Bran Castle in Transylvania has gone on the market, with the current owners looking for a reported £50 million for the spooky property.
The castle is believed to have been the inspiration for Count Dracula’s residence Bram Stoker’s vampire story, but its real history is no less turbulent. It was only recently won back from the Romanian government by Archduke Dominic, Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth in a legal battle a few years ago after being confiscated by the communist regime after the Second World War.
In recent years, the castle has become a major tourist attraction in Romania, but in the past it was a functional fortress and border point used to stop the spread of empires.
Vlad the Impaler, a member of the House of Drăculești (or Dracula), gained his reputation for brutality in part around the site of the castle during the 15th century, when he had many Saxons impaled on sharp spikes in the woods as a form of punishment.
Set in the mountains of Transylvania, at the entrance to the Rucăr – Bran passage, the castle was built in 1388 on the site of a 1211 Teutonic fortress.
It’s been reported that Archduke Dominic offered the castle to the Romanian government for $80 million (£47 million), but the New York firm handling the sale, Herzfeld and Rubin, will not comment on the price.
