Bran Castle ( ro, Castelul Bran; german: Schloss Bran; hu, Törcsvári kastély) is a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

in Bran, southwest of Brașov. It is a national monument and landmark in Transylvania. The

fortress A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

is on the Transylvanian side of the historical border with Wallachia, on road DN73. Commonly known outside Transylvania as Dracula's Castle, it is marketed as the home of the title character in

Bram Stoker Abraham Stoker (8 November 1847 – 20 April 1912) was an Irish author who is celebrated for his 1897 Gothic horror novel '' Dracula''. During his lifetime, he was better known as the personal assistant of actor Sir Henry Irving and busine ...

's ''

Dracula ''Dracula'' is a novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. As an epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist, but opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking ...

''. There is no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad the Impaler, voivode of Wallachia, who shares his name with Dracula. Stoker's description of Dracula's crumbling fictional castle also bears no resemblance to Bran Castle. The castle is now a museum dedicated to displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior on their own or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open-air museum exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, water-driven machinery, etc.) from the Bran region.

History

Wooden castle of the German Order

In 1212, the Teutonic Order built the wooden castle of Dietrichstein as a fortified position in the Burzenland at the entrance to a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

through which traders had travelled for more than a millennium. This castle was destroyed by the Mongols in 1242. The castle's original name, Dietrichstein or ''lapis Theoderici'' in Latin, lit. "Dietrich's Stone", seems to have been derived from the ''Comthur'' (Commander) and regional

Preceptor A preceptor (from Latin, "''praecepto''") is a teacher responsible for upholding a ''precept'', meaning a certain law or tradition. Buddhist monastic orders Senior Buddhist monks can become the preceptors for newly ordained monks. In the Buddhi ...

, ''frater Theodericus'', mentioned in a 1212 document.. Accessed 23 January 2019. This Dietrich is the probable builder of the castle. A 1509 document confirms that the Törzburg county had once belonged to Commander Dietrich of the Teutonic Order.

Stone castle of the Kronstadt Saxons

The first documented mention of Bran Castle is the act issued by

Louis I of Hungary Louis I, also Louis the Great ( hu, Nagy Lajos; hr, Ludovik Veliki; sk, Ľudovít Veľký) or Louis the Hungarian ( pl, Ludwik Węgierski; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370 ...

19 November Events Pre-1600 * 461 – Libius Severus is declared emperor of the Western Roman Empire. The real power is in the hands of the ''magister militum'' Ricimer. * 636 – The Rashidun Caliphate defeats the Sasanian Empire at the Battle o ...

1377 Year 1377 ( MCCCLXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–December * January – Battle of Đồ Bàn: Trần Duệ Tông, Trần dynasty Emper ...

, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (modern Brașov) the privilege to build the stone castle at their own expense and labour force; the settlement of Bran began to develop nearby. In 1438–1442, the castle was used in defense against the Ottoman Empire, and later became a customs post on the mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia. Although many castles of the time belonged to members of the nobility, it has been established that Bran Castle was built almost exclusively for fortification and protection of German colonists in Transylvania. It is believed the castle was briefly held by Mircea the Elder of Wallachia (r. 1386–95, 1397–1418) during whose period the customs point was established. The Wallachian ruler Vlad Țepeș (Vlad the Impaler; 1448–1476) does not seem to have had a significant role in the history of the fortress, although he passed several times through the Bran Gorge. At some point, Bran Castle belonged to the

Hungarian kings This is a list of Hungarian monarchs, that includes the grand princes (895–1000) and the kings and ruling queens of Hungary (1000–1918). The Principality of Hungary established 895 or 896, following the 9th-century Hungarian conquest of th ...

, but due to the failure of King Vladislas II (r. 1471–1516) to repay loans, the city of Brașov regained possession of the fortress in 1533. Bran played a militarily strategic role up to the mid-18th century.

Royal residence and aftermath

With the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, Hungary lost Transylvania, and the castle became a royal residence within the Kingdom of Romania after being given to the royal house by the Saxons of Kronstadt-Braşov, who had no more use for it and no interest in financing the time-damaged property. It became the favorite home and retreat of

Marie of Romania Marie (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the last Queen of Romania as the wife of King Ferdinand I. Marie was born into the British royal family. Her parents were Prince Alfred, D ...

, who ordered its extensive renovation conducted by the Czech architect . The castle was inherited by her daughter Princess Ileana who ran a hospital there in World War II. It was later seized by the communist regime with the expulsion of the royal family in 1948. In 2005 the Romanian government passed a law allowing restitution claims on properties illegally expropriated, such as Bran, and thus a year later ownership of the castle was awarded to American Dominic von Habsburg, the son and heir of Princess Ileana. On 18 May 2006, after a period of legal proceedings, the castle was legally returned to the heirs of the Habsburg family. However, through the Ministry of Culture, the Romanian state was also to administer it for the next three years. In September 2007 an investigation committee of the Romanian Parliament stated that the retrocession of the castle to Archduke Dominic was illegal, as it broke the Romanian law on property and succession. However, in October 2007 the Constitutional Court of Romania rejected the parliament's petition on the matter. In addition, an investigation commission of the Romanian government issued a decision in December 2007 reaffirming the validity and legality of the restitution procedures used and confirming that the restitution was made in full compliance with the law. On 18 May 2009 administration of Bran Castle was transferred from the government to Archduke Dominic and his sisters, Baroness Maria Magdalena of Holzhausen and Elisabeth Sandhofer. On 1 June 2009, the Habsburgs opened the refurbished castle to the public as the first private museum in the country and presented a joint strategic concept in collaboration with Bran village to maintain their prominent role in the Romanian tourist circuit and to safeguard the economic base in the region.

"Dracula's Castle"

Though many myths have been connected to him in connection with the Dracula myth, most historians agree that Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, never set foot in Castle Bran, which was neither a friendly place for him to visit nor under his rule. It was once believed that he was imprisoned there after he was captured by the Hungarians in 1462, but historians now conclude that he was imprisoned in a fortress in Budapest.

Connection to Bram Stoker's ''Dracula''

Bran Castle is not mentioned in the novel ''Dracula'', and the novel's description of the castle does not match Bran Castle. The claimed connection between the castle and the Dracula legend is tourism-driven. During Stoker's research on the region of Transylvania, he came across accounts of the atrocities committed by Vlad III, and used the Dracula name after reading on the subject; but his inspiration for Dracula was not solely based on the historical figure. It is largely due to American cinema that Vlad III is considered the inspiration for the Dracula character.

Other mentions in popular culture

Most of Laurie R. King's novel ''Castle Shade'' (2022), part of her series about Sherlock Holmes and Mary Russell, is set in and near Bran Castle in 1925.

Image gallery

Image:Castelul Bran - 2012.jpg, The castle in 2012 Image:Bran_castle_09.png, Southern front from the foot of the cliff Image:Castle_bran_01.jpg, The eastern

shield wall A shield wall ( or in Old English, in Old Norse) is a military formation that was common in ancient and medieval warfare. There were many slight variations of this formation, but the common factor was soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder ...

, view from the main walkway Image:Castle bran 07.jpg, View towards Piatra Craiului from an upstairs balcony Image:Bran_castle_courtyard_round_tower.jpg, The courtyard, looking west Image:Castle Bran.jpg, Western tower, seen from inside Image:Bran castel secret passage.jpg, Secret passage connecting the first and third floors File:Bran, krzyż w ogrodach zamkowych DSCF7428.jpg, 19th-century stone cross placed in the park

References

External links

Official Site of Castle Bran

Bran Castle Tour

History and photos of Bran Castle

Aerial view of the Bran Castle
{{Authority control Buildings and structures in Brașov County Historic monuments in Brașov County Castles in Romania Castles of the Teutonic Knights Dracula Tourist attractions in Brașov County Historic house museums in Romania Museums in Brașov County