According to The Times newspaper, Charles III of England owns so many houses, palaces and castles that he would be "perpetually orbiting" if he tried to spend equal time in each of his residences. Apparently, he is not too fond of Buckingham, although he adores the palaces of Highgrove, Sandringham and Balmoral. However, there is another place, outside the United Kingdom, that she loves: his estate in Zalanpatak, a town of just a hundred inhabitants in Transylvania, Romania.
Carlos has been frequenting Transylvania since 1998. On that first visit, he fell in love with the pristine nature of the Carpathians: meadows covered with wild flowers, streams with crystalline waters, and beech, oak, and larch forests, where bears and wolves live.
The then Prince of Wales did not care in the slightest that the area was famous for the imprint of the infamous Vlad Dracula, the sadistic impaling prince and source of inspiration for novelist Bram Stoker to write the mythical vampire story. He preferred to focus on other things, such as the four hundred varieties of butterflies that exist there and the picturesque local architecture: town houses with pastel-colored facades, farmhouses with red roofs and fortified churches. All this testimony of the presence of the Saxons of Transylvania; the German peoples who, in the 12th century, settled in this area.
This combination of vernacular architecture and untouched nature proved too much for the future King of England and, like so many wealthy foreigners who discover paradise outside their borders, he began looking for something to buy. Specifically, he wanted (always according to The Times): “Something big enough to invite several friends, but not huge; situated in the village, but within its village limits, to ensure privacy. It should also be near a stream, a meadow, and a wood, to make it easier for deer, squirrels, and possibly bears to walk through the yard.” If possible, the property would have to have a barn, topped with a stork's nest.
Except for the storks, the rest of the wishes were granted to the prince. All through the work and grace of his Romanian connection: that of Count Tibor Kalnoky, an aristocrat turned real estate agent who, after the fall of communism, returned to Romania to reclaim the lands that were requisitioned from his family. During that long bureaucratic process, the count decided not to waste time while he waited and started buying and renovating old houses in Transylvania.
It didn't take long for Kalnoky to find the perfect place for Carlos: a farm at the entrance to the town, made up of a set of three run-down houses, various farm buildings and, of course, a generous portion of surrounding land. All this was renewed by the Kalnoky team, following the guidelines of the then prince.
The philosophy was to preserve the original architecture, respecting as much as possible "the textures and atmospheres" of the buildings. This premise was also applied to the interiors, "decorated with antiques and textiles from Transylvania", they explain from the website.
This company, which manages the properties of Carlos III in Romania, clarifies that the decoration of what they call the castle is not identified with the shabby chic style, but with an atmosphere: "Harmonic and authentic that makes guests feel that they are in a private house, centuries old." And it is that during most of the year, the property is rented, since Carlos III does not spend more than a few days there, always at the end of spring. This initiative is explained as a way to promote the development of the local economy.
In total, seven bedrooms are offered —including the one used by the king—, in addition to the use of the living rooms, the dining room and the beautiful gardens that surround the property. All-inclusive prices range between €180 and €195 per person per day and include full board (drinks not included), transport and tours of the area. These include walks in the woods, excursions on horseback, swimming in the pool in summer and sleigh rides in winter, washed down afterwards with mulled wine, in front of the fireplace, offered by attentive service. Like a king, in short.
