Bran Castle in Transylvania, Romania is famous for the vampire legend of Count Dracula. Perched precariously on a rock high above a valley near Brașov, this medieval stronghold is now open for the audience to follow in the footsteps of the nefarious count himself. Here are six fun facts about Bran Castle.
Stoker never visited the Castle
Irish author Bram Stoker invented Dracula as we know him today. The count-turned-villain was the main character of Stoker’s 1897 novel, set in a castle perched high above a valley. But Stoker never actually visited the castle. He never even set foot in Romania!
Vlad the Impaler
Stoker did, however, look to history for some inspiration. Stoker modeled his antihero after a real-life villain, Vlad III Dracula, otherwise known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad Dracula. And this blood-thirsty ruler of Wallachia did stay at Bran Castle, albeit only for a few months as a prisoner of the Hungarian army in the 15th century.
Local superstition
Romanian locals believed that strigoi roamed the area after dark. These spirits rose from the dead and fed on their victims’ blood. As the story goes, the strigoi were ‘normal’ people during the day. But after dark, their souls leave their sleeping bodies to torment their neighbors.
Inhabitants of Bran Castle
In 1920, Queen Marie of Romania received the castle as a gift. From 1920 to 1934, she lovingly restored and transformed the property into the royal family’s summer residence. After Queen Marie’s death, her daughter Princess Ileana inherited the castle. Queen Marie’s final wish was that her heart is taken to Balchik Castle near the Black Sea and interred. But wars ensued and the territory changed hands. At first, Queen Marie’s heart was moved to Bran Castle. When communism swept the country, custodians moved her heart once again. At last, her heart found its resting place at Pelisor Castle in Romania’s Sinaia region.
A secret passage
Initially, no one knew the passage even existed. When Queen Marie decided the castle’s 57 rooms needed a refurb, renovators moved an old fireplace. And hey presto, they unearthed a secret passage!
A hospital
During World War II, Princess Ileana put the extensive property to good use. The Princess was a qualified nurse and used the castle as a hospital to treat wounded soldiers.