Royal Life

Visiting a few castles and fortresses, has made me think of what life must have been like for those who were not museum visitors back in the day, but had spent their life in those fortresses we admire so much today. It's an interesting mind game if you're willing to play and teaches you a lot about your emotions and feelings.

Over the years I've seen many people expressing their wishes to have lived in medieval times, but they only had regrets for not being able to wear those pompous clothes and being served by an army of servants. The flip side of the coin was not visible to them, the hardship and the constant danger they faced was never visible to these people. Obviously not every noble had a difficult life, but their comfortable life can not be compared to ours in my opinion.

Today I'd like to show you some of the rooms in the Făgăraș castle, that were inhabited by different nobles over decades and centuries.

(People were looking down as there were fish in the water. Most likely fishing is not allowed, but that doesn't stop people from thinking about it.)

The citadel is huge, without any exaggeration. Only a part is open to the public though. At the time of our visit, there were restoration works going on, so I hope more parts will be open to the public in the near future. Today I chose to focus on these rooms that were furnished like for the nobles.

Seeing such a room most likely make people say Wow, that's the first reaction most of the visitors have when they step into this long, arched, brick wall room. It is definitely a nice, stylish space, well illuminated, but it wasn't always like that. Imagine those chandeliers with candles instead of light bulbs and cold air roaming around the room as heating was done with wood, which means it was hot around the fireplace and extremely cold away from the fireplace. Truth to be told, the room looks great now.

Can you imagine this table as your office? Would you swap your ergonomic chair and lift desk with this setup? Could you sit 8 - 10 hours on those chairs? These are new obviously, but the old ones were not much different either.

Imagine working at your desk, while several of these guards are standing at your door, or next to you.

A meeting at this table? A tough discussion about macroeconomics, politics, social problems, defense strategies? Every day?

Taking photos at a place like this, especially during summer, when it's packed with tourists everywhere, it's a nightmare. It was frustrating for me as I'm always looking for the best angle, to frame the photo right and when I see nothing is like it should be, it leaves me disappointed. This chandelier at least was at the right place and could take a half decent photo of it.

We're in 2023, there's electricity and running water available, but things were very different when this citadel was in the hands of those nobles. The windows are on the other side of the wall, are not big, due to which light was never enough. Imagine yourself working at candle light.

Iron Maiden

Don't jump to conclusions as this is not Bruce Dickinson and Steve Harris's Iron Maiden. This is a very different one.

The iron maiden is a mythical torture device, consisting of a solid iron cabinet with a hinged front and spike-covered interior, sufficiently tall to enclose a human being. The first stories citing the iron maiden were composed in the 19th century. The use of iron maidens is considered to be a myth, heightened by the belief that people of the Middle Ages were uncivilized; evidence of their actual use is difficult to find. They have become a very popular image in media involving the Middle Ages and involving torture chambers. source

I tried to make this post funny, but this is not funny anymore. I took a photo about this description for you to read it.

Some of you may know I'm a huge fan of middle age architecture and love castles and fortresses, but I also tend to only see what I like. Those were extremely cruel times if you ended up on the wrong end of the story. Torture was a powerful tool, wildly used without any restrictions. Justice was served based on preferences and money could buy anything, including false testimonies. One witness (real or false) was enough for someone to be convicted based on the witness testimony.

Next there was this chapel, which seemed quiet and really cool, in the real sense of the word. Too bad I did not have time to sit down for a minute and try to feel the past.

The fireplace, that most likely has an efficiency of 5% today. There was a note on it and was curious to see what it says. Imagine my shock on my face, when I read, they are asking visitors not to touch anything. One would think people know these things and can act accordingly, but obviously that's not the case.

What you see here is a German Bible, from the early 18th century, statues, saints and a Madonna, made in the second half of the 17th century. All made of linden wood.

This chapel had an important role back in those days. Royals and nobles had the privilege of having their own chapel, most likely with their own priest as well. Religion was an important part of their life.

Now comes the question. Would you have lived in those times, in a place like this? Let me know in a comment and please tell me why or why not.

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