If you're a fan of Netflix's supernatural series Wednesday, you've probably been immersed in the eerie, mystical world the show creates. Directed by Tim Burton, The Addams Family spin-off follows Jenna Ortega as Wednesday Addams as she navigates life as a student at Nevermore Academy, a boarding school for students with extraordinary abilities.Despite the show being set in Vermont, Tim Burton and his team knew they needed a location that would embody Wednesday’s signature gothic style. According to <a href="https://www.lbbonline.com/news/how-netflixs-smash-hit-wednesday-came-to-life-in-romania" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Little Black Book</a>, the show was first set to film in Toronto, but the look and feel didn’t fit Wednesday’s spooky aesthetic.After seeing location photos of Romania’s gothic castles and landscapes, everyone was sold, and the series was shot over seven key locations not far from Bucharest.Below we’ve rounded up all of the filming locations from Wednesday that you can actually visit when travelling through <a href="https://butterfield.com/destination/europe/romania?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Blog&amp;utm_campaign=RomaniaBlog&amp;utm_content=Trip&amp;campaignid=2f8cf9b4-e1d7-ed11-8109-00155d02659a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Romania</a>.

Nevermore Academy serves as the dominant backdrop throughout the series, a haven for the show's outcasts, witches and werewolves alike. In real life, the school's exterior shots are of Cantacuzino Castle, a stunning Gothic-style palace nestled in the mountain town of Bușteni.Originally built in 1911 as the summer residence for Romanian Prince Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, the castle has since hosted a long line of royal rulers, lending a touch of regality to the show's setting. The carved stone castle serves as an exceptional example of Neo-Romanian architecture - a perfect mix of Gothic, Baroque, Byzantine, Bavarian and Art Nouveau.&nbsp;

Cantacuzino Castle

Today Cantacuzino Castle is opened to the public, and in 2015 an art gallery was introduced to eventually host art pieces from the likes of Dali, da Vinci and Van Gogh, to name a few. Visitors can also explore the stunning array of Venetian art, Roman mosaics and stained glass sprinkled with local Romanian touches.

When you join a <a href="https://butterfield.com/trip/scheduled/romania-biking?utm_source=Blog&amp;utm_medium=Blog&amp;utm_campaign=RomaniaBlog&amp;utm_content=Trip&amp;campaignid=2f8cf9b4-e1d7-ed11-8109-00155d02659a" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Romania Biking</a> trip with B&amp;R, you'll have the opportunity to enjoy lunch inside Cantacuzino Castle.

The Bucharest Botanical Garden is a favourite walking spot among the locals, spanning over 17 hectares and home to over 10,000 plant species. In Wednesday's world, the garden is a stand-in for Nevermore's greenhouse, used as a classroom setting where students learn about herbology and botany.&nbsp;Today the garden is a cherished destination, now serving as part of Bucharest University’s botanical institute. Visitors can spend hours exploring the diverse range of exotic plant families, a beautiful rose garden and impressive water pond displays.The greenhouses are open on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 9 AM-1 PM.

Bucharest Botanical Garden

While exterior shots of Nevermore Academy were filmed at Cantacuzino Castle, the real-life interiors belong to Palatul Monteoru, a historic house and monument nestled in Bucharest. The house was used as Principal Weems’ office (as well as a few shots from Nevermore's Raven ball), but in real life housed the Romanian Writers Union HQ until 2013.In 2015, new owners began to transform the place into a vibrant multicultural center complete with a restaurant, a garden and spaces to hold live music events.

Palatul Monteoru

Feeling inspired to immerse yourself in the mystical world of Wednesday? Get in touch with Tom Abraham to start planning a Romania Bespoke trip with these locations, or join a Romania Biking departure to dine inside the stunning Cantacuzino Castle with B&amp;R.

‘Wednesday’ Filming Locations You Can Visit in Romania

From the candy-coloured villages and the stunning Carpathian Mountains, Experience Designer Tom Abraham shares the highlights from his recent research trip to Romania.&nbsp;

I fly into Bucharest, arriving on a sunny and warm November afternoon, and head straight for Transylvania, a two-hour drive north. I cross the Carpathian Range at dusk and an hour later arrive at <a href="https://bethlenestates.com/depner-house/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Bethlen Estates</a>, Romania’s newest luxury property, in the Saxon village of Cris (pronounced sris). It’s my kind of place, with a traditional exterior blending perfectly with the surrounding village homes, but bright and modern inside, with light wood floors, timber frame and tile accents, and a deliciously comfortable bed that is calling my name.&nbsp;I have a short jet lag-induced nap before dinner, which turns out to be an imaginative seven-course tasting menu created by Bethlen’s young chef, featuring fresh takes on traditional Romanian food paired with exceptional Romanian wines, including several from the immediate vicinity. So far so good!

My local guide Raluca and I start early the next morning with a brisk walk through the brightly painted village to the outskirts, where the gypsy community lives. Horse-drawn wagons pass by, heading for the fields as the early morning fog lifts, revealing beautiful fall colours in the surrounding beech forests.&nbsp;We pass several kids heading in the opposite direction to the village school.We hop in the car to scope out some new bike routes for our new Romania Biking trip for 2023. I find myself wishing I had the time to be doing this work on a bike, the riding looks incredible. We pass a colourful village every 10 kilometres or so. There’s always a church at its center. Between the towns is a mosaic of fields and forests and the snow-capped peaks of the Carpathian range shines in the distance. Who knew that November was such a nice time to travel here?In the afternoon, we drive a few kilometres into the hills on a gravel road. My guide wants to show me an ancient oak forest. We hike a short trail to the grandmother tree of the stand, a huge gnarled trunk with massive limbs spreading impossibly wide, over 800 years old. All around us stand dozens of oaks, almost as large.

The following morning we check out and head to Viscri, a village in the center of Transylvania, made famous by King Charles, who owns a house and property here. The biking looks amazing as we drive past rolling hills hosting large flocks of sheep, recording routes on GPS. We stop for lunch at <a href="https://viscri38.ro/en/galerie-foto/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Viscri 38</a>, a farm-to-table restaurant with a great selection of local products.In the evening we finish our long day of recording bike routes and admiring scenery at <a href="https://www.zabola.com/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(17, 85, 204);">Zabola</a>, a former count’s private manor converted to a 5-star hotel. We stretch our legs with a brisk walk into the hills, accompanied by the hotel’s three exuberant black labs. A hotel inspection follows. The spacious hotel rooms overlook two ponds and several gardens, a horse barn, a riding ring and a secluded spa building. It is a stunning property.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Viscri

In the morning we GPS a wonderful bike ride that passes by seven or eight farming villages on a quiet meandering road. The eastern slope of the Carpathians is right next to us, providing beautiful views, but the route is 65km of flat and fast riding. We have lunch, then drive to Brasov, the largest town in Transylvania, with a traditional Saxon old town at its centre. There’s a running marathon happening today, so the city centre is closed to traffic. We bump our roller suitcases for what seems like a marathon over cobbled streets to the hotel. The <a href="https://www.schusterhotel.ro/en/our-story/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); background-color: transparent;">Schuster Boarding house</a> is a welcome new property in the centre of town, just a few steps from the Black Church, Brasov’s iconic landmark. Created from an early 20th-century Art Nouveau building, the hotel's interior is remarkably sleek, modern and even techie. My room is bright, beautiful and spacious.

Brasov

An hour later, we hike back to the car and begin scouting a bike ride between Brasov and Rasnov. The Carpathians peaks reach their tallest height in the area around Brasov and they tower above the city. The riding here is the most challenging of the trip and the views over the city from the serpentine road are awesome. I’m doubly happy about our new fleet of e-bikes earmarked for the region.&nbsp;In Poiana Brasov, the base station for the local ski area, we stop for a superb coffee (Romania has an incredible coffee scene, especially in urban centres) and a snack, then continue down a long shaded descent through forested slopes to Rasnov, another charming small city on the opposite side of the mountain.We scout around the area, passing the notorious Bran castle, which is surrounded by kitschy souvenir stands, t-shirt shops and restaurants with Dracula-inspired names. It’s clear this place is not going to be part of our itinerary, but the surrounding landscape is truly beautiful—reminiscent of Switzerland. Returning to Brasov we wander the cobbled streets and end up at <a href="https://www.prato.ro/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Prato</a>, for an excellent Italian evening meal.

Bucharest 

Another early start, and we head south through a narrow valley gap and leave Transylvania, headed for Bucharest. The mountains slowly settle out into the flat landscape surrounding the city. For the last hour we’re travelling on a highway until we enter downtown. I tour the Ceauşescu Mansion, which is an absolutely mind-blowing journey into the history and psyche of Romania’s notorious final communist ruler. It’s a super-interesting visit and my local guide does a spectacular job of bringing that crazy era to life for me.I check into my hotel, then take an abbreviated walking tour downtown. Like many eastern European cities, there are many exquisite historical buildings contrasted with some Soviet-style Brutalist architecture. It’s a big, bold and fascinating city with a surprising number of green spaces and leafy avenues. A couple of hotel inspections are on the schedule for the late afternoon, including <a href="https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/buhak-the-marmorosch-bucharest-autograph-collection/overview/?scid=f2ae0541-1279-4f24-b197-a979c79310b0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(74, 110, 224);">Marmorosch</a>, a recent addition to the city hotel scene, and <a href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&amp;rls=en&amp;q=hilton+athenee+palace&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(74, 110, 224);">Hilton Athenee Palace</a>, which still remains my top choice for a Bucharest city hotel.After a long day, we head to dinner at <a href="https://www.theworlds50best.com/discovery/Establishments/Romania/Bucharest/Kaiamo.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" style="background-color: transparent; color: rgb(74, 110, 224);">Kaiamo</a>. The restaurant is the creation of Chef Radu Ionescu and his food is delicious, playful and unique. The presentation is perfect and his staff is young, engaged and highly competent. Watching him and his kitchen staff work behind the glass is entertaining and impressive. We spent a few minutes chatting with Chef Radu at the end of the evening over a glass of wine.

The next morning my third visit to Romania ends with an early flight to Sofia, Bulgaria, where the next phase of my 2023 research begins. After many fits and starts and delayed plans because of covid, I am so excited about debuting B&amp;R’s new <a href="https://butterfield.com/trip/scheduled/romania-biking" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Romania Biking</a> trip. It’s been worth the wait. The hotels are better than ever, the biking is fabulous, the food and wine are diverse and delicious, the culture and history are interesting, and the Romanian people are just as welcoming and fascinating as ever.

With its crossroad of cultures, unique architecture and long-standing farming traditions, there are so many reasons to visit Romania beyond its remote landscapes. Get in touch with Tom Abraham to reserve your spot on our Romania Biking trip in 2023.&nbsp;

Notes From the Road: A Research Trip in Romania

Essentials &amp; Advice

Europe

Romania

<h2>Brașov’s Mysterious Church</h2>
Part of the powerful “Siebenburgen,” the seven cities controlling Transylvania during the end of the Middle Ages, Brașov was founded on the major trade route between Central Europe and the Balkans. Of note is the remarkably well preserved Sfatului square (town hall) and the town’s most famous landmark, the mysterious Black Church, a German Lutheran church that is the largest Gothic church in the country. Its nickname stems from its charred appearance following the Great Fire of 1689. There are bullet holes on the church walls remaining from the December 1989 revolution, and there is also a strange statue of a small boy crouched atop one of the pillars, with differing accounts to its origin, none conclusive.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40676 aligncenter" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Biserica_Neagra_Brasov_Romania-732px.jpg" alt="" width="732" height="533" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Biserica_Neagra_Brasov_Romania-732px.jpg 732w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Biserica_Neagra_Brasov_Romania-732px-412x300.jpg 412w" sizes="(max-width: 732px) 100vw, 732px" />
<h2><img loading="lazy" class="alignright wp-image-40666 size-full" src="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bran-Castle-synccitypete-400px.jpg" alt="" width="400" height="442" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bran-Castle-synccitypete-400px.jpg 400w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Bran-Castle-synccitypete-400px-271x300.jpg 271w" sizes="(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px" />Bran Castle: No Vampires Here</h2>
In the vicinity of Brașov lies the infamous Bran Castle, co-opted as ‘the’ Dracula Castle, erroneously referred to as the one from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. There are multiple castles in Romania that are linked to the vampiric legend, but that hasn’t stopped the locals here from selling the related merchandise. This fortress-cum-castle was first built in wood, destroyed by the Mongols by 1242, and re-built by the Saxons around 1377. Used to defend against the Ottoman invasions in the 1430s to 1442, it was later transformed into a royal residence for the Kingdom of Romania in the 1920s, beloved by Romanian Queen Marie.
<h2>Biertan: No Divorce Please, We&#8217;re Married</h2>
The 13th c. Biertan stands high on a hill, enclosed by walls more than 35 feet high. The most famous of the fortified churches, UNESCO-protected Biertan was the seat of the Lutheran bishops from 1572 to 1867; their gravestones can be seen inside the Bishops’ Tower. Legend says that a room in the church was kept for couples who wished to divorce; they were locked up together for two weeks so that they might discover the folly of their ways! This ‘matrimonial prison’ was allegedly so successful in three centuries that only one couple ended up divorcing.
<h2>Sibiu: Painting the Town Red</h2>
<img loading="lazy" class="alignright wp-image-40695 size-medium" src="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-watchtower-300-200x300.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-watchtower-300-200x300.jpg 200w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-watchtower-300.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px" />Sibiu was dubbed “The Red Town”, thanks to the red brick walls erected around the upper town, which helped protect it from multiple Turkish invasions through the 15th and 16th centuries. The city’s old medieval portion is separated into two parts: an upper town, built on a terrace, and a lower town, built on the banks of the Cibin River.
Parts of its old fortification still stand, including many of the medieval houses within the city’s walls that have now been turned into historical monuments. It was considered the most important city of the Siebenburgen, thanks to its thriving trade and 19 guilds.
Just three of the original 40 watchtowers perched around the city’s walls remain: the octagonal tower built by the carpenters, the square tower built by the potters and the pentagonal tower built by the city’s clothmakers. The city also plays home to various cathedrals and churches, including a Lutheran cathedral built circa the 13th to 15th centuries, an 18th c. Roman church and an Orthodox cathedral built in 1906 and modelled on Istanbul’s Hagia Sofia.
What better way to dive deeper into the history of Romania than by seeing for yourself? <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/start-planning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Connect with Tom</a>, our Experience Designer for Romania, to see how he can craft the perfect trip here, customized just for you.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-40665 aligncenter" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-istock-960.jpg" alt="" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-istock-960.jpg 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-istock-960-450x300.jpg 450w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-istock-960-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/sibiu-istock-960-900x600.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />

Discover the Unexpected in Romania

Culture &amp; Lifestyle

Need to Know

Reading for the Road

Travel Tips

B&amp;R Picks

Reading for the Road: A Few of Our Favourite Books About Romania

Croatia

<h4><a href="https://amzn.to/2pNqYho" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-38247" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Black-Lamb-177x300.jpg" alt="" width="177" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Black-Lamb-177x300.jpg 177w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Black-Lamb.jpg 294w" sizes="(max-width: 177px) 100vw, 177px" />Black Lamb and Grey Falcon: A Journey Through Yugoslavia</a></h4>
By Rebecca West
First published in 1941, this monumental work explores the complex history of Yugoslavia, its heroes, politics and culture. It&#8217;s a big, challenging book—called by some the best ever written on the Balkans.
<a href="https://amzn.to/2pNqYho" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more on Amazon &gt;&gt;</a>
<hr />
<h4><a href="https://amzn.to/2E2pFQB" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-38249 alignleft" src="https://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Croatia-Forged-in-War-191x300.jpg" alt="" width="191" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Croatia-Forged-in-War-191x300.jpg 191w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Croatia-Forged-in-War.jpg 318w" sizes="(max-width: 191px) 100vw, 191px" />Croatia, A Nation Forged in War</a></h4>
By Marcus Tanner
A modern history of Croatia, from its medieval origins to the Nazi occupation of Yugoslavia to the present day. Written by a London Independent correspondent, an eyewitness to the events of 1993.
<a href="https://amzn.to/2E2pFQB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more on Amazon &gt;&gt;</a>

Reading for the Road: A Few of Our Favourite Books About Croatia

Experts + Insiders

Insider's Guides

<h2>Hearty, farm-fresh meals</h2>
With longstanding traditions of farming and rural life, as well as culinary influences from its mingling of cultures, Romania’s rustic, farm-fresh cuisine is food for the soul. (Just look at this table setting!) Whether it’s delicious cabbage rolls stuffed with pork and rice, bountiful varieties of fresh salads, to traditional mămăligă (Romania’s version of polenta), you will be pleasantly surprised at everything there is to offer. So while you’ll dig into simple, honest fare served as it always has been, with Romania’s culinary renaissance now underway, there&#8217;s also an opportunity to try modern Romanian cuisine from the country’s ambitious young chefs.
<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-36260 aligncenter" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Romania-Biking-September-25-2017-FOOD-960px-compressed.png" alt="" width="960" height="720" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Romania-Biking-September-25-2017-FOOD-960px-compressed.png 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Romania-Biking-September-25-2017-FOOD-960px-compressed-400x300.png 400w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Romania-Biking-September-25-2017-FOOD-960px-compressed-768x576.png 768w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Romania-Biking-September-25-2017-FOOD-960px-compressed-800x600.png 800w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
<h2>Architecture across the ages</h2>
A treasure trove of well-preserved buildings and cities (and not just the obvious UNESCO World Heritage destinations of Sighisoara and Viscri), the country has a wealth of incredible architecture from the past. Expect to see towering castle strongholds, fortified Saxon churches, cities piled high with gingerbread roofs, Gothic spires, and extravagant French architecture (as well as unavoidable Communist-era concrete blocks).
<img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-36263 aligncenter" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sibiu-1540549_1920-960px-compressed.png" alt="" width="960" height="640" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sibiu-1540549_1920-960px-compressed.png 960w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sibiu-1540549_1920-960px-compressed-450x300.png 450w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sibiu-1540549_1920-960px-compressed-768x512.png 768w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/sibiu-1540549_1920-960px-compressed-900x600.png 900w" sizes="(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px" />
Feeling inspired to see and stay for yourself? <a href="https://www.butterfield.com/start-planning" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Get in touch with Tom</a>, our Experience Designer for Romania, to see how he can craft your perfect journey here.

Must Sees

See + Do

Austria

A random aside on boats: In 2015, <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/aliciaadamczyk/2015/04/08/how-much-does-a-superyacht-really-cost/#52a7433d26eb" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Forbes magazine estimated that a 100-metre superyacht “should cost around $275 million.” </a>Should?! I’d happily buy one for less, thank you very much. Market forces aside, one such superyacht translates into 19,642 Feeling 346 sailboats. Furthermore, Forbes warns superyacht owners that they should prepare to spend 10% of the yacht’s initial purchase price on yearly upkeep. That’s another almost 2,000 additional Feeling 346 sailboats piling up in the lake each year.
At that rate, the fragile ecosystem of the lake would soon be replaced by an enormous tower of sailboats reaching to the sky, poop decks and rigging swaying in the breeze.
<h2>4. The Town of Rust</h2>
<h5>(Trust me, it&#8217;s better than it sounds.)</h5>
<figure id="attachment_28863" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28863" style="width: 450px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-28863" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/800px-Rust_Burgenland_-_Rathaus_Gemeindeamt_01-450x300.jpg" alt="Rust's Town Hall (admit it: you didn't expect it to be in such good condition, did you?)" width="450" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/800px-Rust_Burgenland_-_Rathaus_Gemeindeamt_01-450x300.jpg 450w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/800px-Rust_Burgenland_-_Rathaus_Gemeindeamt_01-768x512.jpg 768w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/800px-Rust_Burgenland_-_Rathaus_Gemeindeamt_01.jpg 800w" sizes="(max-width: 450px) 100vw, 450px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28863" class="wp-caption-text">Rust&#8217;s Town Hall (admit it: you didn&#8217;t expect it to be in such good condition, did you?)</figcaption></figure>
Austria’s smallest statutory city, it received the right to hold a market in 1470, which is very early. (Before that, the citizens of Rust had to drive to the box stores of nearby Eisenstadt.)
Benefiting from its proximity to Lake Neusiedl, Rust prospered due to industries derived from the reeds that grow around the lake, ship building (small, flat-bottomed wooden ships), and wine growing.
Rust became a Free City in 1681, which meant it reported, and paid taxes, only to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. Unfortunately, he lived next door in Vienna most of the time, making tax embezzlement a dicier proposition.
Rust also has a medieval town square lined with terraces that&#8217;s worth checking out.
<h2>5. The Wine</h2>
Lake Neusiedl is one of <a href="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/2013/08/23/vines-101-austrian-wine/">Austria’s nine DAC regions</a> (though not its most famous). Although most Austrians prefer German to Latin, DAC stands for Districtus Austriae Controllatus, and is akin to France’s appellation D&#8216;origine Contrôlée or Italy’s Denominazione di Origine Controllata. A mix of international and native Austrian grape varieties are grown.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-28871" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Neuseidler-vienyard.jpg" alt="Neuseidler-vienyard" width="752" height="532" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Neuseidler-vienyard.jpg 800w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Neuseidler-vienyard-424x300.jpg 424w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Neuseidler-vienyard-768x543.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" />
It has been argued that the small but growing international distribution of wines made from the local varietals – Blauer Zweigelt, Blaufrankisch, Sankt Laurent, <a href="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/2013/09/04/gruner-veltliner/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gruner Veltliner</a>, Neuburger, Zierfandler and Welschriesling – owes to how difficult they become to pronounce and therefore order once you’ve had more than two glasses.
Thus I frequently find myself turning to my friend Peter, the sommelier who accompanies us on the culinary and wine odyssey that is the first night of our <a href="http://www.butterfield.com/trip/danube-biking/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Danube Biking</a> trip at the Taubenkobel’s legendary restaurant, who often provides both helpful pointers and another glass.
<h2>6. The Legacy of the Esterhazy Family</h2>
<figure id="attachment_28874" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28874" style="width: 254px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-28874" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/507px-Coa_Hungary_Family_Esterházy.svg_-254x300.png" alt="The Esterhazy coat of arms " width="254" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/507px-Coa_Hungary_Family_Esterházy.svg_-254x300.png 254w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/507px-Coa_Hungary_Family_Esterházy.svg_.png 507w" sizes="(max-width: 254px) 100vw, 254px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28874" class="wp-caption-text">The Esterhazy coat of arms</figcaption></figure>
Originally minor nobility from what is today Southern Slovakia, the steady accumulation of land and unwavering loyalty to the Habsburgs led to the Esterhazy family amassing unfathomable wealth—and even four hundred years later, it shows.
<h5>A Bit of Esterhazy History</h5>
The twin processes of ennoblement and becoming rich and powerful began under Nikolaus Esterhazy, a 16thC Hungarian nobleman whose conversion to Catholicism and military successes against the Turks and local Protestants caught the eye of the Vienna-based Habsburgs.
When forced to hand over his lordship of Munkacs in 1622, in the wheelings and dealings surrounding the 30 Year War, the Habsburgs rewarded Nikolaus with not one, but two new lordships.
<figure id="attachment_28876" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28876" style="width: 152px" class="wp-caption alignright"><img loading="lazy" class="size-medium wp-image-28876" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Esterházy_pál-152x300.jpg" alt="Paul, the first Esterhazy to earn the title &quot;Prince&quot; " width="152" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Esterházy_pál-152x300.jpg 152w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Esterházy_pál.jpg 240w" sizes="(max-width: 152px) 100vw, 152px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28876" class="wp-caption-text">Paul, the first Esterhazy to earn the title &#8220;Prince&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
Next in line as the head of the Esterhazy clan was Paul, third son of Nikolaus, whose two older brothers had died fighting the Ottomans. A poet, harpsichordist and composer of both cantatas and religious treaties, the multi-faceted Paul also commanded the troops that raised the Turks’ siege of Vienna in 1683.
The Habsburgs were again quick to show their gratitude for his victory, and soon the title of “Prince” became a hereditary perk of being born an Esterhazy. And so forth and so on.
<h5>740,000 Football Fields</h5>
By the late 18th century, the Esterhazys owned approximately 1,500 square miles of land. That is the equivalent of four billion square metres, or 740,000 football fields. Currently, a square metre of agricultural land around Lake Neusiedl costs 10 Euros, or US$11.40.
As it is always interesting to convert past fortunes into contemporary terms, we can say that at the time of the American Revolution, the Esterhazys owned land that was worth approximately 40 billion Euros. Not bad.
<h5>A Legacy of Luxury</h5>
<figure id="attachment_28878" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28878" style="width: 1280px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" class="wp-image-28878 aligncenter size-full" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1280px-Esterházy-kastély_4051._számú_műemlék_2.jpg" alt="1280px-Esterházy-kastély_(4051._számú_műemlék)_2" width="1280" height="507" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1280px-Esterházy-kastély_4051._számú_műemlék_2.jpg 1280w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1280px-Esterházy-kastély_4051._számú_műemlék_2-480x190.jpg 480w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1280px-Esterházy-kastély_4051._számú_műemlék_2-768x304.jpg 768w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/1280px-Esterházy-kastély_4051._számú_műemlék_2-960x380.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28878" class="wp-caption-text">The Esterhazy summer residence in Fertod, referred to as &#8220;the Versailles of Hungary&#8221;</figcaption></figure>
The most visible remains of the Esterhazys are their castles in Eisenstadt, a Baroque jewel that for years was home to their personal composer Joseph Haydn, and the summer residence in Fertod, commonly referred to as the “Versaille of Hungary.”
These enormous and lavishly decorated palaces, complete with ballrooms, opera houses, grand music halls, chapels, stables, manicured gardens and countless wings and rooms, are just 25 miles apart. &#8220;Shall we return to Eisenstadt, dear Galanta? Fertod is so terribly quiet at this time of the week.&#8221;
When whichever reigning head of the Esterhazy family had not temporarily bankrupted themselves with the lavish lifestyle for which their name became synonymous at the Habsburg court in Vienna, they would subject their palaces to never-ending renovations designed to keep them à la mode, often French.
<h2>7. Its Role in Ending the Cold War</h2>
Four months before the Fall of the Berlin Wall on November 9th, 1989, the foreign ministers of Austria and Hungary opened the Iron Curtain in the Austrian village of Klingenbach.
<figure id="attachment_28881" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-28881" style="width: 752px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-28881" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Klingenbach.jpg" alt="Klingenbach" width="752" height="350" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Klingenbach.jpg 752w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Klingenbach-480x223.jpg 480w" sizes="(max-width: 752px) 100vw, 752px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-28881" class="wp-caption-text">Klingenbach</figcaption></figure>
The act would have far-reaching consequences. Soon after, the border crossing at Nickelsdorf was opened by the Hungarian border patrol who had clearly decided to stop doing their job.
Thousands of Eastern Germans who were more or less free to travel within the Eastern Block, poured into Austria to enjoy democracy and wiener schnitzel. These events fueled the civil unrest that led to the official opening of the Berlin Wall.
Biking across this historic crossing today, it&#8217;s impossible not to pause and take a moment to ponder such monumental events.
<h2>8. Bike Paths</h2>
<img loading="lazy" class="alignright size-medium wp-image-28883" src="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Danube-Biking-384x300.jpg" alt="Danube-Biking" width="384" height="300" srcset="https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Danube-Biking-384x300.jpg 384w, https://blog.butterfield.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Danube-Biking.jpg 640w" sizes="(max-width: 384px) 100vw, 384px" />And speaking of biking, in the area surrounding Lake Neusiedl, there are 40 <a href="http://www.butterfield.com/blog/2015/10/21/the-8-best-cycling-routes-in-france/">bicycle routes</a> measuring a total of 1,000 kilometres.
For bike-touring wanderers like ourselves, it&#8217;s basically heaven. We’ve chosen what we consider to be the nicest 104 kilometres (62 miles) of them – or 128 kilometres (76 miles) if you opt for the long option – for the second day of our aforementioned Danube Biking trip.
And to answer your question, yes: narrowing it down from 1,000 kilometres to the very best 100 is excellent work if you can find it.

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