Close Menu
    Western Europe

    70-Year-Old Lady Turns Abandoned Mansion into an Airbnb



    70-Year-Old Lady Turns Abandoned Mansion into an Airbnb

    Balkan Detours: Castel Nikolici (Season 02, Episode 02)

    After a car breakdown left us stranded on a Romanian farm, we unexpectedly found ourselves having one of our all-time favorite travel experiences. For a week, we lived at Castel Nikolici – a manor once on the brink of collapse, now given a second chance by its new owner, Maria Radermacher. From its aristocratic origins in the 1780s to decades of abandonment, this estate has endured against all odds. Join us as we uncover its past and see how Maria has poured her heart and effort into reviving these crumbling walls, all while immersing ourselves in the rhythms of farm life. When we first set foot on the premises, we had no idea just how deeply this place would draw us in – keeping us far longer than planned. #urbex #abandonedplaces #bwturbex

    If you ever find yourself in Romania, consider stopping by Castel Nikolici and pay Maria a visit ► https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/22426124

    Music and sound design ► Lukas Medves
    https://www.instagram.com/lukas.medves
    https://www.youtube.com/@Lukas.Medves
    __________________________________________________

    Join our adventures!
    ► Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/bwturbex
    ► Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/bwturbex
    ► Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bwturbex
    ► Shop: https://www.bwturbex.com
    ► Email: info@bwturbex.com
    @bwturbex

    ► Become a channel member and receive exclusive rewards: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQjlzE-BSD1PDW988vbqVjw/join
    __________________________________________________

    00:00 – Intro
    01:23 – Stranded on a Romanian farm
    03:52 – Daily rhythms of farm life
    06:20 – Butchering
    09:22 – Suppertime
    11:15 – The next day
    12:34 – The history of the estate
    14:25 – Tour of the farm
    17:36 – Inside the manor
    20:49 – Kindness, laughter and connection
    22:10 – Sneak peek
    23:14 – Outro

    Share.

    41 Comments

    6. @yvesbrandt1863 on

      Hallo lieber Marco, hallo lieber Till, also ich finde eure Art, sich bei euren Gastgebern Tätig Einzubringen. Ihr beiden seit echt ein Augen und Ohrenschmaus. Findet man so wirklich nicht oft. Eure Filme werden von mir immer gesehen, weil ich euch gern die Zeit dafür widme, wie ihr eure vielen Stunden Schnittarbeit etc. uns, den Zuschauern widmet. Von eurem Schlage sollte es viel mehr geben. Ihr Strahlt auch was nettes aus. Ihr habt eben Niveau. Chapeau
      Tolles Video und vielen Dank fürs Mitnehmen. Die Rumänen sind auch tolle Menschen. Kenne selbst einige.

    8. @glindawilson4195 on

      Awesome and amazing!! Love how you two jumped right in to help❤Good souls. I so wish Maria could get more work done . So hard to imagine that all will be done. But who knows. Someone through your video may be interested!😊 Thank you for sharing❤

    9. @pamthevan7340 on

      I am pleased yo spent time there, time that I think meant a great deal to the lady. I am sad that when she dies there does not seem to be anyone to carry on and the place will once more be left to decay 🙁

    10. @DiscoverThePath1 on

      Broken Window Theory, thank you for visiting our country.
      We are proud of your visit.
      I hope that the lady in the video fulfills her dream of renovating the building—she is an outstanding woman.
      What you managed to showcase through this video is something others fail to achieve even through books.
      Congratulations!❤

    11. @Golding247 on

      I love your channel and really enjoyed this video. It’s good to know that there are still people living close to nature and the land. What a great lady. Make sure you get back safely from Brazil so you can go and see her again.

    12. @alsanova on

      I joked in their Instagram DM that they should put those warnings / captions on this video… "Not suitable for vegetarian" and "Animals were harmed in the making of this video" 😂😀

    14. @newrad2007 on

      What a wonderful video. Maria reminds me a bit of my grandma, especially when the food just kept coming. Being raised in the midwest of the US in farm country, I feel this is very common to have more than enough food. The fact she took you both in, and you got to experience what you did, will stick with you forever. And I love that for both of you. Safe travels to Brazil, and whatever lays beyond. Thank you guys so much for sharing this with us.

    16. @RaiSMello-fs7xh on

      Friends! The visit you paid to Maria was incredible. It's worrying, she lives alone. As soon as you can, always contact her. And, regarding your visit to Brazil, “Welcome”. Brazil is a very big country, full of adversity. Whether it's climate, culture, food, you'll figure out the rest. Haha! Do you already have a travel itinerary? I hope you enjoy filming, taking photos and walking around a lot. Welcome to our country!

    17. @liapete13 on

      Great video and hopefully help will come to bring life and many more years to this property.
      Best of luck in beautiful Brazil! You are in for treat. My wife is from Santa Catarina. We visited Gravital and its vineyards. Florianópolis. I want to see Joinville next time. Very German influenced.

    18. @Awsom47Merc on

      Marco & Till ! Yes this is a wild story. Crazy how that lady manages to keep a couple fairly decent rooms in the remanence of that old manor. Such a shame the work she does alone to keep it going. Was funny to see the queasiness you showed at butchering a chicken. You should see doing a pig or cattle. I'm with you though. I'm a wimp and like it better packaged at the store. Fleas are nasty ! Those animals are the reason for the infestation. Did you know the Japanese bombed China in the late 30s with bombs full of fleas infected with bubonic plaque ? Nice folk. Anyway , Cheers 🍺🤛😎👍

    19. @Sandjan90 on

      What a wonderful woman you came across. She was so generous and hard working, I hope she can realize her dream of having the chateau restored. I can’t imagine having to take care of all those animals and the farm at her age, she is just remarkable! I look forward to your next journey, until then be safe.

    23. @AW-pz3qc on

      Maria has a heart of gold and a beautiful nature. Wishing her all the best and hope her dreams of restoration do come true, she deserves it! Thanks for the video…and don't be scared to eat chicken again, you've probably eaten worse in your lifetime without knowing. 😉

    25. @elizabethrowe7262 on

      Maria is such a lovely lady and really loves her life style. Looking after all those animals would not be easy with many mouths to feed but it sure gives her company. Watching her day to day life brought back memories for me as I lived on a farm in Australia, New South Wales/Victorian border. Maria would have loved your company and doing some work around the place would have been great for her. Hopefully one day she may get the house repaired and follow her dream having more guests staying there.

    26. @VideosForYou90 on

      Definitiv eines meiner Lieblingsvideos von denen, die ihr zuletzt hochgeladen habt. Maria mit ihrem Willem dieses wunderschöne Gebäude zu retten hat mich sehr berührt und beeindruckt. Ich wünsche ihr vom ganzen Herzen, dass sie es schafft und auch noch Hilfe erhalten wird. Brasilien klingt nach einem aufregenden und großen Projekt, ich freue mich jetzt schon auf die zukünftigen Videos. Passt auf euch auf und macht weiter so! 🙂

    29. @beccymalloy on

      I absolutely loved this video. Romania seems like a hauntingly beautiful country. Thanks you for showing us this incredible lady and her farm- I would love to go there and help out!

      I wonder if she has considered joining an organisation such has Workaway or Helpex – where you specifically ask for voluntary help on your farm in return for food and board. Most sites have a policy where people work about 5 hours a day for 5 days in return for food and board, but I guess that's flexible(?) you can even advertise for people with building experience, etc. There is also WWOOFing (World Wide Opportunities on Organic farms) which is the same sort of thing, if her farm is organic.

      This might attract more helping hands- you never know!

      I hope you have the best time in Brazil – your style of video and the energy you both have has a very chilled quality to it. You seem like really kind, easy going people (but also really good at what you do 😉 ).

      All the very best to you!

    31. @augabby7 on

      You guys do amazing work! Your care, compassion, & sensitivity to people, their culture & their buildings are demonstrated in all your videos.
      Stay healthy & strong on your continued journey's..
      ☮

    34. @eileenbauer4601 on

      Great video! My husband’s mother (who is 90) tells about how when she was a child, if you wanted chicken for dinner you had to go to the yard and butcher one. She also says, since that time, she has never tasted chicken as good as what she got back then!

    36. @opheliaschlegel1725 on

      Ich kann gar nicht genau sagen woran es liegt, aber das Video tut echt gut (bis auf das arme Huhn vielleicht 🥴). Marias Leben scheint sinnvoller und sie wirkt zufriedener als manche in unserer modernen Welt. Sehr gelungen, wie ihr berichtet, respektvoll und berührend. Und die Musik ist wieder super schön und passend!
      Gute Reise euch und eine spannende Zeit in Brasilien! Ihr nehmt uns hoffentlich bei social media mit!

    Leave A Reply