transylvanian discovery

i have never known much about the real transylvania ~ just the folklore around the infamous count dracula. i was intrigued by some gorgeous photos of the zabola country house & manor found on shoot factory. i'm sure you'll agree from the photos that this place has some history worth investigating.....

so, naturally, i did some research to share with you:

after 45 years of communism, the descendants of the count mikes de zabola family, displaced in 1949, returned to transylvania to rebuild their ancestor’s estate {now considered to be one of transylvania's best kept secrets}.

the hungarian mikes de zabola family traces its roots back to the 14th century; its title relates to the village of zabola in southeast transylvania. although in today's romania, transylvania once belonged to the hungarian kingdom, and has also been part of the habsburg empire.
the castle dates back to around 1400. it was once a fortified building with a tower in front. on the first floor all the ceilings were covered (currently painted over) with frescoes dating back to 1580 -1600. the estate is nestled at the foot of the carpathian mountains right next to thousands of hectares of untouched wilderness.

the mikes de zabola family belongs to a clan called the széklers. for 1,000 years they were the defenders of europe's eastern borders. apparently all széklers enjoyed the status of "personal freedom" which equalled the rights of the nobility; this was considered unique for the time. a hungarian renaissance king, matthias corvinus, confirmed these privileges in 1466 in zabola. the event is said to have taken place in the park behind the mikes castle and the stones that were placed there to mark the event can still be seen.

today the zabola estate of the count mikes family is a private and idyllic location for special events, especially those seeking the romantic and dramatic {and with a huge guest list}.

many more details about the family and history of the estate can be found on the official count mikes de zabola estate website.

{thanks very much to the zabola website, the count mikes de zabola estate website & shoot factory for the information and photos}