Corvin Castle — Castelul Corvinilor in Romanian — is one of the finest Gothic castles in Central Europe, and the single reason most travellers come to Hunedoara. It rises from a rocky outcrop above the Zlasti River on the western edge of town, its bristling towers, drawbridge, and battlements looking exactly as a medieval castle should. The fortress was begun in the 14th century and substantially rebuilt by John Hunyadi from the 1440s onward. Hunyadi, the regent of Hungary and the man who stopped the Ottoman advance at Belgrade in 1456, poured the profits of his campaigns into making this the grandest castle in the region.
Inside, the Knight's Hall — a vast Gothic hall with ribbed vaulting — is particularly impressive. The chapel, the council chamber, and the drum towers all repay slow exploration. The castle has been well restored and is fully accessible, with good signage in Romanian and English.
Admission is charged; the castle is open daily, with slightly reduced hours in winter. Budget a minimum of two hours to do it justice. story: > Vlad III of Wallachia — Vlad the Impaler, the historical figure behind Bram Stoker's Dracula — is said to have been imprisoned in Corvin Castle for several years in the 1450s after John Hunyadi fell out with him. Whether the dungeon shown to visitors today is actually where he was held is contested, but the legend has stuck and the castle leans into it cheerfully.