Bran Castle was built now more than 600 years and was originally a fortress known as Dietrichstein, built by the Teutonic Knights in 1212, which was conquered by the Germans in the late thirteenth century.

Bran Castle lies less than 30 km from Brasov, built on a rock in a key location strategically. It currently houses the Bran Museum, spanning four floors of the castle. Here are exhibited collections of ceramics, furniture, weapons and armor, and in the castle courtyard is a small village museum with traditional houses Rucar-Bran region.

The castle was restored between 1920-1927, under the Royal Court architect, Carol Liman. During Queen Maria reign, Bran was a royal residence and one of her’s favorite places. The guides also can inform tourists with stories like Queen Mary’s heart was buried for a short time here, at the castle.

Although in 1938 the daughter of Queen Mary, Princess Ileana, received the castle in her will, in 1948 the royal family was banished from the country by the communist regime and Bran Castle became the property of the Romanian state.

Ten years after the communist regime in Romania, Bran Castle was opened as a museum of history and feudal art. The Castle deterioration led to its closure in 1987 and was reopened only in 1993. Currently, Bran Castle is owned by Princess Ileana, descendant of Dominic of Habsburg.

The main reason for foreign tourists choose to visit Bran Castle is the legend that was created around it. Dracula is a fictional character. Count Dracula character first appears in the novel «Dracula», written by the writer Bram Stoker and published in 1897 in England. Originally the name Dracula is not scary one. It derives from the name given to an order of Crusaders, Order of the Dragon, which have been associated with both Vlad Tepes or Vlad Dracul The rest is influenced by the legends and popular beliefs about ghosts and vampires in Transylvania.

You should not miss a visit to Bran Castle and to explore Transylvania!