VAMPIRE WEEKENDS IN SEARCH OF DRACULA PART 4: BRAN CASTLE

On our last day in Romania we had one more place to visit, Arguably the most iconic and recognisable building in Romania... Bran Castle!

Set high in in the pine covered hills sits the centrepiece of Bram Stockers horror master work Dracula it is in this castle that fictional solicitor Jonathan Harker was imprisoned and tormented by the vampire until his daring escape. However as compelling as the novel was the truth about this mysterious castle is just as arresting.

Unsurprisingly the castle has a rich history of war and political instability from the 13th Century until living memory that have inspired not only great story tellers but almost everyone who looks upon the face of this towering stone giant.

The first fortification in the area was constructed in 1212 by the Teutonic knights. The wooden fort was built to protect the trade routes into the mountain valley which had been used for over a thousand years. Just decades later in  1242 the fort was destroyed by the Mongol army. As time passed the castle we all now know was drawn up by the Saxons in 1377. The stone castle was used by Vlad the Impaler to defend his homeland from the Ottomans in 1438 and continued to be used up until the second world war when Romania's princess Ileanna offered up the castle for use as a military hospital. Following the Second World War the communist regimes expulsion of the Royal Family and was not returned to the heir and rightful owner until 2005.

Upon entering the small town in the present day tourists can expect to find small stalls selling all sorts of vampire related souvenirs from mugs to t shirts to snow globes.
Unlike most landmarks in Europe though the atmosphere was relaxed and an absence of pushy salesmen was a refreshing  change from the chaotic, often stressful and occasionally intimidating methods used in major tourist attractions elsewhere in the world.

Sorry for the low quality image. I was trying to take it subtly to avoid being forced 

With time to kill before the castle opened to visitors we drank coffee in a nearby bar, bought some tacky Christmas presents and made friends with a few local residents including a rather chatty can and gang of very friendly dogs.

This cat wouldn't stop meowing, I think he was actually telling me the history of the town in cat language.

One dog in particular made friends with me and followed me right up to the ticket office for the castle and then proceeded to accompany me up the slope and into the entrance of Bran Castle where he patently waiting for me.

The entrance fee for the castle was only 25 Lei which works out less than £5.00.
The interior is in my opinion the perfect balance of original artefacts and only essential information so it really is like stepping back in time.

Each room is kitted out as if it was still waiting for the owners return.

There was more than just fancy beds in Bran Castle... Suits of armour stand guard at every turn and the castle also has a rather curious collection of torture devises!

I'm not sure what this was for but I don't think it'd be nice. I'm sure someone in the fetish scene would disagree though.

All throughout the castle are windows, balconies and openings offering amazing views of the surrounding landscape.

While not nearly as lavish as the nearby Peles Castle there was something very enchanting about this castle. Maybe it was the centuries of warfare but at the risk of sounding like a hippy the place had a very strong energy. The troubled building seemed to have a soul.

In fact as I was reading some information I heard someone walk in and felt a breath on the back of my neck only to discover I was very much alone in the room.
I don't think I encountered the lost soul of a sickly soldier who died when the castle was used as a hospital or the vengeful spirit of a furious Vlad the Impaler.
It was probably just echoing footsteps and a gust of wind.. but it was an eerie place to say the least.

 

One the way out we got a sinister stare off the big man himself. Vlad's eyes seem to follow you around the room.

I really could not fault Bran Castle. It was everything I wanted it to be and I am very glad I saw it.
Pressed for time we unfortunately had to get back to the capital city and fly back to our vampire free reality. We were supposed to get a train back to Bucharest but we instead took a ride with a friendly Transylvanian all the way to the airport while driving over misty mountains and hearing all about contemporary life in the country.
 
Unfortunately our Wizz Air flight was delayed by 5 hours...

I loved Romania and I would love to go back someday and stay for longer. Bram Stockers's novel might have inspired me to go but now I have a lot more reasons to go back to this mysterious and addictive country.

If you are planning to go to Romania I hope this helped you out a bit.

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions  please feel free to leave a comment and I'll endeavour to answer you!

VAMPIRE WEEKENDS IN SEARCH OF DRACULA PART 3: PELES CASTLE

Romania Day 3: Peles Castle.

Our third and penultimate day in Romania was cold, wet and foggy. My search for the same land I read about in Bram Stockers Dracula wasn't exactly going to plan. While Bucharest was a vibrant, cool city and Brasov was charming and idyllic it lacked the chilling atmosphere I was searching for. Coming to the epiphany that I was looking in the wrong places I changed my approach and decided to venture to the near by Peles Castle. After all, castles are probably the most obvious landmark that appear in the imaginations of those who hear the name Transylvania. Every interpretation from cartoons to comics to films of varying budgets all have one thing in common, a creepy secluded castle in a remote forest.

Just under 20 miles from our fairytale town of Brasov sits a palace that could potentially fit the bill. Built deep in the Carpathian mountains and surrounded by an ocean of pine trees, the location was certainly worthy of a horror film. While the location did tick all the horror boxes the building itself while beautiful looked more like the residence of Cinderella than Dracula. That would probably be because Vlad The Impaler who inspired the most well known villain in fiction never stayed here, in fact this castle wasn't even built during his bloody reign. Peles Castle is a far more recent addition to the evocative landscape. With construction starting in 1873 the castle is only 24 years older than the novel which would immortalise the area. That being said, Peles still has a lot going for it, not only is it a work of art as far as the architecture goes, any students of the subject would agree this is a wonderful blend of Gothic revival and neo-renaissance.

As we approached the castle we walked into the sights of two rusted cannons. No doubt once fierce machines of war to protect the castles royal residence they now serve as backdrops to many selfie taking tourists.

Past the castles now obsolete artillery pieces were the grand grounds of Peles which were scattered with a zoo's worth of elegant animal statues from lions and elephants to less exotic dogs.
It was not just animals either. Statues of women holding babies, bearded men and cherubs all inhabited this busy garden.

Is it just me or does this statue look like its crying?

However its not just a pretty face, the building is bursting with historical trivia. For example did you know that this castle was the first in the world to be completely powered by locally produced electricity made in its own on site power plant? King Carol the first, who ordered the construction of the castle was a clever chap too, rejecting designs that to closely resembled Western European palaces wanted something more original that everyone would like, awarding the job to German architect Johannes Schultz who combined the elegance of Italian and the formidability of German design, works were also carried out by the Czech architect Karel Liman who designed the towers including the central tower which at 66 meters tall dwarfs even the tallest of the pine trees around it. 

The inside of the castle is just as interesting and beautiful and if you don't mind paying an entry fee of 164 RON (About £30.00) you can have a look around.

The interior labyrinths of hidden doors and spiral staircases of heavy carved woods adorned with hand painted murals and exquisite fabrics are slightly overwhelming, it is a lot to look at and you are not given a great deal of time to do so as guided tours are often hot at your heels .

My favourite room was the hall of arms, where every conceivable inch of the wall has a cluster of weapons nailed to it. From elaborate and beautifully crafted swords, pole-arms to elegant crossbows and muskets to the less decorative but very deadly maces and morning stars it seemed that the only theme was an ability to kill and maim which made me feel like a kid in a very sharp sweet shop.
This was more like a small museum than a simple hall of arms there is enough hardware here to start a small war. Maybe King Carol the First favoured understatements as much as he did hoarding an impressive 4000 various items of arms and armour.

The palace is not just equipped for the unhinged weapons collector like myself, the lucky residents could also keep themselves amused with the palace library, variously different themed rooms and various styles of statues, paintings, furniture, gold, silver, stained glass, ivory, fine china, tapestries, and rugs. 

If that was not enough, the palace also has its own small theatre!

The castle was getting busier with tourists and unless you are a part of a guided tour you only have a few precious moments to take in the very detailed works on each room. As we decided to not take the guided tour and explore at our own leisure the staff saw fit to usher us out or make us wait for those being shown around. At this point we decided we'd seen all we could and headed out. In my opinion the grounds and exterior with its dramatic mountain backdrop was far more interesting than the lavish inside but it was defiantly an impressive sight.

The weather had gotten considerably colder as the sun began to set and after a few coffees in the near by cafe we had the daunting task of figuring out how to get back to our hotel in Brasov. Heading down the icy, foggy pathway I suddenly noticed how this earlier scenic palace now had a very eerie feel about it. Glowing in the dark and obscured by a thick layer of mist it looked like a ghostly apparition.

The light fading ever quicker the terror struck that we might not find a taxi and would be stranded for the night. Hurrying along we passed pathways with skeletal like shadows from the winter trees dancing in the dying sunlight.

As it got darker it got colder. The main road was deserted and quite apart from the occasional barking of an unseen dog.

Eventually we saw the neon sign of a hotel lit up like a beacon.
We explained to the staff that we were trying to get to Brasov and we'd be very grateful if they could call us a taxi. Unfortunately they did not assist our simple request telling us no taxi would take us back to Brasov and our only hope was to find a bus.

Disheartened and now rather stressed we ploughed on through the thick snow pausing every time we saw what might have been a taxi coming down the road.

That is when we heard it, a squeak then another, like a mouse only higher pitched...

Then we saw them. Bats! Swooping through the frozen air.

I at last had my taste of how I imagined Transylvania, it was cold and dark, we were lost and now there were bats, all in the shadow of a faintly lit castle sat high in the hills. This was what I was hoping to experience but it unnerved me all the same I felt could imagine presence deep in the woods around us and as foolish as it sounds in retrospect I made sure my crucifix was securely around my neck and visible to any potential paranormal aggressors.

Then out of the dark void came at last our salvation in the form of a taxi. We jumped in as took off into the now pitch black night to Brasov, and a more pleasant yet equally surreal incident took place, the taxi driver had not overcharged us!

Getting out the taxi the contrasting bright lights of Brasov's old town were more dramatically enhanced by the colourful twinkles in the sky as what appeared to be every citizen of the town were launching Chinese paper lanterns into the sky.

I wasn't exactly sure why they were doing so but decided it looked fun and so few joined in. Watching until our paper aircraft saw float and dance into the starry sky until they were engulfed into the night.

After this odd yet flight of fancy we dinned at a local Romanian pizza joint and turned in for our last night in Brasov.

Tomorrow would be our last day and we still had Bran castle, perhaps Romania's most famous site to see.