Bran Castle

(in German die Törzburg or Terzburg, in Hungarian Törcsvár) is a historical and architectural monument located in the Rucăr-Bran Corridor, 30 kilometers from Brașov (German Kronstadt), in the ethnographic region of Țara Bârsei (German Burzenland) in southeastern Transylvania. History In the 13th century, the territory of the Bran fortress was subject to the jurisdiction of the royal county of Alba Iulia. For several years (1211-1225) it was part of the Țara Bârsei possessions of the Order of the Teutonic Knights. A document issued by King Louis I of Hungary (1342-1382) on 17 November 1377 in Zvolen confirms to the Saxons of the See of Brașov (totaque communitas Saxonum sedis Brassouiensis) the right to build, as promised, at their own expense and with their craftsmen, a new stone fortress at Bran (promiserunt novum castrum in lapide Tydrici edificare). On this occasion, the king promises the people of Brașov that if Wallachia falls “into our hands”, then the customs office will be moved from Rucăr (Ruffa Arbor) to Bran. The reference in the text of the 1377 document to a “new stone fortress” allows the deduction that the stone fortification, which was to be built on this site, was preceded by an older border fortification. It is suspected that this castle, probably made of wood, is the one known from period documents and built by the Teutonic Knights between 1211-1225.[citation needed] The Latin name in the 1377 deed, Tydricus or Theodericus, corresponds to the German name Dietrich, probably that of the commander (Komtur) in the hierarchy of the Teutonic Order who had commanded and perhaps even built the Dietrichstein castle (in Latin lapis Theoderici, "Theoderic's rock").

In 1395, Sigismund of Luxembourg, German Emperor and King of Hungary, used Bran Castle as a strategic base for an incursion into Wallachia, as a result of which he removed the voivode Vlad the Usurper, the rival of Mircea the Elder, his vassal. In 1407, Sigismund granted Mircea the control of the castles of Bran (without the associated domain) and Bologa. Bran remained under the authority of Wallachia until 1419. In 1427, Bran Castle passed from the ownership of the See of Brașov to that of the Crown of Hungary, which financed the fortification and expansion works. In 1498, the Bran fortress was leased by the Hungarian royalty to the See of Brașov. On December 1, 1920, at the initiative of Mayor Karl Ernst Schnell, the Brașov City Council donated the castle to Queen Maria of Romania, in gratitude for her contribution to the realization of the Great Union. Upon the queen's death in 1938, the castle was inherited by her favorite daughter, Princess Ileana, married to Archduke Anton, a member of the former Habsburg imperial family. During World War II, Ileana returned with her family to the country and lived in Bran, where she established a hospital for war victims. After 1948, Bran Castle was nationalized and became the property of the Romanian state. The castle was opened to the public in 1956, being arranged as a museum of feudal history and art. In 1987 it underwent restoration, work that was largely completed in 1993, after which it was reopened as a museum and reintegrated into the tourist circuit.

On 18 May 2006, after a period of legal proceedings, the castle was returned to the legal heirs of the Habsburg family. However, the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Culture, will continue to administer it for a three-year transitional period. On 1 June 2009, the castle came into full possession of the heirs of Princess Ileana: Archduke Dominic of Habsburg, Archduchess Maria Magdalena Holzhausen and Archduchess Elisabeta Sandhofer. Architecture Initially, Bran Castle was a military defense construction based on the shape of an irregular quadrilateral. Over time, the fortress underwent numerous modifications, including: the addition of the south tower (in 1622, according to the plans of Prince Gabriel Bethlen), the construction of a rectangular tower to the east, and between 1883 and 1886, the roof was covered with tiles.[citation needed] The fortress was transformed into a royal residence in 1920, with the entry into the ownership of Queen Maria, and the most important restoration works were carried out between 1920 and 1929.[citation needed] Present Bran Castle is located less than 30 km from Brașov, on the road that starts from the old Bartolomeu neighborhood and connects Brașov to Câmpulung. Bran Castle is built on a rock, at a key point from a strategic point of view. Currently, the four-story museum exhibits collections of furniture, costumes, weapons and armor, and the Bran Domain also includes the Royal Park with its two lakes, the Tea House, the Administrator's House and Princess Ileana's House.

In 2000, Bran Castle was reclaimed by Archduke Dominic of Habsburg and his sisters, Maria Magdalena Holzhausen and Elisabeth Sandhofer, heirs of Princess Ileana, from whom the castle had been transferred to the state in 1948. In May 2006, they became the owners of the castle and the related domain, following a government decision to rescind it. The Romanian state retained the administration of the castle for another 3 years, until May 18, 2009. Before the rescindment, the Ministry of Culture ordered the transfer of the collections belonging to the Romanian state from Bran Castle to the Medieval Customs. In order to reopen the museum, the Habsburg family refurnished the castle with objects from their personal collection. The official reopening of the museum took place on June 1, 2009. Opening hours · April 1 – September 30: From 9:00 to 18:00 (last admission) from Tuesday to Sunday and from 12:00 to 18:00 (last admission) on Mondays. · October 1 – March 31: From 9:00 to 16:00 (last admission) from Tuesday to Sunday and from 12:00 to 16:00 (last admission) on Mondays