Bran Castle – a bit of history
Bran Castle: the first castle in this place was built by the Teutonic Knights around 1211. The Order was expelled from these lands shortly later, already in 1226. In 1370, the original building was destroyed during the Turkish invasion. The reconstruction began seven years later, in the Gothic style, by order of the King of Hungary, Louis I of Hungary. The castle, in addition to its defensive function, played an important role as a customs point on the trade route. Built on a steep rock, it successfully repelled the Turkish invasion. In later years, it changed owners many times, survived fire and reconstruction.
In the nineteenth century, the castle lost its military and commercial importance and slowly began to deteriorate. This unfortunate fate was turned by the Queen of Romania, Maria, to whom he was donated in 1920 (two years after the Transylvania area was incorporated into the Kingdom of Romania). It became her favorite residence, which she restored and made it the summer residence of the royal family. After the war, the royal family was expelled from the country by the communist regime. A museum was established in the castle and still exists today. After years of dragging court cases, in 2009, the monument returned to the official heirs.
Bran Castle – where did Dracula come from
Bran Castle became famous thanks to the Gothic novel „Dracula” by Bram Stoker. The author himself has never been to Romania. He used engravings and descriptions that were available to him in the 19th century to recreate the scene of the action. Rather, everyone agrees that Stoker actually described Bran Castle, as it is unlike any other Transylvanian castle. It is rather doubtful that the character considered being the prototype of Dracula, which is Vlad the Impaler, a Wallachian hospodar, has probably never been to Bran. However, this does not prevent anybody from making this a great marketing ploy, which makes Bran Castle one of the most popular attractions in Romania. Several cinema adaptations were also made based on prose, including perhaps the best known directed by Francis Ford Coppola with Gary Oldman in the lead role.
Travel & Sightseeing, is it worth it?
Bran Castle evokes quite contradictory feelings among visitors. The most important thing to mention is that it is very tight. The presence of a few organized groups is enough to make you feel like you are in a trap. You will easily forget about taking interesting photos as a souvenir. If we have such an opportunity, it is worth trying to reach it out of the season. If we are limited by the summer holidays, I advise you to be there before opening, in the morning.
Tip 1: The admission ticket costs 45 Leu (student 25 Leu, and for children between 7-18 years 10 Leu). It’s about EUR 9.30. To make it easier, it is best to calculate the expenses 5: 1, i.e. 5 Leu is 1 EUR.
The second objection that visitors often mention is kitsch and trash on the stands around the parking lot. These stalls sell truly everything, and not everyone will like it. I think, however, that nobody is forcing us to buy. We can always take the opposite direction to most visitors. Try to walk around the rock on which the monument stands at the foot. Beautiful shoots guaranteed.
Tip 2: Regular buses run from Brasov to the castle. They depart from Terminal 2 every half hour (every hour on weekends). A journey of 30 km takes 45 minutes and costs 7 Leu.
I highly recommend the castle, especially if we are in the area. However, we should not expect any multimedia exhibitions or attractions activating children at the museum. Sightseeing takes place in the „old style”, without a guide.
