Who built Bran Castle?
Bran Castle, a medieval fortress located in the Transylvanian Alps (Southern Carpathians) in Brașov County, central Romania, is one of the country's most popular tourist attractions. Although mistakenly identified with the fictional Dracula's Castle, Bran Castle attracts thousands of visitors annually. The first known fortress near the Bran Pass (today the Rucăr-Bran Pass), a trade route crossing the Carpathian Mountains, was built after 1211 by the Teutonic Knights, but was held for only a short period.
In 1377, King Louis I of Hungary authorized the Transylvanian Saxons in the Brașov region to build a castle as a bulwark against Ottoman expansion to the north. The castle was completed in 1388 and also served as a customs post for Transylvania, which was then a voivodeship of Hungary. In the early 15th century, King Sigismund of Hungary temporarily ceded the castle to Mircea the Elder, ruler of Wallachia, a neighboring territory threatened by the Ottoman Turks. In 1441, John of Hunyadi, voivode of Transylvania, defeated an Ottoman army near the castle.
In 1498, the Transylvanian Saxons of Brașov bought the castle from King Vladislav II of Bohemia and Hungary and kept it even after the conquest of the Hungarian capital by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1541. In the 1620s, the Transylvanian prince Gabriel Bethlen made extensive modifications and fortifications to the castle. The House of Habsburg took control of the region in 1687, but the castle remained in Transylvanian hands, as stipulated in the Leopoldine Diploma, a decree issued in 1690. Under local control, the castle was restored several times to serve as a fortress, the last significant restoration taking place in the 1880s. However, it subsequently fell into disrepair.
In 1920, the city of Brașov donated Bran Castle to Queen Maria of Greater Romania, who restored it as a royal summer residence. Queen Maria lived here both before and after the death of her husband, King Ferdinand I, in 1927. She also built the castle's main modern annex, the Tea House, which later became a restaurant. Queen Maria died in 1938, and her daughter, Princess Ileana, was forced to leave the country in 1948, after the establishment of the communist regime. In 1956, the communists opened the castle to the public as a museum.
Ileana died in 1991, and in 2009, the post-communist Romanian government returned the castle to her son, Archduke Dominic of Habsburg. The castle continues to operate as a museum.
Bran Castle is often associated with the fictional vampire Count Dracula. The castle resembles the description of Dracula Castle in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula (1897), in that both are perched on steep cliffs and offer spectacular views. However, Stoker, an Irish writer, never visited Transylvania. Furthermore, Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III Dracula), the historical figure most often identified with Dracula, did not rule Bran Castle, although some sources claim that he was held prisoner there for two months. Vlad, the grandson of Mircea the Elder, was a voivode of Wallachia in the 15th century.
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Where is Bran Castle located?
Bran Castle is located in Romania, in Brașov County, approximately 30 kilometers southwest of the city of Brașov. It is located on a rocky hill near the village of Bran, offering a spectacular view of the surrounding mountain landscapes. The castle is strategically located between the Bucegi Mountains and the Piatra Craiului Mountains, which gave it a significant advantage for its defensive purposes in the past.
Access to Bran Castle is relatively easy, being a popular destination for tourists from both Romania and abroad. The road leading to the castle is well maintained, and there are tourist facilities nearby, such as restaurants, cafes, and souvenir shops.
Why visit Bran Castle?
Bran Castle is not only a symbol of Romanian history and culture, but also a place full of mystery and fascinating stories. Its association with the myth of Dracula, created by Bram Stoker, attracts many visitors curious to discover the connection between reality and fiction. Inside the castle, tourists can explore the rooms furnished with furniture and objects from various historical periods, and the castle gardens offer a peaceful space for relaxation and admiring the landscape.
Whether you are passionate about history, architecture or legends, Bran Castle is a destination that deserves to be on your list of places to visit.
