Bran and Rasnov

Bran is just 20 km south of Brasov and is famous for its castle. It’s sometimes called Dracula’s castle, but history says otherwise. It’s still a nice myth though!

The castle was built by the town’s people as a fortress for defending the Hungarian empire border in the late 1300’s. Later it was used as a summer retreat by Queen Marie in the 1920’s. As we walked through the rooms of the castle we could imagine it more as a retreat than as a fortress, although the outside looked quite impressive and forbidding.

It seems so large on the outside, but on the inside the rooms are quite small. Despite its size and grandeur, I think I still like my house better! No drafts, and I’m sure the upkeep is a little more reasonable.

Our next stop was the fortress at Rasnov. It was on the way back to Brasov so it made a convenient stop. The fortress was built in the 13th century. It was initially a place for the villagers to retreat to in times of siege. Apparently there were a lot of these times because it was continually improved until it had a school, stores, many houses, etc. There was even a deep well, which had been dug by two Turkish prisoners. They had been told they would be released when the well was finished, and it took them 17 years to do it! Digging a hole through the mountain – what a punishment, and the joy when they finally found the water table!

Now the fortress is in ruins. There are a few shops that are maintained and have been taken over by shop keepers selling souvenirs, and handicrafts.

One of the best parts of the fortress was the view. You could see mountains directly behind you, plains and then more mountains out in front of you. It was a windy day, so we were all pretty windswept as we came down the mountain to head back to our hotel.

CM