Bran Castle - Dracula (Romania)

Bran Castle, better known as Dracula's Castle, is the most popular and visited the fortress of Transylvania and is located in Bran, a few kilometers from the city of Brasov. Built in '300 by Ludwig I of Anjou as a guard post, Dracula's Castle is perched on a cliff face in a narrow gorge. This dramatic and spectacular environment helped increase the aura of mystery and legend that surround it.

The architecture of the Bran Castle has evolved over the centuries, but they are the Gothic characters, narrow staircases and winding, half-timbered rooms, underground passages and towers that give it a mysterious and fascinating flavor. The castle, which now houses the Museum of Medieval Art, embodies the Irish author's vivid imagination Stoker who, despite never having seen him, placed him perfectly in his gothic horror novel Dracula.

The link between Dracula and Bran Castle is, unfortunately, more than a little 'weak. Vlad the Impaler, the inspiration for Dracula, was one of the most gruesome medieval monarchs who fought a series of campaigns in the area around the castle during the fifteenth century.