Bran Castle

Bran Castle ( _de. Törzburg; _hu. Törcsvár), situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, on Highway 73. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle", it is marketed as the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's "Dracula", which has led to persistent myths that it was once the home of Vlad Ţepeş, ruler of Wallachia.

The castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior individually or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open air museum park exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, etc.) from across the country.

History

Ca. 1212 the Teutonic Knights built the wooden castle of "Dietrichstein " as a fortified position in the Burzenland at the entrance to a mountain valley through which traders had traveled for more than a millennium, although it was destroyed in 1242 by the Mongols. The first documented mentioning of Bran Castle is the act issued by Louis I of Hungary on November 19, 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (Braşov) the privilege to build the stone citadel; the settlement of Bran began to develop nearby. The castle was first used in 1378 in defense against the Ottoman Empire, and later became a customs post on the mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia. The castle briefly belonged to Mircea the Elder of Wallachia. While Vlad Ţepeş did not actually live in the Bran Castle, it is believed he spent two days locked in the dungeon while the Ottomans controlled Transylvania.

From 1920, the castle became a royal residence within the Kingdom of Romania. It was the principal home of Queen Marie, and is decorated largely with artifacts from her time, including traditional furniture and tapestries that she collected to highlight Romanian crafts and skills.- It was inherited by her daughter, Princess Ileana, and was later seized by the communist regime after the expulsion of the royal family in 1948.

In 2005, the Romanian government passed a special law allowing restitution claims on properties such as Bran, which was seized by the Communist government of Romania in 1948. In 2006, the Romanian government awarded ownership to Archduke Dominic of Austria, Prince of Tuscany, known as Dominic von Habsburg, an architect in New York State and the son and heir of Princess Ileana. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5016898.stm Son stakes Dracula castle claim] , "BBC News", May 26, 2006 (accessed on January 9, 2007)] [ [http://web.archive.org/web/20070127003835/http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/420548p-354876c.html "N.Y. heir to get Dracula's digs"] , "New York Daily News", May 24, 2006 (accessed on January 9, 2007)]

In 2007, von Habsburg put the castle up for sale for a price of £40 million ($78 million). [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/main.jhtml?xml=/property/2007/01/06/pdrac06.xml "Vlad the unique selling point"] , "The Daily Telegraph", January 6, 2007] On July 2, 2007, Michael Gardner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Baytree Capital, the New York investment firm which has been retained to create a plan for the castle and to sell it, predicted it would sell for more than $135 million, but added that von Habsburg will only sell it to a buyer "who will treat the property and its history with appropriate respect." [Alexandru Alexe, [http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20070702/ap_tr_ge/travel_brief_dracula_s_castle "Heir puts 'Dracula's Castle' for sale"] , "Associated Press", July 2, 2007.]

In September 2007, an investigation committee of the Romanian Parliament stated that the retrocession of the castle to von Habsburg was illegal, as it broke the Romanian law on property and succession. [ [http://www.realitatea.net/92626_Camera-Deputatilor--Castelul-Bran-a-fost-retrocedat-ilegal-.html Camera Deputatilor: Castelul Bran a fost retrocedat ilegal - Realitatea TV - Politică ] ] 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. [ [http://www.adevarul.ro/index.php?section=articole&screen=index&rss=1&id=333467 Adevarul ] ] [ [http://www.mediafax.ro/politic/anrp-retrocedarea-castelului-bran-legala.html?1687;345257 Mediafax ] ] [http://www.ccr.ro/CCRDocFiles/Dosar%201369_2007.doc] [ [http://www.guv.ro/presa/afis-doc.php?idpresa=57128&idrubricapresa=&idrubricaprimm=&idtema=&tip=&pag=1&dr Poziţia MCC faţă de Raportul Subcomisiei de anchetă parlamentară privind cercetarea legalităţii retrocedării Castelului Bran şi a procedurii de scoatere la vânzare a acestuia ] ]

See also

*Poienari Castle
*Castles in Romania

References

External links

* [http://www.brancastlemuseum.ro/ Bran Castle Museum official website]
* [http://www.draculascastle.com/ Dracula's Castle - fan website]
* [http://www.albumdefamilie.ro/albume/castelul-bran-86/ Bran Castle - Photo Gallery]
* [http://www.aboutromania.com/brancastle.html Pictures inside the castle]
* [http://sabin.ro/gallery/album233 Pictures of Bran Castle and the Bran Castle Museum]
* [http://www.draculas.info/travel_transylvania/how_to_get_to_bran/ Detailed instructions about how to get to Bran Castle] — with estimated local travel costs
* [http://www.brasov.ro/history/bran.php3 Legend and the facts surrounding Romania's most famous castle]
* [http://www.tkinter.smig.net/QueenMarie/CastleBran Castelul Bran] — picture gallery, related books, and articles
* [http://baytreecapital.com/partners.php Michael Gardner's biography on Baytree Capital's website]
* [http://www.vrbrasov.ro/tur_virtual_en.htm Bran Castle - 360 Virtual Tour] Travel destinations