Castelul Bran
- Bran Castle [ Localitatea Bran - judetul Brasov ]
Bran Castle, situated near Bran
and in the immediate vicinity of Brasov, Romania, is a national monument
and landmark.
The
fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia,
on Highway 73. In addition to its unique architecture, the castle is
famous because of persistent myths that it was once the home of Vlad
the Impaler, a famous or infamous medieval warlord; however, there is
no evidence that he ever lived there. According to most accounts, the
Impaler spent two days in the Bran dungeon, as the area was occupied
by the Ottoman Empire at the time. Because of the (disputed) connections
between Vlad and the fictional character Dracula, the castle is marketed
to foreign tourists as Dracula's Castle; see below.
The
castle is open to tourists, who can view the inside by themselves or
as part of a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small park
to which examples of traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages,
barns, etc.) from across the country have been moved.
The castle passed through royal hands for many generations. For many
years at the beginning of the 20th century, it was the principal home
of Queen Marie, who, despite her British birth and upbringing, became
quite a Romanian patriot. The castle is decorated largely with artifacts
from her time, including traditional furniture and tapestries that she
collected to highlight Romanian crafts and skills. It was inherited
by her daughter Princess Ileana of Romania, and was later seized by
the Communist government of Romania in 1948. For many years it was tended
to erratically, but after 1980s restoration and the Romanian Revolution
of 1989, it became a tourist destination. The legal heir of the castle
is the Princess's son Dominic von Habsburg and in 2006 the Romanian
government returned it to him[1] (Habsburg is an architect in New York
City[2]). In 2007, von Habsburg put the castle up for sale for a price
of £40,000,000 ($77,000,000).[3]
The
stark contours of Bran Castle,in wich it is tought that
Prince Vlad Tepes,the legendary Dracula,lived.
A "highlight" excursion from all these resorts is to Bran Castle.Too
much is often made of this feudal fortress' associations with the imaginary
vampire of Bram Stoker's victorian novel.In fact,the castle's own towering
strenght,its narrow stone stairways,the relative smallness of its Lord's
rooms and the cleverly authentic way it is furnished give an absorbing
picture of how a noble family ruled this district in the 15th and 16th
centuries.And "ruled" is the word.
The castle commands a main route to Brasov close to the much fought-over
frontier between Transylvania and Wallachia.If Vlad Tepes did live here,that
was why and not because of the scenery!.
Castelul Bran
poarta numele unui sat construit de-a lungul drumului comercial ce lega
odinioara Valahia de Transilvania,drum situat in interiorul unei trecatori
flancate de o parte si alta de Muntii Bucegi si Piatra Craiului,doua masive
importante ale Carpatilor.
Castelul Bran a fost intodeauna inclus in ghidurile turistice ale regiunii,deoarece
conform legendei,Dracula obisnuia adesea sa vina aici.
Edificiul a fost construit in 1382 de catre locuitorii Brasovului,fiind
amplasat pe o stanca inalta,pentru a permite supravegherea intregii regiuni.In
1395,Mircea cel Batran,printul Valahiei,a incheiat un tratat de alianta
cu Sigismund de Luxemburg,luand in posesie Castelul Bran.
In
secolul al XVII -lea,castelul a fost preluat de austrieci si a revenit
Romaniei abia in 1918 ; in 1946,Branul a
intrat in administratia orasului Brasov,impreuna cu terenurile din jurul
sau.
Citadela are patru turnuri amplasate in cele patru puncte cardinale.Ca
si zidurile castelului,turnurile sunt construite din piatra masiva.Camerele
si coridoarele din incinta Branului formeaza un labirint misterios,iar
in curtea interioara se afla o fantana care face legatura cu ascunzatorile
subterane.
Castelul Bran a fost si unul din locurile favorite ale Reginei Maria,a
carei inima,aflata intr-o caseta de argint,a fost gasita intr-o nisa a
edificiului.
Aplasare : pe ruta Bucuresti - Pitesti - Campulung - Rucar - Bran - Brasov,
in sudul judetului Brasov si la doar 37 km distanta fata de capitala judetului.Fiind
situat cam la aceeasi altitudine cu Predealul,dominante sunt vaile si
dealurile,muntii inconjurand locurile,scurtand orizonturile.
Se poate ajunge cu trenul pana la Brasov si de aici cu un autobuz,sau
cu autoturismul direct la destinatie.
In apropierea castelului se afla Muzeul etnografic al satului Bran.
In toate perioadele anului,turistii pot inchiria camere in vile/pensiuni
taranesti din satele :Sirnea,Moieciu,Fundata si Rucar.
