We're used to seeing interesting castles in different movies, with lots of rooms, secret doors and passageways, through which love affairs and conspiracies have been carried out throughout decades and centuries. I think it's safe to say that's what makes those movies interesting and we expect to see such scenes in real life too, when we visit a castle.
Today I'm going to show you an interesting part of the Făgăraș citadel, which seemed to be following these patterns in the movies.
In my last post I showed you the chapel, which was an important space in these nobles' life as religion had an important role back then. This interesting chapel is in one of the bastions and the lack of windows and light makes it even more mysterious.
To add to that, there is a door on the left, that leads somewhere :)
If you thought I'm joking, when I mentioned those movies, look at these stairs, the narrow space and tell me if you have mysterious movie vibes. Trust me, walking up on those stairs was quite an experience as the height of the steps are not normal, you have to lift your legs properly. It made me remember the stairs in the Netherlands, where you most likely would knock your teeth out in the first minute on the stairs. I was warned to lift my feet properly, but even so, I still tripped a few times. The worst was the Utrecht tower, with 456 steps up in such narrow stairs and just as many down. But let's get back to out story.
On the top of the stairs there's a room, a bedroom to be precise.
After reading the board above, let's look at the room and please try to not forget that we're not talking about 21th century interior design. Also please keep in mind that back in those days, this meant luxury and only a selected few had part of it.
A wooden desk, that can not be missing from any room as people used it to write letters and secret messages, notes. A candle holder, which was also a must as electricity came only in the second half of the 20th century. Books and most likely the bible.
I'm not a huge fan of these wall mats, nor am I religious enough to use such decorations, but this seems like a professional work to me. Don't ask me what the writing says on the top as it's in German and I don't speak German.
This was the most shocking element of the room. This is the only bed and looks authentic to me. I've seen quite a few beds in different castles and palaces, from Versailles to Schönbrunn, but never such an uncomfortable, poor one. Those beds usually were screaming of luxury and comfort. Not this one though. Oh well.
Unlike the other rooms, or the chapel for example, this bedroom, or Lady's House had some nice windows, which allowed plenty of light in, which back in those days was quite a luxury. What I always envy when seeing such windows is that spacious ledge, that would make me sit there all day long, reading or working on a tablet.
At the other side of the room, there was this spiral staircase, which led downstairs, to another corridor. I find the architect's choice very strange, but considering that this room is in a tower, maybe this was the only option. One thing is for sure. I would not want it.
Another interesting room was this boardroom, which is in another tower. Today it is nicely renovated, with furniture matching the style of the tron room.
I hope the original furniture was more comfortable as I don't see how you could sit for hours in those extremely uncomfortable looking chairs.
The citadel has five towers, or bastions, of different shapes and sizes.
I'm not entirely sure, but this could be the tower or bastion where the bedroom, or the Lady's House is. The truth is, there are so many corridors, stairs, and secret doors that you lose count of where you are.
May as well be this one.
Looking back to their way of life, even though quite many are envying them for their lifestyle, I'm glad I wasn't born in those eras. This lifestyle was considered luxurious by the poor and they were the ones paying for it, but looking at it through today standards, no thanks for different reasons :) But it's always good to learn about the past.
(However, the brick and stone lover in me was glad to see these massive walls that stood there for centuries, serving as defense structures.)
Let's see, who would want to live here? Let me know in a comment.
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
- Communities Explained - Newbie Guide
- Cross Posting And Reposting Explained, Using PeakD
- Hive Is Not For Me
- How To Pump Your Reputation Fast - Newbie Guide
- Tips And Tricks & Useful Hive Tools For Newbies
- More Useful Tools On Hive - Newbie Guide
- Community List And Why It Is Important To Post In The Right Community
- Witnesses And Proposals Explained - Newbie Guide
- To Stake, Or Not To Stake - Newbie Guide
- Tags And Tagging - Newbie Guide
- Newbie Expectations And Reality
