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bran castle, brasov, carpathian mountains, dracula, eastern europe, european castles, fortress, palaces, romania, romanians
Bran castle (XIV century) – located in Brasov county, Transylvania.
Throughout the centuries, the castle was used by both Romanian and Hungarian royalty. In modern times, it became notorious thanks to one of its residents – prince Vlad Tepes.
Contrary to beliefs, the vampire myth is a fictional concept drawn from Bram Stoker’s book.
*In 1920, the castle was donated by the state to Queen Mary of Romania. After WW2, the communist authorities turned it into a public museum. After 1990, the heirs of the family claimed ownership.
Vlad Dracula and his brother Radu the Handsome grew up as prisoners at the Sultan’s court, given by their father as guarantee of his obedience to the Ottoman empire. Unlike Radu who remained faithful to the Empire as an adult, Vlad developed animosity for the Ottomans and sought independence for the Vallachian principality.
While Radu supported the Sultan until the end of his life and fought against his brother. Vlad fought hopelessly against the foreign occupation and was eventually murdered by the Turks in 1476, in the swamps of Snagov forest. His head was taken to the Sultan as a trophy and his body was never recovered.