Bran Castle

Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle from Transylvania, is undoubtedly the best-known tourist attraction in Romania. He owes his fame to the Irish writer Bram Stoker, the author of the famous "Dracula".

Bran Castle was built more than 650 years ago on a high rock, on the border between two historical provinces of today's Romania: Wallachia and Transylvania.
Nine centuries ago, today's Transylvania, was part of the Kingdom of Hungary. Difficult to defend, Transylvania receives the Teutonic Knights who came to the area at the call of the King of Hungary to protect the area against the invasions that were starting to come from Asia. The Teutonic Knights are the ones who built the first fortress at Bran. After a  conflict with the King of Hungary, they are forced to leave the area.
The Saxon residents of Brasov receive permission to build a castle at the end of the 1300s. The castle had both the role of customs - it retains 3% of the value of goods entering and leaving Transylvania, and that of a fortress on the eastern border of Transylvania intended to stop the expansion of the Ottoman Empire.

Bran Castle's fame as Count Dracula's Castle appeared in the 19th century after the novel "Dracula". Bram Stoker was inspired by local mythology and after reading about one of the rulers of Wallachia in the 15th century, Vlad the Impaler. He is known as the one who invented a cruel method of torture: impaling. The goal was not to kill immediately, but rather to increase the suffer. When the body was pierced with the sharp spike, they tried to avoid touching important organs such as the heart, kidneys or liver. All these elements, as well as the superstitions of the locals from Transylvania from centuries ago, made Bram Stoker write one of the most successful books in history.

For her decisive role in the regaining of Transylvania after the First World War, Queen Maria of Romania received Bran Castle as a gift from the community of Brasov. Queen Maria spent many years at the Castle. Before she died, she left the Castle to her daughter, Princess Ileana, who left  the Castle to her children. Upon its establishment, the Communist Regime sent the Royal Family of Romania into exile and confiscated the Castle. In the 2000s, the Castle was returned to the children of Princess Ileana and is now a private castle open for public.