bran 2

some more pictures with the bran castle . the first one was taken from place called club vila bran (check tomorrow post for more details) . it's an amazing view and you can see the strategic position of the castle . the second one was taken from the car on the way back .

bran castle is situated in bran , some 30 km from brasov on the border between transylvania and vallachia (2 regions of romania) . it is marketed as dracula's castle , the character of bram stoker's novel been inspired by vlad the impaler , the ruler of vallachia , although vlad never actually lived in the castle .

cca 1212 the teutonic knights built he wooden fortress of dietrichstein as a fortified position at the entrance to a mountain valley through which traders had traveled for more than a millennium . it was destroyed in 1242 by the mongols . the first documented mentioning of bran castle is the act issued in 1377 giving the saxons of brasov the privilege to build the stone citadel . the settlement of bran began to develop nearby. the castle was first used in 1378 in defense against the ottoman empire, and later became a customs post on the mountain pass between transylvania and vallachia . from 1920, the castle became a royal residence within the kingdom of romania. it was the principal home of queen maria of romania, and is decorated largely with artifacts from her time, including traditional furniture and tapestries that she collected to highlight romanian crafts and skills. was later seized by the communist regime after the expulsion of the royal family in 1948. in 2006, the romanian government awarded ownership to archduke dominic of austria, prince of tuscany, known as dominic von habsburg , an architect in new york . in 2007, von habsburg put the castle up for sale . the chairman of the new york investment firm which has been retained to create a plan for the castle and to sell it, predicted it would sell for more than $135 million, but added that von habsburg will only sell it to a buyer "who will treat the property and its history with appropriate respect.

the castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by queen maria of romania . but more about the castle some other time when i will have the chance to visit it .