The Huniad Castle is one of the most beautiful examples of Gothic architecture in central and Eastern Europe. Situated at the very heart of the Ha■eg Land, in the Cernea Valley, the castle was built at the beginning of the 14th century by King Charles Robert dÆAnjou and later made into a sumptuous Renaissance and Baroque noble residence by Iancu of Hunedoara (1387û1456) and his son, Mathias Corvinus, King of Hungary (1443û1490). Count Gabriel Bethlen (1580û1629) also made several architectural modifications. In the 18th century, the castle became the residence of the counts of Banat, and later of grand Turkish dignitaries. Restoration work was carried out in 1716. The Castle was destroyed and rebuilt several times. During the Revolution of 1848, the castle was under siege for 107 days. It was restored once again in 1856. Nowadays, it houses the Museum of the Banat Land, which has a history section, as well as art, ethnography, folklore and local geography sections. It also has many reception halls decorated with arms and frescoes (the Diet Hall, the Knights Hall), a chapel and about 50 other rooms.
