Thursday, September 19, 2024

Braşov with a visit to Bran

Bran Castle, related to Vlad, the Impaler?

The inspiration for Bram Stoker’s book Dracula?

Just in case someone has no idea, Dracula is a gothic horror novel by Bram Stoker, published in 1897. An epistolary novel, the narrative is related through letters, diary entries, and newspaper articles. It has no single protagonist and opens with solicitor Jonathan Harker taking a business trip to stay at the castle of a Transylvanian nobleman, Count Dracula. Harker escapes the castle after discovering that Dracula is a vampire, and the Count moves to England and plagues the seaside town of Whitby. A small group, led by Abraham Van Helsing, investigate, hunt and kill Dracula.

Dracula was mostly written in the 1890s. Stoker produced over a hundred pages of notes for the novel, drawing extensively from Transylvanian folklore and history. Some scholars have suggested the character of Dracula was inspired by historical figures like the Wallachian prince Vlad the Impaler or the Countess Elizabeth Báthory, but there is widespread disagreement. Stoker's notes mention neither figure. 

He found the name Dracula in Whitby's public library while on holiday He thought it meant devil in Romanian. Following its publication in 1897, Dracula was positively received by reviewers who pointed to its effective use of horror. In contrast, reviewers who wrote negatively of the novel regarded it as excessively frightening. Comparisons to other works of Gothic fiction were common, including its structural similarity to Wilkie Collins' The Woman in White (1859). In the past century, Dracula became regarded as a seminal piece of Gothic fiction. Modern scholars explore the novel within its historical context—the Victorian era—and discuss its depiction of gender roles, sexuality, and race.

Dracula is one of the most famous pieces of English literature. Many of the book's characters have entered popular culture as archetypal versions of their characters; for example, Count Dracula as the quintessential vampire, and Abraham Van Helsing as an iconic vampire hunter. The novel, which is in the public domain, has been adapted for film over 30 times, and its characters have made numerous appearances in virtually all media.

OK, now that that is out of the way, we will be visiting Bran Castle. Bran Castle is a castle in the small city of Bran about 16 miles southwest of Braşov. The castle was begun by Saxons in 1377 and it has been added to many times. It is a national monument and landmark in the Transylvania region of Romania. The fortress is on the Transylvanian side of the historical border with Wallachia.

In 1438–1442, the castle was used in defense against the Ottoman Empire, and later became a customs post on the mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia. Although many castles of the time belonged to members of the nobility, it has been established that Bran Castle was built almost exclusively for fortification and protection of German colonists in Transylvania. It is believed the castle was briefly held by Mircea the Elder of Wallachia during whose period the customs point was established. The Wallachian ruler Vlad Țepeș (Aka - Vlad the Impaler; 1448–1476) does not seem to have had a significant role in the history of the fortress, although he passed several times through the Bran Gorge. Bran Castle belonged to the Hungarian kings, but due to the failure of King Vladislas II to repay loans, the city of Brașov regained possession of the fortress in 1533. Bran played a militarily strategic role up to the mid-18th century.

Hungary lost Transylvania after World War I with the Treaty of Trianon. The castle became a royal residence within the Kingdom of Romania after being given to the royal house by the Saxons of Kronstadt-Braşov. They had no more use for it and no interest in financing the time-damaged property. It became the favorite home and retreat of Marie of Romania, who ordered its extensive renovation. The castle was inherited by her daughter Princess Ileana who ran a hospital there in World War II. It was later seized by the communist regime with the expulsion of the royal family in 1948.

In 2005 the Romanian government passed a law allowing restitution claims on properties illegally expropriated, such as Bran, and thus a year later ownership of the castle was awarded to Archduke Dominic of Austria, a son of Princess Ileana. In 2006, after a period of legal proceedings, the castle was legally returned to the children of Princess Ileana. However, through the Ministry of Culture, the Romanian state was also to administer it for the next three years.

In September 2007 an investigation committee of the Romanian Parliament stated that the retrocession of the castle to Archduke Dominic was illegal, as it broke the Romanian law on property and succession. However, in October 2007 the Constitutional Court of Romania rejected the parliament's petition on the matter. In addition, an investigation commission of the Romanian government issued a decision in December 2007 reaffirming the validity and legality of the restitution procedures used and confirming that the restitution was made in full compliance with the law.

In 2009 administration of Bran Castle was transferred from the government to Archduke Dominic and his sisters, Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth. The Habsburgs opened the refurbished castle to the public as the first private museum in the country and presented a joint strategic concept in collaboration with Bran village to maintain their prominent role in the Romanian tourist circuit and to safeguard the economic base in the region.

Standing below the castle looking up at it, it is understandable how someone might think it was an evil place. Walking through the interior you realize it was really a defensive fortress which guarded the pass below. The rooms are small, the stairways steep and well worn and it is difficult to understand, at least from today's perspective, why anyone would want to live here. The grounds are beautiful. The mountain views specular. The air fresh. Bran Castle is not mentioned in the novel Dracula, and the novel's description of the castle does not match Bran Castle. The claimed connection between the castle and the Dracula legend is tourism-driven. Clearly!

The gift shops at the foot of the castle sell everything Dracula. People clearly come here to see Dracula’s castle. Yes, they have a torture museum in the castle, for an extra charge. Yes, they have several paranormal displays. And yes, they play up the connection that does not exist.

After walking through the castle, we still had an hour before we needed to be back on the bus, so we walked through the town and found a nice little restaurant to have a cappuccino at. Restaurant East Village has outdoor seating, although we sat inside. Strada General Traian Moșoiu 499. They served a nice cappuccino. Looking at what people were eating, it appeared they served good food.

After the cappuccino we walked though the town a little. Into the supermarket, which was not even as big as an average 7-11. We sat near the bus stop and waited. It drizzled a little but no heavy rain. We boarded the bus and headed to the hotel. It was noon by the time we reached the hotel so we went to the roof top restaurant for lunch.

The views were very good from the restaurant but there was literally no one there. We ordered a light lunch. I had the New England clam chowder. Ok, there were some parts which equaled New England clam chowder but not many. However, it was very good.

Mary had the fagioli, bean soup, and risotto with mushrooms, and a plate of asparagus, which she cut up and put into the risotto. I had a cup of tea. Interestingly the serve English breakfast tea at breakfast, but they didn’t have any in the roof top dinning room. So, I went to may room and got one of the tea bags I swiped at breakfast! Lunch was ridiculously expensive at $51. Fortunately, it is sufficient to sustain us through until breakfast in the morning.

After lunch there was a walking tour of the city combined with a tour of the Black Church. We can see the outside of the black church from our room. No need to see another cathedral. So, we napped for two hours! After napping we had tea in the room, took our showers and packed for moving on tomorrow. It was nice to have a few hours just to relax.

Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria

 Bran Castle

View from our hotel room this morning at sunrise.