 A Castle on Cortes
Story & Photos by Tanya Storr
The Discovery Islands, located near Campbell River, are
probably one of the least likely places where you would expect to see a castle, but if you
wander down Manzanita Road on Cortes Island you will find one there. One of the island's
most unique attractions, Wolf Bluff Castle is known locally as 'Karl's Castle', after
builder/owner Karl Triller.
Situated in Cortes Bay, the five-storied
structure boasts a dungeon, dining hall, eight bedrooms, three turrets, and one friendly
king. Two of the turrets have cannons and the third, the tallest of the three, flies the
Canada flag and offers fine views of distant hills and the bluff behind the castle.
 While giving a friend and I
a tour, Karl, who is 69, told us he has always liked castles. As a child growing up in
Hungary, he would draw pictures of castles even though he had never seen a real one.
Later, he visited several castles in Europe, before immigrating to Canada in 1951. When he
moved to Cortes 17 years ago, Karl realized that a rocky area on his two-and-a-half acre
property would make an excellent foundation for a castle. Constructing the castle,
however, was not an easy task.
Karl built the structure out of 13,000 cement
blocks, a task that took him 12 years to complete. He designed the castle and did most of
the work himself, hauling buckets of cement up to the top turret with a rope and using a
pony to drag logs up from the beach.
"I enjoyed every bit of building it. It's
something so different, you know. I was very tired after work sometimes but I couldn't sit
down because I was too hyper, so I'd have to go fishing for a couple of hours," he
said.
We began our tour in the dungeon, which is dank
and drippy, as dungeons should be. Adding to the atmosphere are a number of humanlike
figures (made from clothing stuffed with fiberglass) suffering various acts of torture.
Signs attached to the victims attest to their  crimes; one figure
shackled to the wall wears a sign saying 'Next time I promise I'll leave a donation'.
Another, who 'insulted the cook', lies on a slowly rising table while a blade on a
pendulum swings just overhead.
Upstairs on the first floor, a wolf mural greets
visitors as soon as they walk in the main door. "When I bought this piece of land
there were lots of wolves here," Karl explained. "They were standing here
watching me build the castle."
The entrance hall also houses a large brick
wood-fired furnace/kitchen range, and a modern kitchen to the right leads into a dining
hall that can seat over 100 people. Karl, a professional baker, butcher, and chef, has
catered weddings and other events at the castle. An outdoor courtyard on the third storey
provides a place for summertime visitors to enjoy the sun while admiring the flowers. The
next level has three turret bedrooms-including a honeymoon suite-and an outhouse, complete
with a long plastic 'disposal' pipe stretching down to a tank in the ground far below!
From here, a staircase leads up to the very top turret.
"I used to look up at the birds when they
flew by. Now I look down upon them," said Karl with a smile as we stood on the lofty
perch. Although rustic, the castle is fully equipped with a communal hot shower and bath,
and electricity in every room. Karl, who is also a woodcarver, made all the furniture in
the building. Shields, swords, a bow and arrow, and a breastplate of armor hang in the
living room, and arched doorways throughout add to the mediaeval feel.
The CBC television program 'On the Road Again'
did a show on the castle six years ago, and it has also been used as a location for school
film projects. The castle is open to the public for viewing (admission by donation) and is
also available for party rentals, weddings, etc. In summer, visitors can truly soak up the
castle's atmosphere by staying the night in one of the eight bedrooms. Karl used to
operate the castle as a bed and breakfast, but due to personal health problems he has had
to scale back his involvement and no longer offers breakfast. However, the kitchen is open
for self-catered parties.
The next time you're on Cortes, make a point of
visiting the place where the expression 'a man's home is his castle' is true to life. And
if owning a castle sounds like it could be a dream come true for you, talk to Karl. Lately
he has been hankering for the big trout fishing of northern B.C., and he's thinking of
moving if someone makes him the right offer . . .
Tanya Storr is a freelance writer and frequent
contributor to Vancouver Island Abound.
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