Stake on Bran Castle, Romania

A foretaste of creepiness 

Our route from Bucharest to Brasau takes us through Transylvania. The Carpathian mountains surround us. The landscape is rustic with rippling rivers, herds of sheep and idyllic villages. Perhaps because of association with the name ‘Transylvania’ ,made famous through Bram Stoker's Dracula  I begin to notice stone buildings and architectural details that seem creepy and haunting.

Intrigue: Bran Castle or Dracula's  Castle?

Yes, we arrive at Bran Castle, marketed as Dracula's castle. Bram Stoker had never been to Romania. He only envisioned the castle. However it does have an uncannily similar setting and features.

The first feature that strikes us is the sheer height in proportion to the base area. It is built at the entrance to a gorge, a natural moat, and therefore the sheer impenetrable stone wall. 

The turrets with steep, sloping roofs and slit windows are intimidating. An equally steep staircase with narrow steps jam-packed with tourists awaits us. It takes us about 20 mins on the steps to reach the stiles at the entrance. With the multitude of people the atmosphere could have been celebratory rather than creepy, but surprisingly it remains chilly thanks to claustrophobic features: doors,passages, stairs(a secret passage) that lead from the first floor to the third, dizzying tight spiral staircases that accommodate only one person at a time, dark nooks just before the doors into the rooms all speak of intrigue.

Highlighting through contrast

The muted grey, and brown colours add a sense of decay and foreboding.As though to enhance the eeriness some color is presented through  blue ceramic tiled stoves, a blue kettle, a bench near the hearth, etc. 

The covered wooden verandas give us a view of the courtyard that seems like a deep well. In fact, it does have a well, or two. Initially meant to provide the needs of the household it was found to be inadequate. It has now been turned into an elevator shaft that takes paid customers into a multimedia museum.

However, there's a wishing well.

From fortress to castle

Built in 1377, this stone fortress was built by the Saxons, of German origin, to guard the mountain pass and defend Transylvania from the Ottoman Empire. It was also used as a customs checkpoint. The real Dracula, 

Vlad Draculea III, never stayed here  but he did pass from Bran gorge at least once to set the outskirts of Brasov aflame  and impale some traders for not paying their taxes but that was it.

Transylvania joined Romania after world war 2. In 1920 the castle was given to Romania’s Queen Marie in memory of the war heroes and it underwent some reconstruction to make it suitable for a noble  family to live in. It became a summer retreat for the royal family. Bran was lived in by the royal family even after Queen Marie's death. Her daughter Princess Ileana lived in it until the communist regime forced her into exile.

Today the fully furnished and renovated castle is a museum.

Feature: a small square of the brick and stone wall is exposed to show how the tall walls were fortified  : wooden boards embedded in the brickwork helped to protect them against distortions , cracking, or risks such as earthquakes.

Then it was time to take in the whole scene from the landscaped gardens at the bottom of the hill. I thought this tree with a hanging artificial swatch of red leaves was particularly metaphoric.  Beyond the pond were umpteen bright yellow bean bags with people sitting in various poses, admiring the castle from its bottom up. Had we stayed longer we would have seen the landmark lit against the twilight.

   

More reminders of a bloody history

As we leave Brasnove we get a good view of Râșnov Citadel, a medieval fortress, considered one of the best-preserved rural citadels in Transylvania and Romania,  high above the hills. Its position afforded a high-altitude viewing post and an early warning system against invading armies.