June 2022

Corvin Castle, also known as Hunyadi Castle or Hunedoara Castle was laid out in 1446 by János Hunyadi and is located in present day Hunedoara. Why Corvin then? There are several legends involving a raven and a ring, that explain why house Hunyadi became Corvinus (raven in Latin).

Like every old castle this one has been rebuilt and modified over time. Like many of them, it suffered fire and neglect. Before becoming a tourist attraction the castle was restored, though the current look is not historically accurate.

Since no one knows exactly what did Corvin Castle looked like hundreds of years ago, restorators made it look like what they imagine a great gothic castle should look like. A little bit of concrete would not hurt as well. The works are still in progress.

Also, the view from the top of the main tower, probably, differs from what Matia Corvin could see back in the day.

Every medieval castle must have a torture dungeon. Every medieval castle turned tourist attraction must have an exposition of medieval torture devices. In Corvin Castle the exposition is located in a separate building and requires a separate entry ticket. Denis insisted on going there, but once he saw mannequins in the dim light of the basement and heard recorded screams, he felt very uncomfortable and went to eat ice-cream instead. 

The exposition is not that scary, however, the inhumanity of the medieval methods is horrifying as always. Some people may find the following photos disturbing.