Castle Culture
SPRAWLING PALACES, buttressed castles, fortified churches, painted monasteries and armed fortresses, Romania is filled with dominant structures steeped in history. Here are a few selected from a pool of many worth writing home about.
CORVIN CASTLE: One of the most beautiful and well-preserved medieval castles in Transylvania. Said to have once had a bear pit for, you know…prisoners. Hunedoara, Transylvania. 14th century.
Like with many castles and fortresses in Romania, Dracula lore surrounds Corvin Castle. Unsubstantiated claims are that Vlad Tepes > Vlad the Impaler > Vlad Dracul > Dracula was imprisoned here for seven years.
Next to the narrow drawbridge to Corvin Castle.
Dark rooms and obscured corridors made for an eerie tour.
BRAN CASTLE: Known by many outside of Romania as “Dracula’s Castle”, but this was NOT the home of Dracula, nor Vlad the Impaler, not even Bram Stoker. Approach from Brasov - castle is on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. 14th century.
Stoker wrote Dracula without ever visiting Transylvania, and the creation of Dracula’s castle in the novel was purely from Stoker’s imagination. His description of a dark, cold fortress lead to myths that Vlad Tepes ruled from this location. This tenuous association has proven good enough for Dracula fans, as Bran Castle still lures them in from all over the world.
The general feeling of everything around Bran Castle is eternal Halloween, even though the Dracula lore surrounding it is unfounded.
PELES CASTLE (PALACE): in the Carpathian mountains of Wallachia - southern Romania. 170 rooms at 34,000 sq. ft. Easy to visit from Bucharest or Brasov. 19th century.
Tucked at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains, and surrounded by a thick forest of conifers, walking up to Peles is like walking into a fairytale - but instead of a glass slipper I got blue polypropylene shoe covers so I didn’t track dirt onto the polished palace floors.
Peles was the first European castle lit entirely by electrical current, produced by the castle's very own plant, and with Klimt frescoes in the theater room, hand-carved teak furniture in the music room, Cordoba leather-covered walls and Murano crystal chandeliers, Peles offers a new delight at every turn.
Keeping those castle floors clean!
Murano crystal chandeliers in the drawing room.
VERDICT: Mostly Harmless - despite the torture rooms.
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LINKS:
Corvin Castle: Open daily, from 10:30 AM to 8:30 PM on Mondays, and from 9:00 AM and 8:30 PM Tuesday to Sunday. Admission €5.
Bran Castle: Castle located on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. National symbol of Romania. Open every day of the week. Last admission 6pm during the high season and 4pm during the low season. Admission €8.5.
Peles Castle: There are three different tickets for purchase - one for the first floor only, one for both floors, and one for taking photographs (which I highly recommend). September through May - closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Closed on Mondays every other month.
