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Bran Castle near Brasov in Transylvania is a national monument and landmark of Romanian tourism. It is after a description of this castle that Bram Stoker fashioned Dracula's castle, and therefor the castle is sometimes referred to as Dracula's Castle.
The castle is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia and is famous mostly because it is said that it was the home of Vlad the Impaler, but in he never was there.
The castle is open for tourists, and you can view the inside by yourself or with a guided tour. Outside the castle are examples of old-style Romanian cottages, where you can see how Romanian people used to live.
History
The first castle was erected by Teutonic Knights in the early XIII century in order to watch over the Rucar-Bran Pass that was an important strategic and commercial route. It was made of wood and the permanent guard was of local soldiers and few kinghts from the nearby town of Christian, also built by Teutons.
The wooden watch tower was sieged and burned to ashes in 1242 during the Mongol invasion of the Eastern Europe.
 Bran Castle (view from south) In 1377 the Hungarian King Sigismund of Luxemburg (also governor of Transylvania Principaty) commissioned the burg of Brasov to build a new stone fortress on top of Dietrich's Rock in order to establish a stronghold over the pass. Also it had the purpose to collect customs tax from the passing merchants. From the moment it was finished, the castle and its surroundings was governed by a person ( called castelan) appointed by the House of the Council of Brasov. Originally, the garrison was composed of English bowmen, but after a while it became composed of local soldiers.
During the medieval times, the Castle passed several times to Wallachian dukes (Voievods), such as Mircea The Great or his grandson Vlad the Impaler. It was improved and additional towers were built. In 1663 the Gunpowder Tower exploded and heavily damaged the west side of the castle, but it was soon rebuilt.
During the reign of the Hohenzolern dinasty as Kings of Romania, the Castle has been improved and transformed into a Summer Residency. Queen Mary of Romania had especially loved the place so much that her last dying wish was that her heart be burried in the hill facing the Castle.
It was during Queen Mary's reign when the famous secret passage was discovered in 1927. The passage linked two floors of the castle and it is assumed it was originally built for spying purposes and imediate evacuation. Also a secret tunnel that linked the fountain in the interior garden and the base of the castle was accidentally discovered when a child fell through.
In the '50s the Castle has become a national museum and opened to visitors.
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