Bran, Romania
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Bran (German: Törzburg, Hungarian: Törcsvár) is a commune in Braşov County, Romania. It lies 30 km from the city of Braşov.
The Teutonic Order began construction of a wooden fort (Bran Castle) in the early 13th century. After the fort's destruction in 1242 by Mongols, King Sigismund of Hungary ordered the construction of a stone castle in 1377, while the settlement of Bran began to develop nearby. Positioned high atop a steep cliff, the castle guarded a strategic route between Transylvania and Wallachia. In 1498 Bran fell under the jurisdiction of Braşov.
Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)
Bran's castle is a famous spot for tourism, as it inspired the depiction of the castle in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula. Situated near Braşov in Transylvania, is a national monument and landmark of Romanian tourism built by the Teutonic Knights in (or around) 1212, after they had been relocated from Palestine into the Kingdom of Hungary.
The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. In addition to its unique architecture, the castle is famous because of persistent myths that it had been the home of Vlad the Impaler; however, there is no physical evidence that Vlad ever lived there. According to most accounts, the Impaler spent two days in the Bran dungeon, as the area was occupied by Ottoman Empire at the time.
The castle is open to tourists, who can view the inside alone or as part of a guided tour. Outside the castle are examples of traditional Romanian cottages.
The castle, which was owned by Princess Ileana of Romania, who inherited it from her mother, Queen Marie, was seized by the Communist government of Romania in 1948. For many years it was tended to erratically, but after 1980s restoration and the Romanian Revolution of 1989, it became a tourist destination. The legal heir of the castle is the Princess's son Dominic von Habsburg and in 2006 the Romanian government returned it to him[link] (Habsburg is an architect in New York City[link]).
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