Printed Press
Guide Books
TV and Films
Photographies
Scientific Papers
Guest References
Links
Something of the Nightlosers, 30th of January, 2004, by Keith Shadwick
The 10 Best Ethical Holidays, 19th of June, 2003, by Justin Francis
Ten best: Close encounters with natural wonders , 5th of April, 2006, by Mark Rowe
In Transylvania, a count's hideaway beckons travelers, 29 August 2006, by Nicholas Wood
In Transylvania, a Count Invites You to His Castle, 27 August 2006, by Nicholas Wood
It's a bear's life - Transylvania, 25th of September,
2000, by Tim Pozzi
been there… Romania, 9th of December, 2000
We were also invited to spend a few days as guests of Count Tibor Kalnoky in Transylvania. Our village accommodation was five-star and Tibor's staff, in Szekely costumes, looked as though they had jumped out of illustrations for a child's fairy tale. And we haven't mentioned the local dancing festival, the birdwatching, the carbonated water springs, the ancient villages with their walled churches, the generosity of all the people we met, the local plum brandy and, of course, the wonderful food. We can't wait to return.
been there… Miklosvar, 9th of August, 2003, by Wendy Stevens
For a holiday with a difference, consider Romania. We were recently the guests of Count Tibor Kalnoky in the village of Miklosvar in Transylvania. After the communist years the count had his family castle returned to him and now is offering accommodation to tourists to help pay for its restoration. The guesthouse, which is a short stroll from the castle, is of high standard. In all other respects, however, the holiday is a complete immersion in Transylvanian village life. We learned how to milk cows by hand, saw shepherds making cheese in the hills and rode by horse-and-cart to the forest to learn about flora and fauna. We climbed the towers of Saxon churches and spent a day trekking to the cave from which, legend has it, the Pied Piper emerged. After our excursions it was back to the castle for dinner, either by candlelight in the wine cellar or outside under the arbour. A relaxed atmosphere prevails outdoors as well. Where else could you sit on the patio and follow the progress of newly hatched storks through a telescope?
A guest at the court of Count Kalnoky, 9th of September, 2002, by Nicki Grihault
Castles where you can feel fortified - Castles on the internet, 15th of May, 2002, by Tim Jepson
The White Knight of Transylvania , 16th of April, 2005, by Andrew Eames
A guest at the court of Count Kalnoky
Are you myth-informed?, by David Atkinson
Count On Fun In Transylvania, 8th of November, 2003, by Jill Crawshaw
On the Trail of Dracula, 13 May.2006, by Andrew Eames
Gothic quarters, 26th of October 2004, by David Atkinson
Countless delights, 11th of June 2005, by Sebastian Creswell-Turner
Transported to the Heart of Transylvania, 29th of September, 2003, by Phelim McAleer
Nova Magazine
What does Transylvania mean to you? October 2000, by M. Dyson
(...) Which is a shame because the real Transylvania is more remarkable
than any fictional creation; a hidden land of phenomenal natural beauty
with enough magic of its own to require no embellishment from werewolves,
vampires or Jason Donovan in fishnets. (...).
(...) Imagine that you have been transported back to the Middle
Ages. Not much has changed since then.(...)
Don't miss the nightly cow parade.
(...) Bram Stoker, Dracula's British
creator, never even visited Transylvania. His evocative (and surprisingly
accurate) descriptions of the Carpathian landscape were all culled from
guidebooks he found in the Reading Room of the British Museum. (...)
(...)
If you'd like a taste of the Transylvanian highlife, you can stay
with a real-life count. Count Tibor Kalnoky is a handsome man in his
early 30s. He looks like Ralph Fiennes. One of his castles is in the
tiny village of Miclosoar. Your friend who works for Oxfam might disapprove
if she knew you'd taken a hot bath in a designer cast-iron tub in a
village with no running water, but the food (homemade sauerkraut, mashed
potatoes and roast hen from the Count's garden) and the fact that you
have no pallatable alternative will soon make you feel less guilty.
(…)
Vivid Magazine (Romania through International Eyes)
Weekend getaways: Count Kalnoky of Korospatak, May 2001, by Alina Boboc
Alina Boboc visits a village in the Hungarian region of Covasna and meets an aristocrat who has returned to Romania to run a village tourism project.
(...)One of the most attractive things about Count Kalnoky is that he appears to hold no bitterness towards those who confiscated all his family’s property and wealth. This is unusual in a country where everyone complains, and everyone finds fault with the system. He tells us that in 1987 he fell in love with Transylvania. He says there is something special here, something connected with the spirit of the place, the natural beauty of the mountains and forests, and that his own family history was entwined with the history of this region...
(...) He certainly does it right. In the guest houses in the village everything is planned and thought out brilliantly. Tibor and his wife have a great eye for detail. The rooms have wooden ceilings and are decorated with old painted Saxon furniture. The bath tubs are made of cast iron, the wood stoves have intricate engravings, the sheets are snow-white and the duvets are filled with down-feathers, a rarity in Romania...
(...)We got the feeling that by staying with Count Kalnoky we were contributing in a very small way, to the restoration of Romania’s cultural heritage. He quite openly says that the income he makes from the guest houses goes directly towards the restoration of the manor house in Miclosoara. He has a host of other interesting cultural and environmental projects he will begin, as soon as resources allow for it.
Country Life Magazine
Return to Transylvania, December 2005, by
Neil Barnett, independent correspondent
"This is Europe as it was 100 years ago", says Count Kalnoky, and he should know: his family arrived in Transylvania in 1252, at the time of the main Szekely settlement.
He has been introducing small numbers of guests to Transylvania since 2000, offering a completely tailored holiday. The business is on an intimate scale and has a low impact on its surroundings in the sleepy village of Miklosvar, yet it is playing a crucial role in the village's economic regeneration. The insane policies of the Ceausescu era, followed by the wrenching transition market economy have hit Tarnsylvania particularly hard. "We employ people, so 20 families depend on us, we buy local produce where we can. Profits go into further restoration of buildings and into wildlife preservation.", says Count Kalnoky.
Rare species of bird, such as the black stork, the lesser spotted eagle and the white-backed woodpecker are all to be found in the area and Count Kalnoky is working on surveys of bird life and lobbying for environmentally protected status. About 80% of the Count's guests so far have been British...
Cultural and wildlife programmes can keep guests occupied for up to a forthnight. "Usually they might stay one night in the village and take a cart ride through the woods, then visit Saxon (German) and Szekely villages and natural attractions such as the St. Ann lake, the only volcano-crater lake in the region. They can also do bird watching and bear tracking. In winter we have shuttle bus to the skiing resort of Poiana Brasov, just an hour away", says Count Kalnoky.
Also mentioned in:
DEUTSCH
Mein Bruder und die Hexe, 11.07.2003, von Boris Kalnoky
Tourismus der Besonderen Art im Internet angepriesen, 24.01.2001, von Martin Ohnweiler
Im Herzen von Transsilvanien lebt das alte Europa, 21.02.2005, von Tom Owen
FRANÇAIS
En Transylvanie, le village sicule du Comte Kalnoky, 29.05.2004, d'Arielle Thedrel
Dossier, 06.11.2004, d`Alain Guillemoles
Rough Guide to Romania, new edition 2001:
Continuing north from Aita Mare, the castle of the Kálnoky family in Miclosoara (Miklósvar), a rare example of the Italian Renaissance style, is being restored; this is funded by Count Kálnoky's two guesthouses (Strada Principala / Fo utca 186; Tel / Fax 067 /314088, k@transylvaniancastle.com), beautifully furnished in Székely style; prices include all meals and wine, and any excursions you choose to make. Not far to the north, reached by a 13km track through the woods north from Vârghis, you can visit the Almas (Almásy/Almescher Hohle) cave; entry is by a huge chamber halfway up a cliff, behind which the system continues for a total of 7.5km on four levels. Legend has it that this is where the Pied Piper surfaced with the children of Hamelin. (...)
Le Guide Bleu Hachette EVASION 2004
Miclosoara (Miklósvár)
Hébergement: (Hôtel de très grand luxe) Chambres d'hôtes du comte Kálnoky (Coup de coeur de la rédaction) Tél. 314088 -www.transylvaniancastle.com- 8 ch. aménagées dans de vieilles maisons. Table d'hôtes. Mobilier ancien de Transylvanie, poêles en faïence et couettes en duvet, sauna. (…)
Also mentioned in several Hungarian, Romanian and Transylvanian guide books
TV AND FILMS:
The Restorer
By Sorin Iliesiu
awarded best Romanian short film 2003 and best Romanian documentary film 2004
preview of 'The Restorer'
Order 'The Restorer'
Several films in Hungarian language, all shown on different TV channels:
'Hazatérés' (Back Home) award winner 2004
'Testamentomi Rendelések' (Ancestor's Wills) 2003
'Egy Pont a Nagy Világban' (One Spot in the Large World) 2003
'Erdély' (Transylvania) by Star-reporter Frei Tamás 2004
'Nem halandó, amiben bízom' (My Deeds Shall Outlive Me) 2002
Savouring Europe
Nederland 1
ITV:
lwt "Dream Ticket"
January 27th, 2002
Miklosvar is presented as travel destination besides Cuba and London.
..."On the other side of the world Ashley Blake takes a long weekend in
Transylvania. With no vampires in sight he gets away from the hustle
and bustle into the idyllic countryside where some still travel by horse and cart."
SF2 (Schweizer Fernsehen) "NZZ Format" and also on VOX satellite channel
(shown repeatedly in 2001and 2002).
You can order a video-cassette at www-x.nzz.ch/format
Das Hexendorf in Transsilvanien - Magie im Namen Gottes
'Between Myth and Transformation: Images of Transylvania and Southwest Ireland' 2004
SCIENTIFIC PAPERS:
'In Pursuit of the Piper' by Emily Darling 2003, Clark University, USA
GUESTBOOK ENTRIES AND GUEST CREDENTIALS
William and Pamela Nicks, Bristol,
Expectations exceeded. Comfortable, lovely accommodation in harmony
with traditional village life. We are sad to leave, but wish you every
success.
Oliver M. Ashford, Oxford, (aged 85),
I have rarely been so wonderfully entertained. I feel that in 5 short
days we have been able to get an unexpectedly comprehensive appreciation
of Transylvania, about which I knew so little before coming here. Thanks
to the excellent hospitality, the glorious weather, the beautiful countryside
and the interesting birds, this has been one of the most enjoyable holidays
of all. Not to mention the stimulating conversations with our charming
host and the other guests.
Lee Karen Stow, Yorkshire,
My visit has been too short and I must come again. If only to "listen" to the village. A truly special place. I believe I found what I came
to see in Transylvania.
Margaret Ford and Chris Sear, Lincolnshire,
Thank you for the eagles and the bears and your most gracious hospitality.
Daisy Raduleanu, Bucharest,
"A weekend far from reality": You could believe it is another world. These three
short days meant more to us than a whole 15-day trip anywhere else. We don't want to
wake up from this magic.
Rupert & Alina Wolfe Murray, Bucharest,
"Fantastic… brilliant… incredible"
LINKS
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