Bran Castle

Bran Castle, situated between the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains, 30 km far from Brasov, attracts hundreds or thousands of tourists because of a legend: Count Dracula’s Legend. Initially, the Bran Castle (in Slavic „brana” means „gate”) was a stronghold known as Dietrichstein, built by the Teutonic Knights in 1212, stronghold that was conquered by the Saxons living in Transylvania towards the end of the 13th century. Nowadays, The Bran Castle is the destination preferred by American and British tourists for Halloween.

There is one chamber in the castle dedicated to Bram Stoker, where the legend of Vlad Tepes (known also under the name of Vlad Dracul) and the myth of Dracula are presented.In the court of the Castle there is a village museum presenting the life of the peasants in the area, the work and customs from the Rucar – Bran area.

The writer Bram Stoker, who published in 1897, in London, the novel “Dracula, the vampire from Carpati” is the one who created the fame of the Castle associated with Dracula. Literary critics consider the book as being mediocre, but it had a great impact upon the readers, as six editions were printed before 1903. Otherwise, Stoker does not determine exactly the place of the castle in his novel, but some historians state that it was in the Bargau Area, on the mountain pass between Transylvania and Moldavia.

Anyway, it is certain that, because of this novel and of the film versions of the novel, it was created an indestructible connection between Dracula, the Bran Castle and Transylvania.