From Peles, we drove about 10 mins to a Serbian restaurant in Sinaia, Taverna Sarbului. We were starving so welcomed the large selection of food – bowls of green salad with tomatoes and cucumbers fresh off the vine drizzled with herbed olive oil, plates with assorted cold meats, cheeses and spreads, baskets of warm, thick bread, platters of chicken and vegetables, all topped off with apple and strawberry crepes. We ate heartily but still left platters untouched – the quantities of food this entire trip have been overwhelming even for my American sensibilities.
The drive from Sinaia to Bran Castle required us to go around a mountain so although less than 50 km, took over an hour. Our morning at Peles had been sunny and bright, but as we approached the town of Bran, the skies clouded. Our first view of the medieval castle from the town below was against the backdrop of a black, threatening sky. How appropriate for the castle now hyped as Dracula’s castle!
We walked past stalls of vendors hawking Dracula souvenirs, then began a short, rather steep climb to the castle entrance. We passed an old stone cross with Cyrillic writing – it was unmarked and not clear whether it was a tombstone or talisman but very apropos to the setting. It began to rain as we entered the castle.
We met our tour guide, Matthew, in the entryway of the castle; he spent about 45 mins with us explaining the history of the castle, its occupants and how it became associated with Dracula. I’m convinced he moonlights as a stand up comic – his commentary was quite funny and entertaining! No more than five minutes into the tour, an intense storm hit, so Matthew’s stories of the castle came with the audiovisual effects of pelting rain, flashing lightening and crashing thunder! Seemed quite appropriate for Dracula’s castle.
Bran Castle was built as a military fortress in 1377 by the Saxons to protect their trade routes, collect customs and repel invasions by the Ottoman Turks. For this reason, it was strategically located high on a rocky bluff surrounded by stone turrets. Over the ages, additional towers and walls were added to the castle giving it an irregular shape and appearance. The round tower of the Gunpowder Hold is believed to be the oldest tower in the fortress built in the 14th century.
According to Matthew, Bran’s association with the Dracula legend was pure opportunism. The castle has only tenuous connection with the character that Irish author Bram Stoker borrowed bits and pieces of for his infamous Count Dracula. Vlad Tepes, posthumously nicknamed Vlad the Impaler, was a prince of Walachia in the 15th century named thus because of his cruelty and habit of executing people by impalement. He was from the house of Dracul and was actually born in Sighisoari. Vlad never lived at Bran Castle and may have only briefly visited here during his military campaigns.
In 1498, Bran Castle was assigned to the community of Brasov by the Hungarian King. It remained as a fortification and played an important role in the defense of the area but more importantly provided Brasov with the ability to collect custom duties. In 1836, no longer needed as a military installation, it also lost its commercial significance as a border point for the Austria-Hungarian empire. It was later transferred to Brasov’s forestry department and ultimately fell into decay. In 1920, the castle was gifted to the new sovereigns of Romania; Queen Maria began extensive renovation turning the old medieval citadel into an inhabitable, comfortable dwelling for the royal court. The castellans’ room with its high Gothic ceiling became her reading room, a music room and library was designed on the third floor. Queen Maria and King Ferdinand and their children spent many a wonderful holiday at Bran.
So how did Bran go from sedate royal residence to Dracula’s Castle, one of the biggest Romanian tourist attractions? As Bram Stoker’s novel grew in popularity inspiring movies, stage plays, articles and fascination with vampires, the mystique around the Dracula legend grew. Although well traveled, Stoker never visited Eastern Europe or the Carpathian Mountains, but researched Eastern European folklore and superstitions. The multiple accounts about how Vlad the Impaler died and where his body went may have also inspired Stoker to loosely base his main protagonist on Vlad. All of this combined with his vague but juicy details about Dracula’s castle in the horseshoe’s of the Carpathians led fans to search for a real place; Bran’s location atop a rocky crag, it’s medieval, sinister architecture and loose association with Vlad Tepes made it the ideal castle to support the Dracula legend.
During Communist rule when the royal family abdicated, Bran Castle became the property of the Romanian state, was subsequently converted to a ‘museum’ and left to deteriorate. The citadel was returned to the grandchildren of Queen Maria in 2009, now living in America, refurnished and redecorated and once again opened to the public. Enterprising tour operators began promoting Bran as Dracula’s Castle and as Romania opened to international tourism, people from around the world flocked to visit. Matthew mentioned that when tourists first began coming to the town of Bran, looking for the Dracula Castle, villagers had no idea what they were talking about. To them Bran Castle was the retreat of their beloved Queen Maria and her children.
Locals have mixed feelings about the association with the Dracula legend. The tourist dollars are nice but many feel that the fiction behind Dracula obscures the more important aspects of Romanian history. There was once a plan to develop a Dracula theme park in the area but that got shelved. One bit of indulgence to the Dracula legend in Bran Castle (besides the souvenirs) is the extra fee to see the underground dungeons complete with flashing lights, sound effects and pictures with Vlad and other unsavory characters.
Although the thunder and lightening had stopped by the time we left the castle, it was raining steadily. We took a quick walk along the grounds for some last pictures – with the river and greenery the castle did not look at all sinister and it was easy to understand why Bran was such a welcome place of respite for the royal family.
It was a two hour ride back to Bucharest – we returned around 10 pm so thankfully missed the rush hour traffic. I leave for home tomorrow, glad to have had so many opportunities to explore this beautiful country, learn about its fascinating history and meet its welcoming people. I will be back!