Bran Castle Dracula Transylvania Romania

Visit Bran Castle, Finding Dracula in Transylvania Romania

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Visit Bran Castle, Find Dracula in Transylvania Romania

I have always wanted to visit Transylvania Romania around Halloween. I imagine the Gothic Bran Castle sitting high on its 200-foot rock with a full moon behind it, a little bit of fog, and enough wind to make the trees creak. Throw in a few bats and coffins and I may faint. I know I know… don’t roll your eyes at me. Dracula is a fictional character invented by Bram Stoker who never went to Romania. The character was possibly based on Vlad the Impaler who never lived at the castle. Bran Castle is not real, it is a fake Dracula Castle.  I know.

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Bran Castle Dracula Transylvania Romania
Bran Castle

Bran Castle History

On the flip side, Vlad Tepes was imprisoned at Bran Castle for several months. He enjoyed impaling his enemies so much so that historians describe him as bloodthirsty. Vlad was from the house of Dracul, which translated to Dragon back in the day; today it translates to Devil. Romanians originally viewed Vlad as a hero because he fought against the Ottomans defending Christianity. The Catholic Church turned on him over money and began calling him Vlad the Devil. Facts aside, Bran Castle has all the makings of a perfect Dracula Castle! It’s Gothic, it has secret tunnels and passageways, and, it fits Stoker’s fictional description in the book. I’m on board!

Bran Castle Dracula Transylvania Romania
Bran Castle

Is Dracula’s Castle Real?

People love to complain about Bran Castle. It is either not real, not touristy enough, or too touristy. Surprisingly, Romania has not jumped on the ghost tour phenomenon. Could it be because, for many, it is real? What?!?  Yep.  Don’t believe me? Google ‘Vampire Craiova’. You will find articles such as: ‘Six men jailed for exhuming a vampire to eat his heart’. They were convicted for desecrating a grave but didn’t actually go to jail. And they shared their heart with a bunch of sick villagers who immediately were well.  They are not sorry; they believe they saved the village. True story… 2005. Vampires are not vampires in Romania or Bulgaria.  They are Strigoi and they do not like the living.  This belief remains so strong in the villages that it is customary to pierce the heart after someone dies to prevent them from coming back and terrorizing the village. Go back to Google, I have another fun one for you. Enter ‘Vampire Grave Bulgaria’. They ran DNA on this skeleton and found indicators of Porphyria. Porphyria is a blood disease that causes victims to be sensitive to sunlight, their gums shrink making their teeth look like fangs and they develop an aversion to garlic. A garlic aversion would be a noticeable problem in Romania where everything is cooked with garlic!

Bran Castle Dracula Transylvania Romania
Bran Castle

Visit Bran Castle

What does all this have to do with Bran Castle? Setting the scene! Do not expect a castle-sized haunted house when you visit. There will not be scary music playing as you climb the stairs (unless you remember to download it to your phone), there are no coffins in the bedrooms, no large pictures with beady eyes watching you as you walk by, and not a single bat. It’s quite disappointing. Instead, you will find a castle restored to reflect the life of Queen Mary. Which is more accurate historically. If you are wanting the vampire version, you need to create it yourself.  Start with a few Google searches. Then download some scary music, make a garlic necklace, bring a cross (or two), and some holy water. Have fun, but as always, be respectful of those around you.  BTW, Queen Mary had her heart buried at Bran Castle after her death… things that make me go hmmm.

Bran Castle Dracula Transylvania Romania
Bran Castle

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