Hunedoara

Hunedoara grew beneath the castle of the Hunyadi family, at the edge of the Transylvanian mountains. Its towers and long bridge rise above the stream and rock on which an earlier royal fortress stood. The castle combined a defensive position with halls and chambers worthy of one of the kingdom's most powerful families.

In 1409 King Sigismund granted the estate to Voicu, father of John Hunyadi. After 1441 John, voivode of Transylvania and later governor of Hungary, transformed the old fortress with new walls and towers. As his power grew, he added a chapel and ceremonial halls, including a great hall whose inscription bears his name and the date 1452. After his death in 1456, building continued under his son Matthias Corvinus. A northern wing with arcades and secular paintings brought Renaissance decoration to the Gothic residence.