The Pelișor Castle is a castle in Sinaia, Romania, part of the same complex as the larger castle of Peleș.
History
The castle was built in 1899–1902 by order of King Carol I, as the residence for his nephew and heir, the future King Ferdinand (son of Carol's brother Leopold von Hohenzollern) and Ferdinand's consort Queen Marie.
In 2006, it was decided that the entire complex, including Pelișor, long a museum and tourist site, is the legal property of the King Michael I of Romania. The royal family was to assume legal possession of it and lease it to the Romanian state, so that it will remain in its current status. The main castle of Peleș is already under lease, but negotiations for other villas and chateaus are on going. King Michael I of Romania maintained that Pelișor would remain a private residence for the royal family.
Architecture
Pelișor was designed by the Czech architect Karel Liman in the Art Nouveau style; the furniture and the interior decorations were designed mostly by the Viennese Bernhard Ludwig. There are several chambers, working cabinets, a chapel, and "the golden room". Queen Marie herself, an accomplished artist, made many of the artistic decisions about the design of the palace, and participated in its decoration, including as a painter. Queen Marie considered Art Nouveau a weapon against sterile historicism, creating a personal style combining Art-Nouveau elements with Byzantine and Celtic elements.
The hall of honour is very simple with the walls covered with oak-timber and a glass ceiling.
Museum
Opening hours at Pelișor Castle:
Summer (15 May - 15 September): Monday closed, Closed, Wednesday - Sunday 09.00–17.00
Winter (16 September - 14 May): Monday, Tuesday - closed, Wednesday 11.15–16.15, Thursday - Sunday 09.15–16.15
In the period 15 October - 30 November the Castle is closed for works of preservation.

Pelișor Castle

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The hunting house with its 43 rooms was the Romanian kings' favourite place. It was built earlier than Peles castle, thus it served as provisional residence to king Carol and queen Elisabeth untill completion of Peles castle, as well as to king Ferdinand and queen Mary till Pelisor castle was ready. King Carol II also lived here during his rule over Roamnia in between 1930-1940. The hounting house standing today has suffered many changes since than. During the rule of Carol II the original house burnt down, and was rebuilt in between 1932-1933. The Communist regime brought another wing to the building. Today the castle with its offices, parlors, fancy living-rooms, and even a theatre room bleongs to the Romanian state and is used exclusivelly for protocol purposes. Visitors are not allowed inside!
https://www.welcometoromania.eu/

Sinaia Foisor Hunting House

Peleș Castle is a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914. Its inauguration was held in 1883. It was constructed for King Carol I.
Location
The complex is northwest of the town of Sinaia, which is 48 kilometres (30 mi) from Brașov and 124 kilometres (77 mi) from Bucharest. In the southeastern Carpathian Mountains, the complex is composed of three monuments: Peleș Castle, Pelișor Castle, and the Foișor Hunting Lodge.
History
When King Carol I of Romania (1839–1914), under whose reign the country gained its independence, first visited the site of the future castle in 1866, he fell in love with the magnificent mountain scenery. In 1872, the Crown purchased 5 square kilometres (1.9 sq mi) of land near the Piatra Arsă River. The estate was named the Royal Estate of Sinaia. The King commissioned the construction of a royal hunting preserve and summer retreat on the property, and the foundation was laid for Peleș Castle on 22 August 1873. Several auxiliary buildings were built simultaneously with the castle: the guards' chambers, the Economat Building, the Foișor hunting lodge, the royal stables, and a power plant. Peleș became the world's first castle fully powered by locally produced electricity.
The first three design plans submitted for Peleș were copies of other palaces in Western Europe, and King Carol I rejected them all as lacking originality and being too costly. German architect Johannes Schultz won the project by presenting a more original plan, something that appealed to the King's taste: a grand palatial alpine castle combining different features of classic European styles, mostly following Italian elegance and German aesthetics along Renaissance lines. Works were also led by architect Carol Benesch. Later additions were made between 1893 and 1914 by the Czech architect Karel Liman, who designed the towers, including the main central tower, which is 66 metres (217 ft) in height. The Sipot Building, which served as Liman's headquarters during the construction, was built later on. Liman would supervise the building of the nearby Pelișor Castle (1889–1903, the future residence of King Ferdinand I and Queen Marie of Romania), as well as of King Ferdinand's villa in the Royal Sheepfold Meadow.
The cost of the work on the castle undertaken between 1875 and 1914 was estimated to be 16,000,000 Romanian lei in gold (approx. US$ 120 million today). Between three and four hundred men worked on the construction. Queen Elisabeth of the Romanians, during the construction phase, wrote in her journal:
Italians were masons, Romanians were building terraces, the Gypsies were coolies. Albanians and Greeks worked in stone, Germans and Hungarians were carpenters. Turks were burning brick. Engineers were Polish and the stone carvers were Czech. The Frenchmen were drawing, the Englishmen were measuring, and so was then when you could see hundreds of national costumes and fourteen languages in which they spoke, sang, cursed and quarreled in all dialects and tones, a joyful mix of men, horses, cart oxen and domestic buffaloes.
Construction saw a slight slowdown during the Romanian War of Independence against the Ottoman Empire in 1877–78, but soon afterwards the plans grew in size and construction was quite rapid. Peleș Castle had its official Royal Ball of Inauguration on 7 October 1883. King Carol I and Queen Elizabeth lived in Foişor Villa during construction, as did King Ferdinand and Queen Marie during the construction of Pelișor Castle. King Carol II was born at the castle in 1893, giving meaning to the phrase "cradle of the dynasty, cradle of the nation" that Carol I bestowed upon Peleș Castle. Carol II lived in Foișor Villa for periods during his reign. Princess Maria died there in 1874.
After King Michael I's forced abdication in 1947, the Communist regime seized all royal property, including the Peleș Estate. The castle was opened as a tourist attraction for a short time. It also served as a recreation and resting place for Romanian cultural personalities. The castle was declared a museum in 1953. Nicolae Ceaușescu closed the entire estate between 1975 and 1990, during the last years of the Communist regime. The area was declared a "State Protocol Interest Area", and the only persons permitted on the property were maintenance and military personnel.
Ceaușescu did not like the castle very much and rarely visited. In the 1980s, some of the timber was infested with Serpula lacrymans. After the December 1989 Revolution, Peleș and Pelișor Castle were re-established as heritage sites and opened to the public. Today, Foișor Castle serves as a presidential residence. The Economat Building and the Guard's Chambers Building are now hotels and restaurants. Some of the other buildings on the Peleș Estate were converted to tourist villas and some are now "state protocol buildings". In 2006, the Romanian government announced the restitution of the castle to former monarch Michael I. Negotiations soon began between the former king and the government of Romania, and were concluded in 2007. The castle is on lease from the royal family to the Romanian state. Peleș Castle receives between a quarter and almost a half million visitors annually.
Throughout its history, the castle hosted some important personalities, from royalty and politicians to artists. One of the most memorable visits was that of Kaiser Franz Joseph I of Austria-Hungary on 2 October 1896, who later wrote in a letter:
The Royal Castle amongst other monuments, surrounded by extremely pretty landscape with gardens built on terraces, all at the edge of dense forests. The castle itself is very impressive through the riches it has accumulated: old and new canvases, old furniture, weapons, all sort of curios, everything placed with good taste. We took a long hike in the mountains, afterwards we picnicked on the green grass, surrounded by the Gypsy music. We took many pictures, and the atmosphere was extremely pleasant.
Artists like George Enescu, Sarah Bernhardt, Jacques Thibaud and Vasile Alecsandri visited often as guests of Queen Elizabeth of Romania (herself a writer also known under the pen name of Carmen Sylva). In more recent times, many foreign dignitaries such as Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Muammar al-Gaddafi, and Yasser Arafat were welcomed at the castle.
The castle was featured in the 2009 film The Brothers Bloom. The exterior of the castle is used to represent a large estate in New Jersey, the home of an eccentric billionaire played by Rachel Weisz.
The castle was featured in the Netflix original film A Christmas Prince and its two sequels, A Christmas Prince: The Royal Wedding and A Christmas Prince: The Royal Baby. It was also featured in the 2011 Hallmark Channel movie A Princess for Christmas and 2018's Royal Matchmaker.
Description
By form and function, Peleș is a palace, but it is consistently called a castle. Its architectural style is a romantically inspired blend Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival similar to Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. A Saxon influence can be observed in the interior courtyard facades, which have allegorical hand-painted murals and ornate fachwerk similar to that seen in northern European alpine architecture. Interior decoration is mostly Baroque influenced, with heavy carved woods and exquisite fabrics.
Peleș Castle has a 3,200-square-metre (34,000 sq ft) floor plan with over 170 rooms, many with dedicated themes from world cultures (in a similar fashion as other Romanian palaces, such as Cotroceni Palace). Themes vary by function (offices, libraries, armouries, art galleries) or by style (Florentine, Turkish, Moorish, French, Imperial); all the rooms are lavishly furnished and decorated to the slightest detail. There are 30 bathrooms. The establishment has collections of statues, paintings, furniture, arms and armor, gold, silver, stained glass, ivory, porcelain, tapestries and rugs. The collection of arms and armour has over 4,000 pieces, divided between Eastern and Western war pieces and ceremonial or hunting pieces, spreading over four centuries of history. Oriental rugs come from many sources: Bukhara, Mosul, Isparta, Saruk and Smirna. The porcelain is from Sèvres and Meissen; the leather is from Córdoba. The hand-painted stained glass vitralios, which are mostly Swiss.
A towering statue of King Carol I by Raffaello Romanelli overlooks the main entrance. Many other statues are present on the seven Italian neo-Renaissance terrace gardens, mostly of Carrara marble executed by the Italian sculptor Romanelli. The gardens also host fountains, urns, stairways, guarding lions, marble paths and other decorative pieces.
Peleș Castle shelters a painting collection of almost 2,000 pieces. Angelo de Gubernatis (1840–1913) was an Italian writer who arrived in 1898 in Sinaia as a guest of the Royal Family:
Inaugurated in 1883, Peleș Castle is not only a pleasant place during summer time; it has been conceived to be also a national monument, meant to keep the trophies of the Plevna victory, which explains the simple but majestic style. The castle's courtyard – Bramantes type – with a fountain in the middle, in the most accurate Renaissance style, pleasantly surprises the visitor. The courtyard has a merry decoration, made out of plants and flowers; all round, the building's facades are animated by elegant drawings. The interior of the castle is a true wonder, due to the beauty and richness of the sculpted wood and the stained glass windows. As you get in the vestibule, you are on the Honor Staircase, in front of the most important rulers of old Romania: Holy Stephen the Great, and Michael the Brave. In a proud attitude, wearing whether a fur cap or with the gold crown on their heads, they impress through the brilliant dressing, in which the white of ermine blends with the emerald green or the red of the large mantle. On the right and on left side of the two rulers, as servant knights, four shield bearers carry the Romanian Provinces escutcheons. Inside the Queen's library, over the groups of children symbolizing poetry and science, there is the image of Ulfilas (311–383 AD) a Goth religious ruler, from the northern side of Danube River, translating the Bible in their language and bringing his contribution in spreading Christianity, a Christian apostle of the Romans, and the image of Dante Alighieri, the creator of western poetry. Passing the library and getting into the dormitory, we will meet the image of Genies and Allegories of Painting and Music, as well as a series of legendary themes. Inside the apartments reserved for the honor guests, a number of coat-of-arms were shining through their heraldic abundance, speaking about the ancestors of the Royal Family. But among all, the glass paintings from the Peleș Castle are, beyond any doubt, the most profound and shining. Here, the subjects are taken out of Alecsandri's poetry.
Museum
Public visits are made within guided tours. One of the tours is limited to the ground floor, another adds the first floor and the complete tour includes the second floor.[4] Admission is charged, and there is an additional photography fee. The visiting hours are from 9 am to 5 pm. Wednesday through Sunday. On Tuesdays the hours are 11 am to 5 pm. The castle is closed on Mondays. These visiting hours are subject to change by the Romanian Culture Ministry. The castle is closed in November each year for maintenance and cleaning.
The most notable grand rooms are:
Holul de Onoare (The Hall of Honour) was finished completely only in 1911, under the guidance of Karel Liman. It spreads over three floors. Walls are dressed in exquisitely carved woodwork, mostly European walnut and exotic timbers. Bas-reliefs, alabaster sculptures, and retractable stained glass panels complete the decor.
Apartamentul Imperial (The Imperial Suite) is believed to be a tribute to the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I, who visited the palace as a friend of the Romanian Royal Family. Hence, decorator Auguste Bembe preferred the sumptuous Austrian Baroque in style of Empress Maria Theresa. A perfectly preserved five-hundred-year-old Cordoban tooled leather wall cover is the rarest of such quality.
Sala Mare de Arme (The Grand Armory or The Arsenal) is where 1,600 of the 4,000 pieces of weaponry and armor reside. One of Europe's finest collection of hunting and war implements, timelined between 14th and 19th century, are on display. The king added pieces used in his victory against the Ottoman Turks during the War of Independence. Famous are the complete Maximilian armor for horse and rider and a 15th-century German "nobles only" decapitation broadsword. Also on display are a wide array of polearms (glaives, halberds, lances, hunting spears), firearms (muskets, blunderbusses, snaphaunces, flintlocks, pistols), axes, crossbows, and swords (rapiers, sabers, broadswords, and many others).
Sala Mică de Arme (The Small Armory) is where predominantly Oriental (mostly Indo-Persian, Ottoman and Arab) arms and armor pieces are on exhibit, many of them made of gold and silver, and inlaid with precious stones. Included are chainmail armor, helmets, scimitars, yataghans, daggers, matchlocks, lances, pistols, shields, axes, and spears.
Sala de Teatru (The Playhouse) is decorated in Louis XIV style, with sixty seats and a Royal Box. Architectural decoration and mural paintings are signed by Gustav Klimt and Frantz Matsch.
Sala Florentină (The Florentine Room) combines revived elements of the Italian Renaissance, mostly from Florence. Most impressive are the solid bronze doors executed in Rome; ateliers of Luigi Magni; and the Grand Marble Fireplace executed by Paunazio with Michelangelo motifs.
Salonul Maur (The Moorish Salon) was executed under the guidance of Charles Lecompte de Nouy, and is meant to embody elements of North-African and Hispanic Moorish style. Mother-of-pearl inlaid furniture, fine Persian Sarouk and Ottoman Isparta rugs, and Oriental weapons and armor are perhaps the most expressive elements. The salon has an indoor marble fountain.
Salonul Turcesc (The Turkish Parlor) emulates an Ottoman "joie de vivre" atmosphere—a room full of Turkish Izmir rugs and copperware from Anatolia and Persia. It was used as a smoking room for gentlemen. Walls are covered in hand-made textiles like silk brocades from the Siegert shops of Vienna.
In something remarkable in comparison to most recent-era royal families, the monarchs shared a bedroom.
Present day
Originally personal property of the Royal Family, Peleș Castle was nationalized when King Michael was forced to abdicate and into exile by the Communist government in 1947. In 1997 the castle was returned to the Royal Family in a long judicial case that was finally concluded in 2007. King Michael subsequently said the castle should continue to house the Peleș National Museum, as well as being occasionally used for public royal ceremonies.
King Michael's heir Margareta, Custodian of the Romanian Crown occasionally uses the Castle for receptions, investitures and other public events. On 10 May (Monarchy Day) 2016, the Royal Family hosted a large Reception, Garden Party & Concert at Peleș Castle to mark the 150th anniversary of the Romanian Royal Dynasty, when Margareta's standard was flown on Peleș Castle - the first time since 1947 a Royal Standard had flown from the Castle.
In August 2016 the body of Queen Anne Lay in State in the Hall of Honour at Peleș Castle in a ceremony attended by the Presidents of Romania and Moldova, Prime Minister Dacian Cioloș and other national leaders. This was followed on 13 December 2017 by King Michael Lying in State in the same location in a similar, but larger, ceremony prior to his funeral in Bucharest and his burial in Curtea de Argeș.

Peleș Castle

The Cantacuzino Castle is situated in Bușteni, Romania, in the Zamora district, on the street bearing the same name. The building has a great architectural, historical, documentary and artistic value.
History
The building, whose construction was completed in 1911, was conducted by the architect Grigore Cerchez, a prominent figure of the Neo-Romanian style, at the request of Prince George Grigore Cantacuzino, who was nicknamed "Nababul" (“The Nabob”).
The castle was placed on the site of an old hunting lodge that the prince's family had used as a halt during their pilgrimages to Brașov.
The construction works lasted for five years, and the furnishing lasted another year and a half. At the inauguration in 1911, the castle impressed not only by its style and beauty,[citation needed] but also by its modern facilities in relation to those times, benefitting from electricity, sewerage system and drinking water.
Until 1930, the castle served as the summer residence of the family of Prince Grigore Cantacuzino. The castle belonged to the Cantacuzino family until its nationalization in 1948, then became a sanatorium of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The castle underwent restoration work and today it is open to the public.
“Zamora” Castle
Cantacuzino Castle is sometimes nicknamed "Zamora" Castle due to its location. However, it is said that the name Zamora came from a hound that belonged to the members of the Cantacuzino family. They shouted "Za 'Mura!" to signal the hound to bring them the prey.
Castle structure
The building was made of carved stone on the outside and brick on the inside, the foundation is made of concrete, and the roof is made of tile.
The construction is of the pavilion type, having the shape of a quadrilateral with the southern side open. The entire castle consists of 4 bodies. The central pavilion has a floor area of 1,200.30 m2 and 3,148.02 m2 in total (basement, ground floor and first floor). The service pavilion has ground floor and first floor, covering an area of 403.80 m2. The administrative villa has one single level, of 114.41 m2. The fourth building is the chapel.
Interior of the castle
The inside the castle has a pronounced romantic character, offered by the numerous details and ornaments, such as:
Roman mosaic, on the first level;
Mural paintings made by Venetian artists;
Murano glass stained glass;
Italian glazed pottery, in the main hall;
Fireplaces made of Albești limestone, decorated with polychrome mosaic and gold leaf;
Oak wood ceilings, coffered and carved;
Carved oak doors;
Oak staircase designed to rest only on the walls, without other central support;
Carrara marble stairs;
Railings carved in stone, wrought iron or wood;
Bronze hardware with ornaments, made in Paris;
Painted boxes and decorative friezes.
In addition to the ornamental motifs present inside the building, the central pavilion hosts a gallery of mural paintings made on Cordoba leather that is unique in Romania. The gallery depicts twelve life-size portraits of the main members of the Cantacuzino family in the Wallachian branch.
Also in the central pavilion, in the ballroom, there is a collection of heraldry, representing 27 coats of arms belonging to the aristocracy members who were related to the Cantacuzino family.
Exterior of the castle
Outside the castle, above the main entrance from the park, is the emblem of the Cantacuzino family, carved in stone. The main entrance from the park also has a large terrace made of stone, which has views of the Bucegi Mountains, along with the Cross of Heroes on Mount Caraiman.
On the same side of the castle, on the first floor, is located the lodge of the Cantacuzino Castle, built in Brancoveanu style, bearing stone columns with capitals and trilobate arches. In this lodge, in 1928, Queen Maria of Romania, Princess Ileana and the first Patriarch of Romania, Miron Cristea, were photographed together with the groom and bride - George Cantacuzino, the grandson of “Nababu” and one of the great archaeologists of Romania, and Zoe Grecianu, daughter of some aristocrats of the time.
In 1923, as a tribute to Prince Grigore Cantacuzino, above the entrance to the inner courtyard of the castle, the following text was carved in stone: “I, Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino, with my wife Ecaterina born Băleanu, built this castle in memory of my ancestors and for the shelter of the descendants.”
In the inner courtyard of the castle, on the east side, there is a hunting tower.
Domain and church
The castle is surrounded by a courtyard that covers an area of 3.5 ha. The garden at the base of the palace includes three fountains, two of which with artesian wells. The main alley of the park is bordered by aligned trees, respecting the style of parks in great European capitals. Another distinctive element of the garden is the anthropic cave.
In 1935-1936, a small wooden church was built on the castle domain, dedicated to Saint George the Conqueror. At her consecration, on September 13, 1936, Queen Maria of Romania and Princess Ileana were invited. The wooden church is located on the exact place of a former church brought from Maramureș region by the ancestors of Prince Grigore Cantacuzino, in the 18th century.
Apart from the courtyard that surrounds the castle, the Cantacuzino estate has another 970 ha of forest located on the Zamora mountain.
Communist period
During the period when the building served as a sanatorium, the walls were painted evenly. After the restitution, a restoration process began in order to uncover the original paintings.
Today
During the post-communist period, the castle was returned to the direct heiress, Ioana Cantacuzino, the “Nabob”'s great-granddaughter.
The castle is now privately owned and has been open to the public since 2010. Cantacuzino Castle has, since then, received tens of thousands of visitors annually, both from within the country and abroad. Tourists can visit the courtyard, which contains various sculptures. They also have access at the interior of the castle, through daily guided tours.
Since 2015, the upper floor of the castle hosts an art gallery, which periodically displays exhibitions with works by several artists.
In addition to its traditional elements, since 2016, the castle courtyard hosts an adventure park for children and parents, as well as two restaurants with a terrace, opened in 2012 and 2020, respectively.

Cantacuzino Castle

Posada castle was built between 1842 si 1848 by Gheorghe Bibescu the ruler of Valachia at the time (also known as Bibescu Voda). The castle was built in the perfect scenery, straight from the fairy tales. It was meant to be a hunting manor, the like of the mountain built mansions, from wood and stone. Later on, at the beginning of the 20th century, the mansion was extended and transformed into the castle we know today.
It was a much-loved home of the Bibescu family and the place has an interesting history where love and affairs mixed and romance flourished.
During WWI, on December 25th, 1915, the castle was set on fire by the German army in an attempt to destroy the British Legislative Archives. The archive was supposedly hidden there by Lord Christopher Thomson of Cardington who was at the time Martha Bibescu’s lover. The castle was closed after the fire, and a year later, in December, the Hungarian army destroyed the Bibescu Pinacotheca (large Art Gallery) as well as Prince Bibescu’s personal painting collection.
During WW2, the castle was temporarily occupied by the German army and in 1950 yet another fire destroyed a large part of the castle. Subsequently, the building was abandoned.
During the 70’s, the building entered the jurisdiction of Peles Castle and was used as a storage facility and restoration workshops.
The castle is not open for visits at this moment, but the surrounding area has numerous other sights worth seeing, therefore if you are in Valea Prahovei area, take a detour to Comarnic and maybe you will be in luck to sneak a peek to the castle.
Close to the castle, you will find The Cynegetic Museum of Posada which is worth visiting especially for hunting enthusiasts.
The museum contains an amazing collection of stuffed animals and hunting weapons belonging to famous Romanian historical figures.
https://wassupromania.com/

Posada Castle

Bran Castle is a castle in Bran, 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Brașov. It is a national monument and landmark in Transylvania. The fortress is on the Transylvanian side of the historical border with Wallachia, on road DN73.
Commonly known outside Transylvania as Dracula's Castle, it is often referred to as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker's Dracula. There is no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad the Impaler, voivode of Wallachia, the putative inspiration for Dracula. Stoker's description of Dracula's crumbling fictional castle also bears no resemblance to Bran Castle.
The castle is now a museum dedicated to displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior on their own or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open-air museum exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, water-driven machinery, etc.) from the Bran region.
History
Wooden castle of the German Order
In 1212, the Teutonic Order built the wooden castle of Dietrichstein as a fortified position in the Burzenland at the entrance to a mountain pass through which traders had travelled for more than a millennium. This castle was destroyed by the Mongols in 1242.
The original name of the castle, Dietrichstein or lapis Theoderici in Latin, lit. "Dietrich's Stone", seems to have been derived from the Comthur (Commander) and regional Preceptor, frater Theodericus, mentioned in a 1212 document. This Dietrich is the probable builder of the castle. A 1509 document confirms that the Törzburg county had once belonged to Commander Dietrich of the Teutonic Order.
Stone castle of the Kronstadt Saxons
The first documented mention of Bran Castle is the act issued by Louis I of Hungary on 19 November, 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (modern Brașov) the privilege to build the stone castle at their own expense and labour force; the settlement of Bran began to develop nearby. In 1438–1442, the castle was used in defense against the Ottoman Empire, and later became a customs post on the mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia. Although many castles of the time belonged to members of nobility, it has been established that Bran Castle was built almost exclusively for fortification and protection of German colonists in Transylvania. It is believed the castle was briefly held by Mircea the Elder of Wallachia (r. 1386–95, 1397–1418) during whose period the customs point was established. The Wallachian ruler Vlad Țepeș (Vlad the Impaler; 1448–1476) does not seem to have had a significant role in the history of the fortress, although he passed several times through the Bran Gorge. At some point Bran Castle belonged to the Hungarian kings, but due to the failure of King Vladislas II (r. 1471–1516) to repay loans, the city of Brașov regained possession of the fortress in 1533. Bran played a militarily strategic role up to the mid-18th century.
Royal residence and aftermath
With the 1920 Treaty of Trianon, Hungary lost Transylvania, and the castle became a royal residence within the Kingdom of Romania after being given to the royal house by the Saxons of Kronstadt-Braşov, who had no more use for it and no interest in financing the time-damaged property. It became the favorite home and retreat of Marie of Romania, who ordered its extensive renovation conducted by the Czech architect Karel Zdeněk Líman [cs]. The castle was inherited by her daughter Princess Ileana who ran a hospital there in World War II. It was later seized by the communist regime with the expulsion of the royal family in 1948.
In 2005 the Romanian government passed a law allowing restitution claims on properties illegally expropriated, such as Bran, and thus a year later ownership of the castle was awarded to American Dominic von Habsburg, the son and heir of Princess Ileana.
On 18 May 2006, after a period of legal proceedings, the castle was legally returned to heirs of the Habsburg family. However, the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Culture, was also to administer it for the next three years.
In September 2007 an investigation committee of the Romanian Parliament stated that the retrocession of the castle to Archduke Dominic was illegal, as it broke the Romanian law on property and succession. However, in October 2007 the Constitutional Court of Romania rejected the parliament's petition on the matter. In addition, an investigation commission of the Romanian government issued a decision in December 2007 reaffirming the validity and legality of the restitution procedures used and confirming that the restitution was made in full compliance with the law.
On 18 May 2009 administration of Bran Castle was transferred from the government to Archduke Dominic and his sisters, Baroness Maria Magdalena of Holzhausen and Elisabeth Sandhofer. On 1 June 2009 the Habsburgs opened the refurbished castle to the public as the first private museum in the country and presented in collaboration with Bran village a joint strategic concept to maintain their prominent role in the Romanian tourist circuit and to safeguard the economic base in the region.
"Dracula's Castle"
Vlad the Impaler
Vlad III Dracula, better known as Vlad The Impaler, was ruler of Wallachia on and off from 1448 to 1476. Other than being colloquially known as the inspiration for Bram Stoker's titular character in the novel Dracula, Vlad III is known for committing brutal acts of war. In his reign he was under constant threat of attack from both Ottoman and Hungarian forces. During an infamous retreat from Ottoman forces, Vlad III had the bodies of his enemies and his citizens alike impaled on large spikes in the field surrounding his country. Not only did his fondness for impaling his victims earn him the nickname "Vlad the Impaler", it also ensured his survival during the retreat, as the Ottoman forces returned home after seeing the grotesque scene Vlad III had prepared for them.
Vlad the Impaler and Castle Bran
Though many myths have been connected to Vlad III in connection with the Dracula myth, most historians agree that Vlad III Dracula never set foot in Castle Bran. Castle Bran was neither a friendly place for Vlad III to visit, nor was it under his rule.
The castle was linked to Vlad III for various reasons. The castle had long been one linked to his imprisonment after he was captured by the Hungarians in 1462. It was believed that he was imprisoned in Castle Bran, but historians now conclude that Vlad III was actually imprisoned in a fortress in Budapest. It is said by historians that Castle Bran was chosen to be the colloquial location of Vlad III's imprisonment as it is a more haunting and dramatic looking structure than other castles of the region. Historians and scholars alike have concluded that Vlad III likely never set foot in the castle. However, as there is a lack of written historical accounts from the region at that time, the idea cannot be completely discredited.
Connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula
During Stoker's research on the region of Transylvania, he came across the brutal accounts of the atrocities committed by Vlad III. It is said he directly used the name Dracula after reading on the subject, but that his inspiration for Dracula was not solely based upon the historical figure. It is said instead that it was largely due to American cinema that Vlad III is considered the primary source of inspiration for the character Count Dracula. Despite there being a connection between Stoker and Vlad III, there is still no known direct connection between Stoker's fictional castle and Bran Castle.
The description of the castle in the novel Dracula does not match Bran Castle. The current connection between Castle Bran and the Dracula legend (in both the sense of Vlad III Dracula and Bram Stoker's novel) is tourism-driven. In the 1970s the Communist Party of Romania was developing a closer relationship to the West. Romania decided to put a wider focus on marketing for tourism to the country and because of the location of Bran Castle, its dramatic architecture, and its supposed connection to Vlad III Dracula and his connection to Bram Stoker's Dracula, the Romanian government decided to market the castle as the "real Dracula Castle".