Visit Corvin Castle in Romania & See Its Interior

Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle, is one of Romania’s most impressive medieval landmarks. It’s in the city of Hunedoara in the Transylvania region. The Gothic-Renaissance castle is known for its bridge over the moat, towers, courtyard, chapel and grand halls.

Corvin Castle History

Corvin Castle is also called Hunyadi Castle and Hunedoara Castle. In Romanian, they call it Castelul Corvinilor. It is a Gothic-Renaissance castle and one of the largest castles in Europe. Construction began in the 15th century. They completed the first phase between 1440 and 1446. The second phase was towards the end of the 15th century, between 1458 and 1480. They made other additions in the 17th and 19th centuries.

The castle is on a rock above the Zlaști River, which makes up part of the moat. Corvin Castle is a large and imposing structure with tall towers, bastions, and an inner courtyard. It has diversely coloured roofs and a myriad of windows and balconies adorned with stone carvings.

It is a special place and has a place in the Seven Wonders of Romania. I hope eventually to see all the seven wonders at some point.

Tours

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An easy way to visit Corvin Castle in Romania is to join a tour. There are various options for tours on GetYourGuide. There are various options with different start points, including trips from Brasov, Sibiu and Cluj-Napoca. They also provide complete tours of the country, including various castles.

What to See Inside Corvin Castle

The entire site of Corvin Castle is a lovely place to explore with interesting medieval architecture. There are also some fascinating exhibits to see inside. The interior of the castle has many parts, including fortifications, a chapel, and grand halls.

The Bridge Over The Moat

I entered Corvin Castle across the bridge and through the main entrance. The stone/wood bridge across the moat was a great place to take photos of the building and, if I were that way inclined, great for selfies.

The river that forms part of the moat runs under this bridge and was lovely to admire from above.

Torture In Transylvania Exhibition In The Dungeon

I entered through the main entrance and had a look around the gate rather than heading to the main courtyard. Something drew me to the side rooms. This led me down some stone stairs and into a dungeon that they used in the past as a torture chamber. The dungeon had fascinating exhibits of torture devices and methods used in the castle’s history.

Each torture device had English descriptions of the torture method and what crimes these methods were punishment for. All very brutal and fascinating, the exhibition mainly focused on methods used in the 14th to 17th centuries. The archive had many artefacts showing the torture methods. Some exhibits had lifelike figures enduring their punishments.

On exiting the dungeon, it was back through the main courtyard and further into the castle and then up the stairs. Also, just outside the drawbridge is a bigger torture museum.

The Chapel

The Chapel was the first signposted room in the building which visitors can view from above. This chapel seemed an intimate place of worship, which was quite small, with a red carpet up the middle.

The room had some nice stained glass windows. Corvin Castle chapel has one small nave and an altar separated by 2 columns. The patron saint of this chapel was St John the Baptist, and it was built in the Gothic style.

The Matia Wing and The Golden Room

The Matia Wing is on the north side of the fortress and includes the Golden Room, a bedroom built for King Matia. This wing has two balconies, one overlooking the main inner courtyard that is a great place to snap a photo. The wing included some preserved artwork and furniture, and the Golden Room has a nice-looking four-poster bed.

The Princesses’ Room

The princesses’ room is also in the Matia wing, originally part of the castle defences and called the northwest tower. It developed into the princesses’ room, a living room for the ladies of the castle with a boudoir in the southern part. The ceilings are wooden and built in a Neo-Gothic style, making the place look very artistic and special.

The Council Hall

Next was to enter the rather grand Council Hall, a sizeable room used for ceremonial purposes. This room was special, with fantastic ceilings, furniture, and artwork on the walls.

I can imagine some serious banqueting happening here in the past. The hall has a row up the centre. To the west of the columns is a Renaissance gallery.

The Solitary Tower

At the southern part of the castle, you can see the solitary tower. They built this in Ioan of Hunedoara’s first stage of construction. The solitary tower has two defence levels: the gunman’s room and the embattled level. Fire damaged this circular tower in 1854, but it was restored during the 20^th century.

The tower has some fantastic views through arrow slits and other windows of the entire castle. This included viewing the main bridge and the surrounding area. Heading down the tower stairs led to the administrative palace, then on to the courtyard level where the smithy was located.

The Smithy – Blacksmith

A forge first mentioned in the 15th century, located on the ground floor of the administrative wing. The blacksmiths of the time had a close relationship with the knights of the era and worked together to create the perfect weapons, including swords.

They considered the blacksmith an important part of society because of their ability to create valuable and useful items. Currently on display are many tools and bellows used by the smithy, and it was fascinating to see.

Corvin Castle Courtyard

From the smithy, I entered the main courtyard of Corvin Castle, which is a very nice area and gives access to all parts of the castle. It has balconies overlooking the goings-on.

Hunting & Castle Construction Exhibitions

Off the courtyard were some rooms on a balcony-type walkway. This included a hunting room with wall-mounted heads, skulls and furs, including lynx and wolf.

They dedicated another neighbouring room to the stone used in the construction of the buildings.

The Knights’ Hall

Opposite the courtyard and under the council hall was the main knight’s hall, which contained an exhibition of suits of armour and weapons used.

This hall had the same style of ceilings and pillars as the hall above. It was fascinating to see the weapons used, from forks to swords, and there was also some artwork on display.

The Legend of The Well

From the courtyard, I exited through an archway to the well, which has a legend attached to it. The story tells of 3 Turkish prisoners whom Ioan of Hunedoara promised freedom upon completion of the well. It took the prisoners 15 years to complete digging through solid rock to find water.

Unfortunately for the prisoners, Ioan had passed away, and his wife decided not to respect her husband’s promise and killed the prisoners. Their last wish was to write on a piece of stone in the well. The prisoners wrote on the stone, “You may have water, but you have no soul.” The stone is now at home in the chapel.

Fortifications

From the well, I headed along the fortifications of the main castle towards the mace tower. Views were fantastic, including the river, the outer fortifications and the moat in between.

The Mace Tower

AKA the Painted Tower, the Mace Tower is the tallest tower of the original construction, which started in 1440. It only has one defensive level, but its original purpose was as a watchtower.

The mace’s name comes from the semi-spherical dome shape at the top. In the second half of the 15th century, they covered it with a fresco of rhombs, which led to its other name, the Painted Tower.

Where is Corvin Castle in Romania?

On my Interrail trip, I needed a town to visit near the border. This was while travelling on the Bucharest-Vienna train line. We opted to stay in Deva because the train times suited travelling with the dog. Corvin Castle was near Deva and had a good regular minibus service to Hunedoara from the train station.

I arrived in a minibus from Deva at the bus station and walked, using old faithful Google Maps, to get to the castle. The route changed many times because of groups of stray dogs taking an interest in my puppy; I carried him and changed the route to avoid any trouble. We arrived using an unconventional route, approaching on dirt roads along the river that formed part of the castle’s moat.

If you want to do it easily, there are tours available on GetYourGuide from many Romanian cities.

Is it Dog Friendly?

They allowed the dog in the outer courtyard, where there were tourist shops and shops selling refreshments. This had a big grass area, seating overlooking the castle, and what looked like stadium seating facing the main building.

The dog could not enter the castle across the bridge, so it was time to take turns exploring or being on dog duty. I purchased tickets from the ticket office and established the ‘no camera’ sign meant no proper cameras, but mobile phones were OK to use. Happy days.

Visitor Information & Tickets

Corvin Castle has two sets of opening times, one for summer and one for winter. The best place to find out about opening times, book tickets and current prices is on the castle’s website.