From the Middle Ages to Modern Times: The Legacy of Bran Castle

A distant view of the historic Bran Castle, located in Romania (1).

Even though Dracula was originally published in 1897, the legacy of the mysterious Count still lives on to this day. One historic landmark contributing to this legacy, Romania's picturesque Bran Castle, draws numerous inquisitive visitors each year due to its deep history and association with the classic character. 

(Not So) Humble Beginnings 

King Louis I (1326-1382), also
known as King Louis the Great
(5).

      Construction on this impressive structure first began in 1377, when King Louis the Great of Hungary permitted the people of the Brasov region to construct the castle "as a bulwark against northward expansion of the Ottoman Empire" (4). Construction of Bran Castle took 11 years to complete, as the project was finally finished in 1388 (5). Aside from its primary function of guarding the region against the Ottomans, the structure also became "a customs house for Transylvania, then a voivodate (province) of Hungary" (4).  

A map showing Romania and a few surrounding
countries; the location of Bran Castle is indicated
by the red dot (5).

     



            The people of the Brasov region purchased Bran Castle from the new King of Hungary, Vladislas II, in 1498 (4). They retained ownership for years to come, and (impressively) managed to hold it "after the conquest of the Hungarian capital by the Ottoman sultan Suleyman the Magnificant" in the year 1541 (4).  

     From this point on, Bran Castle would remain in the hands of the Transylvanian people for hundreds of years; their hold of it was further solidified by a decree called the Diploma Leopoldinum in 1690 (4). Regular maintenance was performed on the castle to maintain its service as a fortress up until the 1880's, but the castle sadly deteriorated after this (4). 

Given New Life 

     Bran Castle was turned over to the Romanian Queen Marie in 1920; Marie restored Bran Castle as her "summer residence," even constructing a brand new tea house (which has since become a popular restaurant) (4). 

Pictured above is Queen Marie's tea house as it stands
today. Since its construction, the house has been
renovated into a popular restaurant, "Casa de Ceai,"
which literally means "tea house" in Romanian (5).

Queen Marie of
Romania (1875-1938)
(5).

    



      The castle remained in Marie's possession until her death in 1938, at which time possession passed to her daughter, Ileana. Unfortunately, the princess was forced to flee the country ten years later by a newly formed communist regime, who took control of the castle and opened it as a public museum in 1956 (4). 

     

Archduke Dominic, Archduchess Maria Magdalena,
 and Archduchess Elisabeth pictured in 2009 when they
regained ownership of their mother's castle (5). 

      Princess Ileana passed away in 1991 (in Pennsylvania, coincidentally) (5), causing the new post-communist government in Romania to hand over possession of Bran Castle to her children, Archduke Dominic, Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth (5). Ileana's children decided to keep the castle open to the public as a museum, and it has attracted countless visitors ever since.

     

Home of Dracula?

     It's clear that Bran Castle has a rich, illustrious history. But why is this place associated with the fictitious Count by so many? One reason is the castle's appearance. As the video tour below displays, Bran Castle shares many physical similarities to the location described in Stoker's novel (2):

The frightening fellow known as Vlad
the Impaler (1431-1476) (5). 

     Additionally, Nicolae Pepene, a historian from the area surrounding Bran Castle, explains that "when Romania was ruled by a communist government [in the 1960s], its tourism czars decided it could be advantageous to market a place associated with Vlad Tepes...They looked around at all of the available castles and decided that this castle at Bran, which guarded the one mountain pass running between Transylvania and Walachia, looked sufficiently Gothic" (1). Vlad Tepes, more commonly known as Vlad the Impaler, is believed by many to have inspired Stoker's Count Dracula (5). 

     According to some accounts, however, Vlad the Impaler is believed to have an even stronger association with the castle than a simple lie made up by a communist government. Allegedly, Vlad Tepes spent two months as a prisoner within Bran Castle after being captured by the Hungarian army in 1942 (5). Whether or not this account holds any truth, this rumored association was seemingly enough for a large number of people to associate this landmark with the fictional Count Dracula. 
     
     In fact, the website for the tourist attraction actually has a section about Dracula, including this disclaimer: "Visitors to Bran Castle should make the distinction between the historic reality of Bran and the character of the Count in Bram Stoker’s novel. Dracula exists in the imagination" (5).

    Modern Tourism

     Regardless of where the rumors connecting Dracula and Bran Castle originated, the current owners of the attraction have taken full advantage of them. One of their events that draws the most tourists to the area year after year is their annual Halloween party, which they have an interesting way of promoting. In fact, here's something that was posted on Bran Castle's official Facebook page on October 25:

This is the photo that accompanied the Facebook post
promoting the Halloween event at Bran Castle; a man
dressed in a Dracula costume rode through town
to advertise the upcoming party (3).

      "Breaking News! The count was seen at dawn in Bucharest! Surveillance Cameras at a material warehouse caught him running a motorcycle. The scientific community is on alert, the photo proving without the right of appeal that the famous vampire has found a way to get out in the sunlight without it damaging them. The smile on the count's face is more than eloquent... the servants of bran wonder if the reason elopement is a young miss. We'll all find out on Saturday, October 27, 2018, at Halloween Monster party. 2 days left!!!" (3) 

      Halloween isn't the only holiday given some Dracula-themed flair at Bran Castle; even Valentine's Day gets the "spooky" treatment. A post on the Bran Castle website from February 14, 2014 reads:

Two happy couples enjoy a Valentine's Day
meal in one of the rooms of Bran Castle (5).

    

  "The hints of spring envelop Bran Castle and the shriveled souls start to wake. Count Dracula is no exception; every year he hopes for a wonderful day to celebrate love. This is the reason why preparations already started for Valentine’s Day" (5).

      





      While it's safe to assume that a majority of Bran Castle's visitors don't actually believe the rumors of Dracula's presence that surround the historic site, one thing is clear: the fantasy that has been created there will continue to draw inquisitive tourists for years to come.  

To learn more about Bran Castle, you can visit their website here.

Works Cited

(1) Alipio, Amy. “Inside the Fortress Known as ‘Dracula Castle.’” National Geographic, 28 September 2018, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/europe/romania/dracula-castle-things-to-do-brasov-transylvania/.  

(2) Bran Castle. “Castelul Bran - Bran Castle - Dracula's Castle in Transylvania” YouTube, 18 April 2016, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHRcQmQ_hK0. 

(3) Bran Castle Official. “Breaking News! The count was seen at dawn in Bucharest! Surveillance Cameras at a material warehouse caught him running a motorcycle.” Facebook, October 2018, https://www.facebook.com/BranCastleOfficial/photos/rpp.271245442947669/2279524482119745/?type=3&theater. 

(4) Lewis, Robert. “Bran Castle.” Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017. 

(5) The Bran Branch Administration Company, Bran Castle – The Official Website. 2017, http://www.bran-castle.com/index.html.