During our week in Bucharest, we decided to carve out a day to tour the Carpathian Mountains, about 2.5 hours north of the capital. It was an interesting day, visiting Dracula’s Castle and Peles Castle with a final stop at the popular enclave of Brasov.
Peles Castle
Our first stop was at Peles Castle, inaugurated as a hunting lodge in 1883 by Carol I, the first King of Romania. It is a stylish, modern-ish building in a beautiful, pastoral setting, inspired by Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria.
The castle is all dark wood, with suits of armor and lots of weapons. I guess you could call it German hunting lodge style, but it seemed very dark and formal.
Appropriated by the government after the abdication in 1947 of the last king of Romania, Michael I, the castle was used sporadically for state functions until the title was returned to the royal family in 2007. These days, the family operates it as a museum and uses it occasionally for receptions and other events. Michael himself lay in state at the castle after he died in 2017 before a state funeral in Bucharest.
Bran Castle, Setting for the Dracula Tale
The Dracula myth came into popular culture via Bram Stoker‘s eponymous novel, which was mostly a fabrication. In fact, Vlad the Impaler, aka Vlad Dracula, was a national hero in his day. He generally inflicted atrocities on the enemies of Romania, not the local population. Those who truly know are long since dead.
But any visit to the area is incomplete without a visit to the famous Bran Castle. The castle was said to be Dracula’s home, which was visited by Vlad only in passing. Still, it was a cool place to visit and they are really taking advantage of the interest in Dracula. They have some spooky exhibits at the very top of the castle.
The castle is an interesting structure with a commanding position over the Bran River Gorge, an important trade route. The local rulers made bank on collecting duties on commercial traffic on the river until railroads diminished the importance of the route. After various fiscal and military uses, the title to the castle was transferred in 1920 to Marie, the last queen of Romania. After WWII, the government claimed title to the castle until a court granted it to the Hapsburg descendants, who decided to operate it as a private museum, as it is today.
Ironically, Stoker was an Irishman who never set foot anywhere near the Carpathian Mountains. Legend has it that Stoker penned it as a challenge from Lord Byron to write a spooky tale. Having seen the mundane location of Stoker’s office at Trinity College Dublin, where he started his career as a civil servant, it’s clear that his imagination knew few bounds.
Brasov Town
Our final stop for the day tour was in the medieval town of Brasov on the northern slope of the Transylvanian Alps. The old town core of Brasov is walkable and picturesque. Many travelers consider it a good base for exploring the region. By train, it is about 2.5 hours from Bucharest, so perhaps an overnight is a good choice should you choose to visit.
As it happened, some nomad friends were having an extended stay in town. We met up with them for a pleasant lunch before having a nice walk around the old town. Our walk was fairly short because the temperature was above 100F the day we visited.
What draws you to Transylvania?
