An invitation to experience the history, the myth, the intrigue and the magic of this wonderful Bran Castle, and its Queen from Romania.
The beautiful Bran Castle is a historic fortress constructed between 1377 and 1382. During the 15th century, Bran Castle was an important defensive fortress against the Ottoman Empire, in the 19th century, it was part of a network of fortresses built by the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Commonly known outside Transylvania as Dracula's Castle, the castle is marketed as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. 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.
In 1920, the castle was transformed into a royal residence and used as a summer retreat for Queen Maria. Under her ownership, the castle underwent significant restoration work, which was conducted between 1920 and 1929.
The castle is now a museum dedicated to displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. At the bottom of the hill is a small open-air museum exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, water-driven machinery) from the Bran region.
It is attractive with its stunning architecture, rich history, beautiful views of the Carpathian Mountains, lush forests, and the mystery of the ancient legends and royal sagas.
If you were there, you would always have the spirit that makes you come to Bran Castle one more time.
