There is only one count in Miclosoara, a remote Transylvanian village of 512 souls in the wilds of the Carpathian Mountains - and it isn’t Dracula.
Meet Count Tibor Kalnoky, a dashing 40-year-old entrepreneur descended from a noble family which settled in these misty lands in the 13th century and lived there until communism forced them to flee.
The count, a former veterinarian who grew up in France and Germany, moved back to the ancestral home after communism ended in 1989.
In the past few years, he has created one of Romania’s most successful tourist ventures out of his ancestral hunting manor - and has counted Britain’s Prince Charles among his guests.
His manor, which opened in 2001, lies deep in southern Transylvania, a region where myth and reality have become intertwined.But you will hardly hear a word here about Dracula, the Romanian warlord Vlad the Impaler upon whom the character was loosely based, or the novels of Bram Stoker. Instead, Count Kalnoky lures guests with the old world of Transylvanian customs.
Many visitors come to feast on tasty fare of pork or chicken stew, mashed potato tinged pink by paprika pepper and home-baked cakes served by women in traditional costume.
Dinner is washed down with red Romanian wine and guests are warmed by a roaring log fire in the wine cellar before snuggling into decades-old goose eiderdowns in rooms decorated faithfully in the style of the Szeklers.
Szekler farm workers plough the fields with sturdy horses and draw water from wells and store corn in their barns; cows and horses amble down the streets.
Take a hike in the hills and you may come across bears and wolves. Bird lovers can look out for eagles, black storks and woodpeckers.
You can also travel in a horse and cart for a mountain picnic, cycle to nearby Transylvanian towns or visit the Kalnoky family hunting lodge.
Just north of Miclosoara, there is the cave where the legendary Pied Piper is said to have lured the hapless children of Hamelin.
When visitors return to the manor at sundown for dinner they are serenaded by Szekler music in the soft green drawing room, with antique furniture and dark wooden floors. It’s low-key and relaxing.
The Kalnoky property was seized when the communists came to power, and it took him eight years to get the lands returned after the Soviet collapse. Count Kalnoky is modest about his success and the rave reviews he has received in the past few years for his manor and smaller guest houses, which can host a maximum of 20 people.
“It’s all very unpretentious,” he says, sipping caraway brandy that is on tap at every moment for the guests.
“My view of Romania was skewed until I got here,” said Alison Sarson, a British police officer at the end of a three-day visit. “More people should come and see how pleasant it is. The horses and carts are lovely.”
Prince Charles was the most famous guest among the thousands of diplomats, business people and regular tourists who visit the estate.
On the bookshelf in the rooms where the prince spent a night earlier this year are tomes on Transylvanian mushrooms, birdwatching and lighter reads by Catherine Cookson.
A painted cupboard called a teka in the wall in every room keeps mineral water and beer cool for guests.
Charles himself is restoring houses in the Saxon part of Transylvania, at Viscri, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Meet Count Tibor Kalnoky, a dashing 40-year-old entrepreneur descended from a noble family which settled in these misty lands in the 13th century and lived there until communism forced them to flee.
The count, a former veterinarian who grew up in France and Germany, moved back to the ancestral home after communism ended in 1989.
In the past few years, he has created one of Romania’s most successful tourist ventures out of his ancestral hunting manor - and has counted Britain’s Prince Charles among his guests.
His manor, which opened in 2001, lies deep in southern Transylvania, a region where myth and reality have become intertwined.But you will hardly hear a word here about Dracula, the Romanian warlord Vlad the Impaler upon whom the character was loosely based, or the novels of Bram Stoker. Instead, Count Kalnoky lures guests with the old world of Transylvanian customs.
Many visitors come to feast on tasty fare of pork or chicken stew, mashed potato tinged pink by paprika pepper and home-baked cakes served by women in traditional costume.
Dinner is washed down with red Romanian wine and guests are warmed by a roaring log fire in the wine cellar before snuggling into decades-old goose eiderdowns in rooms decorated faithfully in the style of the Szeklers.
Szekler farm workers plough the fields with sturdy horses and draw water from wells and store corn in their barns; cows and horses amble down the streets.
Take a hike in the hills and you may come across bears and wolves. Bird lovers can look out for eagles, black storks and woodpeckers.
You can also travel in a horse and cart for a mountain picnic, cycle to nearby Transylvanian towns or visit the Kalnoky family hunting lodge.
Just north of Miclosoara, there is the cave where the legendary Pied Piper is said to have lured the hapless children of Hamelin.
When visitors return to the manor at sundown for dinner they are serenaded by Szekler music in the soft green drawing room, with antique furniture and dark wooden floors. It’s low-key and relaxing.
The Kalnoky property was seized when the communists came to power, and it took him eight years to get the lands returned after the Soviet collapse. Count Kalnoky is modest about his success and the rave reviews he has received in the past few years for his manor and smaller guest houses, which can host a maximum of 20 people.
“It’s all very unpretentious,” he says, sipping caraway brandy that is on tap at every moment for the guests.
“My view of Romania was skewed until I got here,” said Alison Sarson, a British police officer at the end of a three-day visit. “More people should come and see how pleasant it is. The horses and carts are lovely.”
Prince Charles was the most famous guest among the thousands of diplomats, business people and regular tourists who visit the estate.
On the bookshelf in the rooms where the prince spent a night earlier this year are tomes on Transylvanian mushrooms, birdwatching and lighter reads by Catherine Cookson.
A painted cupboard called a teka in the wall in every room keeps mineral water and beer cool for guests.
Charles himself is restoring houses in the Saxon part of Transylvania, at Viscri, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
No comments:
Post a Comment