Absolutely not Dracula’s Castle, Bran really does look the part, as though it ought to be Dracula’s Castle. The truth is that Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Ţepeş) - the inspiration behind part of the Dracula myth - never spent much time here. The ruins of his real castle are at Poienari, on the other side of the Carpathians.
Perched on a rock, strategically overlooking one of the most important mediaeval trading routes in this part of Europe, Bran is certainly impressive - even scary - from afar. And while Romanians are quick to point out that Bran Castle has indeed little to do with our fanged friend, you’ll notice quickly that the local tourist authorities have become experts in making innocent tourists believe otherwise.
The castle was constructed in 1377 to guard the mountain pass and to levy a tax on all merchants passing through. The castle was for a long time the property of the city of Brasov, but in 1921 it was offered as a summer residence to Romania’s Queen Marie. She planted the apple trees in the field below the castle, as well as a flower garden with more than 200 varieties of dahlias which, just like the monarchy, didn’t survive socialism. Inside the castle you can wander through the intriguing maze of corridors, staircases and sparsely decorated rooms. Mind your head.
As signposting is minimal, you’ll just have to guess what the different rooms were for. From the windows and balconies there are good views of the valley, the mountains around, and the tiny but picturesque courtyard. The 57-metre deep well has been closed off, though many people still throw coins in for good luck. Recent geological surveys showed that the Dietrichstein rock the castle is built on could crumble during an earthquake, so for the past few years workers have been reinforcing the rock by drilling holes for steel cables straight through it. Next to the entrance is a small open air museum with buildings moved here from villages surrounding Bran. On the other side of the castle, the small customs museum (Muzeul Vama Medievala) can be entered on the same ticket. There are few English captions, but the helpful staff can tell you more about the collection of photos, maps and weapons on display.
Near the castle are various markets (one subtly called Bazar Dracula) selling woolly sweaters, Dracula junk and delicious local cheeses, smoked or wrapped in bark.
Queen Marie's Chapel
Walk around the back of Bran Castle, and cross the footbridge and the rubbish-strewn meadow (used for grazing) to reach a monument set in the rocks upon which a plaque reads ‘Queen Marie’s heart was interred here in 1940.’ Which is entirely true. The rest of her body was buried at her palace on the coast in Balcik. After the war, her body was moved when Balcik became part of Bulgaria and the case with her heart moved to Bucharest by the communists.
A little further on, a copy of Marie’s chapel at Balcik stands next to the old customs post.
Perched on a rock, strategically overlooking one of the most important mediaeval trading routes in this part of Europe, Bran is certainly impressive - even scary - from afar. And while Romanians are quick to point out that Bran Castle has indeed little to do with our fanged friend, you’ll notice quickly that the local tourist authorities have become experts in making innocent tourists believe otherwise.
The castle was constructed in 1377 to guard the mountain pass and to levy a tax on all merchants passing through. The castle was for a long time the property of the city of Brasov, but in 1921 it was offered as a summer residence to Romania’s Queen Marie. She planted the apple trees in the field below the castle, as well as a flower garden with more than 200 varieties of dahlias which, just like the monarchy, didn’t survive socialism. Inside the castle you can wander through the intriguing maze of corridors, staircases and sparsely decorated rooms. Mind your head.
As signposting is minimal, you’ll just have to guess what the different rooms were for. From the windows and balconies there are good views of the valley, the mountains around, and the tiny but picturesque courtyard. The 57-metre deep well has been closed off, though many people still throw coins in for good luck. Recent geological surveys showed that the Dietrichstein rock the castle is built on could crumble during an earthquake, so for the past few years workers have been reinforcing the rock by drilling holes for steel cables straight through it. Next to the entrance is a small open air museum with buildings moved here from villages surrounding Bran. On the other side of the castle, the small customs museum (Muzeul Vama Medievala) can be entered on the same ticket. There are few English captions, but the helpful staff can tell you more about the collection of photos, maps and weapons on display.
Near the castle are various markets (one subtly called Bazar Dracula) selling woolly sweaters, Dracula junk and delicious local cheeses, smoked or wrapped in bark.
Queen Marie's Chapel
Walk around the back of Bran Castle, and cross the footbridge and the rubbish-strewn meadow (used for grazing) to reach a monument set in the rocks upon which a plaque reads ‘Queen Marie’s heart was interred here in 1940.’ Which is entirely true. The rest of her body was buried at her palace on the coast in Balcik. After the war, her body was moved when Balcik became part of Bulgaria and the case with her heart moved to Bucharest by the communists.
A little further on, a copy of Marie’s chapel at Balcik stands next to the old customs post.
Admission 25 lei (photography fee included), seniors 15 lei, students 5-10 lei, filming 20 lei. There is a regular (hourly) bus service to Bran from Brasov’s Autogara No. 2 (A-1). Tickets cost 4 lei and can be bought on board. A taxi will cost around 50 lei.
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I taught myself Romanian, which was easy in comparison to other European Languages AS IT IS A lATIN language and i was born a Roman Catholic