle, which have to be one of my favorite things about it. You know a place is awesome when there are fantastical stories that leave you guessing which is true and which is folly.
One such story involves 3 Turkish prisoners, a well, and an unkept promise. The legend tells about 3 young Turkish men who were forced to dig a well out in the courtyard beyond the chapel. They were promised liberty by their master once they found water…which they did 15 years later. However, their master died before the well was finished and his wife chose to not honor the agreement with the prisoners. Instead of granting them liberty, she had them beheaded.
Legend says that before the prisoners were killed, they wrote an inscription on one of the columns in the chapel: “you have water but no soul.” Other specialists claim that the inscription says “he who wrote this inscription is Hasan, who lives as slave of the giaours, in the fortress near the church.”
Another legend states that Vlad the Impaler, Bran Stoker’s inspiration for his novel Dracula, spent 7 years in the dungeons of Corvin Castle. While this isn’t true and has absolutely no physical evidence to support the theory, tourists are still told the tale.
Okay, so maybe Corvin Castle isn’t like Hogwarts, but doesn’t it look amazing? And has so much history and lore surrounding it to boot!
Have you ever heard of Corvin Castle? Does it look like Hogwarts to you? Would you ever want to visit Corvin Castle?
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