Orava Castle is one of the most visited castles in Slovakia, where it is called 'Oravský hrad', which means Orava Castle in English, which is English for 'Árva vára' as they say in Hungarian.
It's the castle that Murnau used to shoot "Nosferatu", a castle lost in the far reaches of an unknown country, where a vampire lord could rule in fear and panic.
Orava Castle sits up high, at 520 meters, perched on a 112 m high cliff. In 1267, it was built, the location offering natural protection against invaders and sieges - unfortunately, this also prevented unruly mobs from burning the vampire in his coffin.
Now, the castle is a cultural monument in Slovakia, after years of disuse and neglect. It passed hands many times, and I bet it was the audience for some greatly disturbing secrets. The walls have ears, you know.
I'd bet a lot of money that the castle has secret passageways. You've always got to have a secret passage if you're building an old castle... the lord and lady of the manor have to be able to escape, leaving the poor servants to defend the property.
The most obvious way to find a secret passage is to pull on all the books on the bookshelf. I'm sure this has been tried many, many times, so it's prudent to step it up a notch. Look at loose bricks on the fireplace, switches inside stone gargoyles and gems that fit in a special setting, focusing the moonlight into a spectral beam. I'm getting way ahead of myself, though... first, we got to get to the castle, then we can plunder its secrets...
Orava Castle sits up high, at 520 meters, perched on a 112 m high cliff. In 1267, it was built, the location offering natural protection against invaders and sieges - unfortunately, this also prevented unruly mobs from burning the vampire in his coffin.
Now, the castle is a cultural monument in Slovakia, after years of disuse and neglect. It passed hands many times, and I bet it was the audience for some greatly disturbing secrets. The walls have ears, you know.
I'd bet a lot of money that the castle has secret passageways. You've always got to have a secret passage if you're building an old castle... the lord and lady of the manor have to be able to escape, leaving the poor servants to defend the property.
The most obvious way to find a secret passage is to pull on all the books on the bookshelf. I'm sure this has been tried many, many times, so it's prudent to step it up a notch. Look at loose bricks on the fireplace, switches inside stone gargoyles and gems that fit in a special setting, focusing the moonlight into a spectral beam. I'm getting way ahead of myself, though... first, we got to get to the castle, then we can plunder its secrets...
