The house of Dracula. Uncovering the story of Bran Castle.

When Sophie determined to journey to Romania for her summer time trip, she had no concept what she was in for. Or the mysterious and barely chilling conditions she would face. The first oddity? As she sat behind the taxicab, she felt herself getting nearer and nearer to her first vacation spot. But not by way of using a map or GPS! Rather, it was an eerie sensation that was slowly effervescent up inside her, inflicting a slight however chilly shiver to type behind her neck and run down her backbone. Why was this occurring? Well, the reply to that may lie within the identify of Sophie’s vacation spot, being Bran Castle.

The citadel of the rely

Sophie was an avid reader and had simply completed studying Bram Stoker’s well-known epistolary gothic horror novel Dracula. She gazed up on the large citadel earlier than her, ‘I by no means believed that there was really a citadel belonging to the Count in the actual world,’ she thought incredulously. She half anticipated Dracula to look on the entrance and yell, “Welcome to my home! Enter freely and of your personal will!” But trying nearer, she observed one thing: whereas the citadel did give off a gray aura of horror and dread, it didn’t match the outline of the one within the novel.

Within the realm of literary fiction, Count Dracula could as nicely be essentially the most well-known and notable vampire of all. Within his novel, Bram Stoker not solely described the vampire’s look, but in addition went into nice element in stating the options and distinctive visible traits of his home, from winding staircases to octagonal rooms, and heat fireplaces. But right here’s the factor. The actual description of the citadel within the novel holds little to no resemblance to what Bran Castle appears to be like like, in addition to the truth that it stands on a rocky precipice. In truth, there is no such thing as a proof that Bram Stoker even visited this citadel. So right here’s the large query: why is Bran Castle known as ‘Dracula’s Castle’ if it holds no resemblance to the outline on the pages, and was by no means visited by the creator himself? The fundamental reply to this query can be that it was a advertising technique by guides and residents, and was pushed by the necessity for extra tourism. Also, historians have hinted at a doable connection between Bran Castle and Vlad the Impaler (Vlad III, prince of Wallachia), the real-life determine who presumably impressed Count Dracula. It is believed that Vlad the Impaler both resided throughout the citadel’s partitions or was imprisoned within the dungeons for months. Either manner, although Bran Castle holds only a few similarities to the citadel on the pages of Bram Stoker’s masterpiece, the structure, location, and total construction surrounding Bran Castle with an environment that mirrored the residence of the Count, and had vacationers and readers of the ebook discover it to be the right place for a vampire to dwell! Its sturdy gothic look and pure spooky appeal does many of the work.

Residents of actuality

‘I ponder who walked by way of these doorways.’ Sophie thought. ‘This citadel appears to be like prefer it belongs to a supernatural being of darkness, however I’m not foolish sufficient to assume that as true!’ She shook her head in amusement.

So, Count Dracula really residing at Bran Castle is out of the query. So who really lived throughout the spooky partitions of the place? To reply that, we should return in time to the late 14th Century, when Louis I of Hungary issued an act that granted the Saxons (folks of German origin who got here and settled in Transylvania within the twelfth Century) the rights and accountability of constructing the citadel, which was initially named Dietrichstein. The building was accomplished in 1388, and the citadel was initially used as a fortress of defence in opposition to the Ottoman Empire and German colonists in Transylvania. But then got here its transformation from a defend into a spot of royal residence! In 1920, following the Treaty of Trianon, the citadel changed into a spot for royalty and shortly turned a favorite retreat of Queen Marie of Romania (The final queen of Romania), for whom it was gifted by the locals. So what did she do with this unimaginable reward? She started renovations straight away and transformed the fortress into a good looking summer time citadel the place she spent a few years. After her passing, it was inherited by her daughter, Princess Ileana. Queen Marie had liked the citadel a lot that she had requested for her coronary heart to be taken and buried there. Ileana, the brand new proprietor of the citadel, put it to environment friendly use and ran a hospital inside it throughout World War II. But then, misfortune struck! The citadel had been seized by the communist regime, and the princess and her household have been expelled in 1948. However, in 2005, following a regulation handed by the Romanian authorities, the possession was transferred to Ileana’s son, Archduke Dominic of Austria.

Secret passages and mirrors

‘What is that this!?’ Sophie’s thoughts screamed as she appeared up on the marvel earlier than her. What had simply appeared like a traditional hearth was really a hidden door! Without a second thought she moved to open it.

The citadel within the ebook is described as a labyrinth with many doorways and corridors. But the factor of thriller can be one thing the Count’s citadel and the Bran Castle have in widespread, for the latter can be house to a secret passage. One that connects the primary ground to the third ground. It is a secret, hidden route whose entrance begins at a pretend hearth the place the door is situated. While having the 57 chambers of the citadel refurbished on the order of Queen Marie, the renovators had tried to maneuver the fireside, and Open Sesame! Out popped the key passage. While this can be a actual function of the citadel, there are a lot of tales and legends informed of it. One of the preferred being that the citadel was full of quite a few mirrors that have been positioned to entice the souls of vampires! Following that is one other story the place folks declare to have heard faint piano music that serves as an indication for the lingering spirit of Queen Marie.

A vacationer’s pleasure

“M-m-maybe I shouldn’t have come by myself!” Sophie squeaked, her environment with a slight tinge of worry. But when she heard noises and laughter, she remembered that she was not the one one within the citadel. This was a spot for vacationers!

The Bran Castle, resulting from its marketed connection to the novel Dracula, has changed into a large centre for vacationers and literature lovers to assemble and admire the structure that had transitioned from a fortress to a royal spectacle. It now serves as a museum that showcases the artefacts and furnishings collected and owned by Queen Marie. Tours are both executed by oneself or with the help of a information.