Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Built by Saxons from Braşov in 1382 to defend the Bran pass against Turks, the castle
may have housed Vlad Ţepeş for a few nights on his flight from the Turks in 1462, fol-
lowing their attack on the Poienari fortress in the Argeş Valley. From 1920 Queen Marie
lived in the castle, and it served as a summer royal residence until the forced abdication of
King Michael in 1947. It became a museum in 1957. Much of the original furniture im-
ported from Western Europe by Queen Marie is still inside the castle. A fountain in the
courtyard conceals a labyrinth of secret underground passages. Your ticket for the castle
includes entrance to the open-air village museum, with a dozen traditional buildings at the
foot of the castle.
Opposite the former customs house are some remains of the old defensive wall, which
divided Transylvania from Wallachia (best viewed from the soldiers' watchtower in the
castle). On the southern side of the wall is an endearingly petite stone chapel, built in
1940 in memory of Queen Marie. The church, now boarded up, is a copy of a church in
the queen's palace grounds in Balchik, Bulgaria (formerly southern Dobrogea). A me-
morial tomb where the queen's heart lies has been carved in the mountain, on the north
side of the wall.
In 2006, after 60 years in communist/government hands, Bran Castle's keys were
handed back to Dominic Habsburg, a New York-based architect and Queen Marie's
grandson. The castle was initially put on the market in 2007 (a US$135 million final sale
price was predicted), but in 2009 the family decided not to sell it, ensuring the castle
would remain open as a museum.
Vama Bran Museum
(adult/student 8/2 lei) The Vama Bran Museum, down the hill behind Bran Castle, has ori-
ginal items found in the castle - plates, furniture and various sundries - displayed in nine
rooms.
MUSEUM
Festivals & Events
Sâmbra Oilor
The three-day Sâmbra Oilor, held in late September/early October, is a huge pastoral fest-
ival celebrated to welcome the sheep home from the hills.
FESTIVAL
Sleeping & Eating
Bran's coven of villas and pensiunes grows every year.
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