Scarlett Memories

Bran Castle – the reason I am here again after a 3year break.
So let me tell you the story of how I got infected with COVID, started to feel myself spiral into a bit of depression while in quarantine and then decided to reclaim the site domain and start writing about vampires again.

View from the way up to the castle entrance

Most people associate Bran with Dracula because of the description provided by Bram Stoker for the castle where Jonathan Harker makes his business trip and encounters count Dracula.

Bran – as drawn by Ludwig Rohboch in 1883

The details don`t quite match up, however we are talking about a fantasy novel not a historical one so we will overlook the inconsistencies for the sake of a brilliant piece of gothic literature and a splendid castle that is 100000% worth visiting

First written mention

The link between the castle and the family of Vlad Tepes dates back to his grandfather.

It was November 1377 that the permission was granted by the king of Hungary for a new fortification to be built on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia.

Main bastion

Original tower

After its completion, Bran castle became the border fortification that handled both the taxation for the road that linked the two regions and garrisoned the small regiment that maintained the peace in the area.

The year was 1395 and Sigismund of Luxembourg [German emperor and king of Hungary] used Bran castle as a strategic base for an incursion in Wallachia, imposing on the throne his vassal Mircea cel Batran [Mircea the Old, grandfather to Vlad “Dracula” Tepes].

Inner courtyard and well

View from side tower

In 1407 the management of Bran Castle was awarded by Sigismund to his vassal and it remained so until 1419. It was at Bran that both Vlad Tepes and his father Vlad Dracul were stationed during the periods of time that their family was not entrusted with the throne of Wallachia so we can attribute the military experience that Dracula got from these campaigns and the time he spent at the Ottoman court as a prisoner of the Sultan.

Master bedroom _ Austrian style

Living space and dining area

Multiple modification were made to the original structure with the adding of other defensive towers over the centuries and extension of living quarters when the castle because a royal residence in 1920 [when it was awarded to Queen Mary as a thank you for the efforts she put in towards obtaining independence and retaining more of the land inhabited by Romanians]

I end my article pleading that if you ever visit this wonderful gem located in the heart of Romania 😀 please try to do your best to separate the historical figure of Vlad “Dracula” Tepes and the fictional character Count Dracula

Note: These photos were taken on 14 Jan 2021 on my trip. The Xmas decorations were still up in the region ♡ I leave you with my favourite photo taken at Bran, starring the Xmas tree.

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† Dracula vs. Dracula