A chill went up our spines as we approached Bran Castle. There was an ominous aura emanating from its towers and turrets; perfect for a terrifying legend. The eerie rock that shapes part of its outer wall added even more mystery to this medieval castle. Although Vlad Draculea III (also known as Vlad Ţepeş and Vlad the Impaler) didn’t live here, it’s easy to imagine that Count Dracula may have.
Bran Castle
The castle is located on an important trade route that crossed over Bran Pass between Transylvania and Walachia. In order to protect this passage from marauders, Teutonic Knights built a wooden fortress near the pass in the 13th century. Only a few decades later however, the fortress was burned down by the Mongols.
In the 14th century, a stone castle was built by Saxon Transylvanians who lived in the nearby city of Brașov. They had been sent to populate Transylvania upon order of the King of Hungary who ruled this land at the time. Rather than being built as a home for a member of nobility, Bran Castle was built both to provide military protection from invading Ottoman and Tatars as well as to collect customs fees from passing traders. The king chose a local lord to reside in the castle. It was likely an honour, but we may not have felt comfortable living in the spooky-looking castle. For most of its existence, the castle was owned by the city of Brașov, 30 km away.
Today the castle looks like we imagined Dracula’s castle would look. Standing on top of a small hill it has impenetrable stone walls and is encircled by a moat. On its front side, a rugged, stone wall climbs the side of of a weathered grey tower, adding to its eerie appearance.
Once inside the castle walls we entered what looks like the dictionary definition of ‘medieval courtyard’. Turrets and towers with pointed roofs rise above the confined space. The finishing touches are the wooden loggias (covered verandahs) that hover above.
From the courtyard we entered the castle through an arched doorway. It leads to a low ceilinged, narrow hallway with thick windowsills. The rooms have low hanging, medieval chandeliers, stark wooden furniture and sparse decorations.
The only colour comes from the old ceramic stoves decorated with beautiful, blue tiles. Some stoves have wooden benches beside them, providing a space to warm up on cold, winter days.
The eerie atmosphere continued as we climbed the tight, spiral stone staircases in the castle. We took one to reach one of the loggias where we had a different view of the castle’s interior and the courtyard below. Behind the castle, the hills were covered in autumnal colours making the view of the towers from this level even more picturesque.
The castle described in Bram Stoker’s Dracula is an almost perfect depiction of this very building. Apparently he created the mythical castle in his book based on descriptions he had been told of Bran. In fact, he likely didn’t even visit Bran Castle. Another connection to Bram Stoker’s Dracula can be found in the town’s history. Villagers of Bran, believed in strigoi. These were evil spirits that rose from the dead and terrorized the villagers after dark. These spirits gained strength from sucking blood from their victims. Does this remind you of anyone?
The final tie-in to Bram Stoker’s Dracula is Vlad Ţepeş. He was a Walachian Prince, who is believed to be the inspiration for the character of Dracula. Even though Vlad Ţepeş never lived in this castle he does have connections to it. His grandfather may have lived in Bran Castle for a short period of time. It’s also believed that Vlad Ţepeş raided the wealthy merchants in the town of Brașov because they didn’t abide by his trade orders.
Vlad Ţepeş was not a blood sucking vampire, but he was a notoriously heinous figure. After the Ottomans killed his father he sought revenge by ordering his army to impale hundreds of Ottoman soldiers on wooden stakes. It is reported that he did this to many of his enemies, resulting in him being referred to as Vlad the Impaler. His other pseudonym was Vlad Drăculea III. He was given this name because his father was Vlad II Dracul who was a member of the Order of the Knights of the Dragon. Drăculea means son of the dragon.
All of this together makes a good story on its own, but Bram Stoker turned it into a classic. They really have fun with the Dracula legend at Bran Castle. Ghost stories accompany the tour complete with holograms and sounds of growls and moans.
After seeing and hearing the ghosts we had to check out the torture chamber. On display are examples of the horrendous devices such as a spiked isolation chamber and a chair full of spikes. Something we imagine Vlad the Impaler may have used.
The town of Bran is below the castle and has a few spooky-looking buildings too. Some of the homes make it easy to believe that they still believe in strigoi.
The story of this castle doesn’t end with the book. After WWI Transylvania joined Romania and in 1920 the castle was given to Romania’s Queen Marie in memory of WWI heroes. Queen Marie worked with the architect from Pelișor Castle to decorate her new summer palace. Bran was lived in by the royal family even after the death of Queen Marie. Her daughter Princess Ileana lived in it until communists forced her to flee the country.
Entrance Fee – 70 RON ($15.30USD); Summer Opening Hours – 9 am to 6 pm Tues to Sun; Noon to 6 pm Mondays.
Rasnov Castle
Transylvania is the land of castles and not far from Bran Castle is the 14th century Rasnov Castle. The mountain scenery between Bran and Rasnov is beautiful, especially when the autumn colours are in full display.
Situated on the trade route between Transylvania and Walachia, Rasnov was once an important trading centre. The castle was originally built by Teutonic Knights to provide protection on this route against invading Tatars. Later, it was expanded by the Transylvanian Saxons so that the entire city could be housed inside the fortification walls. You can read more about the fortified settlements in this area in our post Fortified Churches of Transylvania.
From the cobblestone streets in the town below we looked up to see the castle precariously perched on the top of the hill.
Seeing it from a distance we could appreciate its size but unfortunately the castle has not been restored and we were not allowed beyond the outer wall. It was damaged by a fire and then an earthquake and was last used as a refuge during the Romanian Revolution of 1848.
Rasonav village is located below the castle and has a collection of cute medieval homes.
Entrance fee – it is free to enter, but there is a fee to park in the lot at the base of the castle.
How to get to Bran and Rasnov Castles
Both castles are a short distance from the city of Brașov and make a great day trip from the city. There are several tours offered in both Brașov and Bucharest to visit Bran Castle. We didn’t see any tours offered to Rasnov. If you have a car it’s an easy drive from Brașov to both. On the way you’ll drive through the beautiful Valea Prahovei. There are plenty of paid parking lots in the town of Bran near the castle.
It is also possible to reach Bran by public transit. Buses leave hourly from Autogara 2 in Brașov. Trains leave Bucharest’s North Railway Station (Gara de Nord) destined for Brașov and stop in Bran.
Where to stay and eat
The city of Bran is directly below the Bran Castle and has a few small hotels and guesthouses as well as many restaurants. We stayed in the larger city of Brașov where there are more choices for hotels and restaurants as well as a lovely Old Town.
Click on the link to read our Travel Tips For Romania.
To read more of our adventures in Romania, click here.
Coming Next – Explore Brașov’s Old Town
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