Visit Bran Castle: The Home Of Dracula
Castle Bran was at different times owned by the Hungarian kings, the Princes of Transylvania, and the city of Brasov before it was officially gifted to the Romanian royal family in the early 1900s. The castle became a summer home for the royal family and was renovated by Queen Maria between 1920 and 1932. Bran Castle is known as Dracula’s Castle.
The surrounding villages believe in the existence of evil spirits, ghosts or ‘strigoi’, and until half a century ago thought these individuals were living among them.
A strigoi is someone that leads a normal life in the day, until their souls leave their bodies at night and they come out to hunt their prey.
Today, the castle is a museum that has been dedicated to displaying furniture and art pieces collected by Queen Maria, who was the castle’s previous royal resident.
Along with her exhibitions, and her husband King Ferdinand’s room, the castle also has exhibits about Romanian vampire lore, Vlad the Impaler and Bram Stoker.
Bran Castle is one of the most popular Romanian tourist attractions and is a must-visit.