History
ROMANIA
Bran Castle - In the tracks of Count Dracula
By Matei
About 100km from our city, Ploiesti, stands the impressive Bran Castle, which legend
associates with the famous Count Dracula. The fortress used to be a customs point
between two Romanian provinces: Wallachia and Transylvania.
Here, among velvety valleys and mountain crags, the castle has been standing for
centuries, a witness to many fierce battles.
There are mysterious places, hidden staircases, mirrors of youth and wishing wells and
above all, the shadow of Vlad the Impaler, whom everyone feared.
Most foreigners believe that Vlad the Impaler was a blood-thirdty vampire, such was his
fame of a cruel prince. Actually, he was a very strict ruler who managed to turn his
subjects into honest people. It is said that he was so feared that no one dared to steal
or commit any crime. There were frequent cases of people losing their purses full of
money on the roads and finding them untouched, without anything missing.
Check out the castle’s website and make sure you watch the virtual tour!
http://www.bran-castle.com/
!
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