Bran Castle
 |
| Bran Castle |
According to the legend, there was an
old man, called Bran who had many sons and offered each of them one of his
fifteen villages which were scattered along the road linking villages formed a
real fortress, 30 kilometers far from Brasov, where Piatra Craiului Mountain
detached from the massif of Bucegi. They were the perfect combination between
natural and human elements. The pass was dominated by Bran Castle, built on a
rock, which was mentioned in the same medieval documents under the name of
"Lapis Theodorici". It reminded the existence of an ancient Roman road which
started from the banks of the Danube, continued through the pass of Bran and
reached the center of Dacia, according to a fourth century map.
The first documentary attestation of
Bran Castle is the letter written in 1377 by the Hungarian Ludovic I D'Anjou,
giving the inhabitants of Brasov some privileges. At the end of the 14th
century, king Sigismund gave up the leadership of Bran Fortress in favor of
Mircea cel Batran. The royal domain had been given to the Hungarian
aristocracy, while the Fortress passed under the rule of Mircea's faithful
boyards. Few years later, the Hungarian king got back the Fortress. Bran
Fortress was subordinated to the authority of Szeklers Committee. The Fortress
had an essential part in protecting the Hungarian king from the Ottomans
invasion, coming from Wallachia through Rucar Pass. That's the reason why the
inhabitants of Brasov built the Castle on their own work and expenses. Iancu
de Hunedoara fortified Transylvania's borders and also the towers of the Bran
Castle. He made sure the rights of the paysans were respected by the boyards
who ruled the Fortress.
 |
| Inside Bran Castle |
The castle had a protective and
commercial purpose. The defense position had two rows of walls closing the
passing towards South. They were made in stone and brick. Only few traces of
the initial defense position still exist. The undersized building of the
ancient Post Office had a pit with 6-8 rooms and a cellar also used as
prison. It hasn't been preserved. At that time the fortress comprised the
exterior wall, the donjon, the round tower and the gate's tower. The wall
was built in stone blocks and bricks and had rectangular fire holes as had
all Transylvanian fortresses. The donjon was located on the North side and
comprised four floors and only two chambers. On the top there was an
observation point. Since 1593 the round tower has a circular section. At its
pit the ancient inhabitants used to deposit the gun powder. The first and
the second floor comprised few chambers. Initially the gate's tower was
round, but it was rebuilt in 1625 in rectangular form. The gate was blocked
with beams. The only way of reaching this entrance was by climbing up a
ladder. Inside the courtyard you can still see the initial well (57 m high).
 |
| Inside the courtyard |
While centuries passed by changes
have been made to the castle. In the 16th century the wax-paper from the
windows was replaced with glass and the shingle from the roof with tile.
Many of the changes and reparations have been made by the prince Gabriel
Bethlen. He added another rectangular tower, a square tower with two
floors and the actual gate. The old observatory tower, dated 1622, shows
the Romanian architectural style. At that time the villagers's houses were
located on the North side of the castle. On the first floor there was a
vestibule, a big dinning room, a kitchen and under the stairs a small room
where they kept the gun powder. The second level comprised also a
vestibule, a small chamber with a door towards the new tower, a room with
short beams, a small room and a corridor made in wood (the exit towards
the courtyard).
