Video foreign tourists, conquered by the medieval “Disneyland” in Romania: “Over 20 years, the castle will be spectacular”

Corvin Castle attracts many foreign tourists, some of the most distant corners of the world. Those who see him for the first time are often amazed by his architecture and do not shy away from comparing him with “fairy tale” castles.

For over five years in the restoration, Corvin Castle continued to be, during this time, a true magnet for foreign tourists.

The restoration work of the building have been complex and will continue in the next years, but the castle in Hunedoara will remain open to the public, during their duration.

Medieval Castle, the emblem of a working city

The city of Hunedoara, the place where the Corvin Castle is located, has developed, since the 1950s, as a powerful center of metallurgy in Romania. However, the authorities of the time neglected the tourist importance of the Corvin Castle, erected by the Huniaz family in the middle of the fifteenth century.

In the decades of communism, the castle in Hunedoara was surrounded by industrial constructions and covered by the soot and dust of the steel combined. The city did not rely on tourist facilities, its block neighborhoods – all built in the second half of the 20th century – being typical for the sober and minimalist architecture of the time.

And before the expansion of the factories, started in the interwar years, Hunedoara was a town of 7-8,000 inhabitants, who did not present other tourist attractions, outside the castle.

After the industrial decline of Hunedoara, Corvin Castle remained the only popular tourist objective of the city. Located in a large renovation process, started in 2019 with the help of European funds, the medieval ensemble remains one of the few places that attract foreign tourists in Hunedoara.

Apart from this, the travelers know little about the city, and their visit could only mean a walk among the former working neighborhoods, with old buildings dominated by the theater built in the 1950s. However, foreigners arrived at the castle have many reasons for satisfaction, as their reviews published on travel sites such as Tripadvisor shows.

Corvin Castle, sought by Australian tourists

A tourist from Australia told that he arrived in western Romania especially to see the Corvin Castle.

“The Corvin Castle was all the reason why I made the five -hour train trip from Brasov and one for almost nine hours back to Bucharest, from Deva. I arrived in Hunedoara, Romania, which is the city where this castle is, with a minibus that leaves near the train station in Deva, the ticket being 13 lei for the direction, so not too much. he reports.

From the Hunedoara Boulevards, the castle is a harder to see than the fortress in Deva, being hidden from buildings until you approach it, adds the tourist.

“The entrance to the castle costs 50 lei. It is a torture exhibition as soon as you cross the mobile bridge and enter the castle, in a room on the left of the entrance. To the right is the former prison. A knight armor and some weird art works can be found in other rooms, together with clothes from the medieval era, dining tables and other pieces of furniture.“He tells.

The Corvin Castle seemed over -appraisered to the Australian tourist, who first saw it in reality, although he had read about him.

“It was not as impressive” in person “, so to speak, as I thought it would be about what I had seen about it online. It also has many scaffolding on some of the towers and on the castle. from Deva and the city of Deva itself ”he added on Tripadvisor.

Another tourist, also from Australia, was more excited about the Corvin Castle. He reported that, although the monument is being renovated, he has found enough places to visit.

“We did not expect it to be fully furnished, given the age and history he told.

The tourist left satisfied, after finding a free parking on a side street and because it was not a ticket to the tickets, even on a Saturday afternoon.

“It was not crowded and there were signs indicating the direction of the tour. Overall, it seems to be a well -administered tourist attraction, with a reasonable entry fee. The Australian senior card is also accepted, which ensures a 50 percent discount on the entrance fee,” completed the traveler.

Another Australian states that this is “a true castle, as directly from Disneyland.” The tourist compared to Disneyland Castle in Paris, inspired by the architecture of other castles in Europe, for the similarities between them. However, unlike the castle of the amusement park, the Romanian monument remains authentic.

“The castle has a ditch and what was once a mobile bridge. There is an inner courtyard for your horse and carriage. The rooms offer informative, Hungarian and Romanian panels.he says.

Two hours among the rooms of Corvin Castle

A US tourist recommends visitors to give at least two hours to explore the castle.

“There are many rooms to see and many steep stairs, depending on how high you want to climb the towers. The top of the main tower offers you a great view over the rural area. Overall, we felt very good” she adds.

Another tourist, Portuguese, says he is one of the biggest and best kept the castles he has ever visited.

A tourist from Canada remained much more impressed by the castle, after recently visited.

“It is very well kept and constantly maintained. The Gothic Castle is quite impressive, and the views over the valley are remarkable. It is worth a visit of 1-2 hours.”the Canadian concludes.

A Japanese tourist claims, in his turn, that he is an unmoved castle for those traveling from Sibiu to Timisoara, on the A1 highway, from where I can make a detour of only 25 kilometers to Hunedoara.

“It is our favorite castle from the ones visited in Transylvania. The restoration works are simply amazing and deserve the entrance fee of 50 lei. I spent a few good hours exploring the castle – there are so many rooms and towers.he says.

Corvin Castle, popular in online reviews

An English tourist said he deserved to extend his travel route through Transylvania, just to visit Corvin Castle.

“We were not sure whether to go to Hunedoara, being quite far from Sibiu, and the day before we drove a lot and it was raining. We were very pleased to do it. It was a very interesting castle, with wonderful views, narrow stairs and gothic vaults. Part of enough torture and at home, in the UK. he says.

Another tourist, German, notes that many parts of the castle are still well kept.

“The restorations are well made and everything looks very well maintained. You can visit the castle following a recommended route through buildings and towers or you can explore on your own. The art was exposed in many rooms – either paintings, sculptures or something. Peak ”, consider this.

The Corvin Castle received over 1,000 reviews on the Tripadvisor platform, and in almost 90 percent of the cases it was appreciated as “excellent” or “very good”. Most evaluations come from foreign tourists.

In contrast, of the few dozen reviews in which he was noted as “very weak” or “terrible”, most belong to Romanian tourists, but some of them are older than one year.

On Google, Corvin Castle has so far collected more than 47,000 reviews, being among the most popular places to visit in Romania.

Corvin Castle – six centuries of transformations

The Corvin Castle of Hunedoara was built in the middle of the fifteenth century, on the ruins of an older fortress, on a rocky spur of Sânpetru Hill, at the foot of which the valleys of Cerna and Zlaști are met. The settlement had both an administrative role for the surrounding lands, inhabited by the forests in the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, as well as a military role, being one of the most difficult to conquer medieval fortifications in the area.

Ioan de Hunedoara, governor of Transylvania and a great commander of hosts of the Kingdom of Hungary, was the one who transformed the fortress received from the king into a fortress meant to cut the momentum of any enemy. The buildings and walls of the Corvin Castle were erected in six distinct historical stages, between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries, in architectural styles characteristic of the respective eras.

One of the largest restorations followed the devastating fire of April 13, 1854. Then the flames turned the roof in the shingle, beams, wood stairs, ceilings, devastating almost the entire castle – the only wooden door escaped, the prison gate, five centuries old.

For almost ten years, the castle was abandoned, but later entered the renovation, and the works stretched for almost 40 years. Since 2019, Corvin Castle – in the meantime became one of the most popular tourist attractions in Romania – has again entered the restoration process, this time with European funds.