Legends of tourists
Pasul and Bran commune are located at the confluence of the mountains Piatra Craiului (to the NW), Leaota and Bucegi (to the SE), allowing the connection between the Câmpulung and Bârsei depressions.
Extraordinary imagery
The picturesque position of the castle (fortress) is due to the rocky peak on which it is placed and from where it guards the commune and the Rucăr-Bran corridor, crossed by the Moeciu river. The citadel is documented from November 19, 1377 and was built between 1377 and 1382, by the inhabitants of Brașov and the villages of Brașov who contributed money, materials and craftsmen in exchange for privileges granted by Ludovic de Anjou. It was built with the aim of defending the south-eastern borders of Transylvania and ensuring the control of trade links with Wallachia. In 1395 it became the property of the mountain lords, so that after 1498 it would once again become subordinate to the voivodes of Transylvania.
Starting from 1498, the fortress, together with the feudal domain, came under the control of the people of Brasov until the century. 18, when it begins to lose the economic and administrative importance it had until then. In the 17th century, it was restored, after the fire that destroyed almost the entire construction. Occupied by the national guards, during the revolution of 1848, then by the Austrians, the citadel was returned to Brașov in 1886, so that after the First World War it was given to the royal family, ceasing its function as a citadel. On this occasion, a series of modernizations were made, which partly changed the original character. In 1957 Bran Castle was transformed into a museum of Romanian and foreign feudal art.
The plan
The castle has an irregular shape in plan, typical of similar high castles and fortresses in central Europe. Originally built in the Gothic style, the castle underwent a series of transformations in the Renaissance style (17th century) and preserved, on the northern side, the crenellations and blind arches, similar to the blinds, built after 1619. The tower with stone bosses, to the right of the entrance, dates from the century XVII. The enclosure wall that encloses the inner courtyard, the keep on the northern side and the round tower at the southwest end of the enclosure wall have been preserved from the first stage of construction.
The keep has the highest height (seven levels compared to the building’s four) and contains two rooms and a rooftop observation post, reached by a wooden staircase. The living rooms were located on the first and second floors, over which rises the massive donjon. In the years 1527-1537, we find the first mention of the use of bricks for floors, probably manufactured in Brașov. The fountain in the inner courtyard, with a depth of 57 meters, is currently closed by a floor and has remained purely decorative.
After 2000, when international tourism in Romania became more and more significant, Bran Castle entered tourist circuits that predominantly or exclusively capitalize on the myth of Dracula.
see the source: Travel with my phone Blog (Romanian language). Translated under authorization.
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