Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Hunedoara: Johan Hunyadi - Vlad Contemporary, Ruling Transylvania

This is fabulous. Maybe the best castle in Europe. Never bombed, in process of a fine reconstruction of the wooden parts and others needing preservation. Location=terrible. Abandoned communist era factories all around. Go anyway.

Corvin Castle in the eastern part of Romania. Castle of Janos Hunyadi, Hungarian - allied with Vlad off an on, both against the Turks. Hunyadi also ordered the assassination of Vlad's father and brother.

Hunyadi ruled the northern Transylvania; Vlad ruled the southern Wallachia. Janos' son ruled after him. See Hunedoara Castle at www.world66.com/europe/romania/hunedoara. Janos Hunyadi - John Hundedoara (see Huneduara in Croatia) - or Johan, was a Hungarian nobleman and general who was appointed as administrator of the area by the Hungarian rulers in the 15th century. He repelled the Ottoman invasion for many years. See www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107349.

Some sources credit Hunyadi with saving Europe because he halted the Turkish advance into southern Europe. See www.ucalgary.ca/applied_history/tutor/endmiddle/bluedot/hunyadi.

The castle is 14th Century Gothic, never bombed, never cannoned. The restorations are splendid. The surroundings, however, are eastern european socialist looming skeleton factories - no glamor entryway - but the trip is worth it. Watch out for heavy air pollution after Cluj Napoca and Deva. Asthmatics take inhalers, and do not even think about the fallout on crops, and that the animals are eating in the fields. People and vehicles barely visible in the smog. How will the EU help with health?

No comments:

Post a Comment