House in Herceg Novi great view
7-BED `CASTLE` IN `DRACULAS BIRTHPLACE`,
TRANSYLVANIA
GBP 164,950 FREEHOLD
An Englishmans home could really be his castle -and with both Dracula and
Prince Charles for neighbours to boot! This historic manor-house in Sighisoara is a listed building over a century old and
almost entirely as it was originally constructed. It is located in a quiet and prosperous residential area of the old Saxon
town of Sighisoara, within 10-15 minutes walk or a few minutes drive of the medieval citadel. Built in the local baroque
art nouveau style at the beginning of the 20th Century, it has high ceilings and large, leaded windows throughout, a grand
carved-oak staircase leading from the entrance hallway all the way up to the attic, and all its original period features
throughout.
Since it was built, when it was the grandest residence in the area, the house has been continuously
occupied. It is currently shared by three ladies, who have divided it into three separate apartments. At present, it has a
total of seven large rooms, three bathrooms, three kitchens and a utility room across the ground floor and the first floor.
It has 450 m2 of living space over its three floors, including the attic, and also a large, dry cellar of 120 m2. The whole
building is in a very solid and sound state throughout, without any cracks, subsidence, leaks, rising damp or rot. Whilst
all fully functional, both the plumbing and wiring should be completely replaced as they are fairly basic and rather aged.
The total plot of land is 1,100 m2, including the driveway, house, courtyard, outhouses and gardens. The freehold for both
the house and land are being sold together, with clear title deeds, and free of any debts, charges, disputes or
tenants.
It would make a marvellous investment as a grand home, holiday villa, small hotel or bed-and-breakfast guest
-house (`pensiunea`), with a ready and growing market amongst the many foreign or Romanian tourists who visit the town. It
needs only cosmetic renovation and modernisation of its two main floors, depending on the intended usage for them. The
sizeable attic, which has a very high ceiling at its apex and large windows all round, could easily be developed to create a
spacious penthouse apartment or several attractive suites of rooms. The various rooms in the large cellar, which has
internal access, arched brick ceilings and high, arched windows, could be converted into bar, bistro and kitchen. There are
possibilities to extend the property into the courtyard or to replace the existing outhouses with new buildings. The
property is listed as `monument historic` (roughly equivalent to a Grade-II listing in the UK), which mainly limits the
external modifications or additions to works done in the same style and materials as the existing
structure.
Sighisoara is central within Transylvania, with Targu-Mures Transilvania International Airport and the new
Trans-Carpathian Highway nearby. Increasing numbers of tourists from all over the world visit the city throughout the year,
including many from Britain, Germany, Austria, N.America and Japan. It is known world-wide as the birthplace of Vlad The
Impaler, inspiration for the `Dracula` legends. The house where he was born and the whole medieval fortress citadel remain
inhabited and are a U.N.E.S.C.O. World Heritage site. Queen Elizabeth IIs great-great-grandmother was born near there and
Prince Charles visits the town regularly. He has fallen in love with the timeless charm of the region and is the Patron of
the Mihai Eminescu Trust, which works to preser