| Places of interest - Transylvania | |
The documents of the time mention the existence of a stronghold in the 14th century, situated on the current site of the castle, a royal fortress with an ellipsoidal shape and a refuge tower on the North wing, barred on the South side by a stonewall. This estate of the D'Anjou family became the property of the Corvin Family at the beginning of the 15th century (1409), during the times of the nobleman Voicu, as a donation including the fortress and the estate of Hunedoara. It was during this chronological moment in history that the name of the Corvins were mentioned, when king Sigismund of Luxemburg offered the above mentioned estate and the castle as reward for special military merits. |
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Built in the 14th century, on the place of an old fortification, on a rock at which bottom flows the little river Zlasti, Corvinesti Castle is a great building, with high and diversely colored roofs, towers, windows and balconies adorned with laces from carvings in stone. Being one of the most important properties of Iancu de Hunedoara, the castle was transformed during his ruling. It becomes a sumptuous home, not only a strategically enforced point. With the passing of the years, the masters of the castle had modified its look, adding towers, halls and guest rooms. The gallery and the donjon - the last defence tower, remain unchanged from Iancu de Hunedoara's time, as the Capistrano Tower (named after the famous monk of the castle court) are some of the most significant parts of the construction. Can be remembered also the Knights Hall (a great reception hall), Clubs Tower and the White bastion which served as food storage room, the Diet Hall, having on the walls painted medallions (among them there are the portraits of Matei Basarab, ruler from Wallachia, and Vasile Lupu, ruler of Moldavia). In the wing of the castle called the Mantle is seen vaguely enough, a painting regarding the legend of the raven from which came the name of the descendants of Iancu de Hunedoara: “Corvini” (in Romanian raven is "corb") In the inner yard of the castle, near the chapel, is a well, 30 meters deep. The legend says that this fountain was dug by three Turkish prisoners, to whom the liberty was promised if they reach water. After 15 years, when they have finished the well, the masters did not kept their promise. It says that the inscription from the wall of the well means "you have water, but not soul". But the specialist decrypted the inscription and it means "he who wrote this inscription is Hassan, who lives as slave at the giaours, in the fortress near the church". After a series of minor modifications and fires, the last fire in 1854 having destroyed the whole wooden structure of the castle, the first restoration works was started (1868 - 1874); as a result, the shingle roof of the castle was replaced with a tile roof, some of the towers were super - elevated, a neo-Gothic side was built and some interior works and fittings out were executed. The turning of the castle into a museum (1974) was preceded by another restoration and consolidation stage (1956 - 1968) and, after 1997, the restoration works has been going on up now. |
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