Bran Castle
Castelul Bran · Törcsvári kastély
sat Bran; comuna Bran, Brașov · Str. Moșoiu Traian, general 495-498
Museum open to the public
Summary
The 14th-century fortress above Bran, built by the Saxons of Brașov, later a royal residence of Queen Marie, and marketed as the home of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Restituted in 2006 to Ileana's heirs of the Habsburg line, it has run since 2009 as a private museum; the family asked about 78 million USD for it in 2007.
Legal status
Nationalised 1948; restituted 18 May 2006 to Ileana's children; state administration until 18 May 2009 ↗
History
The stone castle was built by the Saxons of Kronstadt (Brașov) after Louis I of Hungary's privilege of 19 November 1377; Brașov regained it in 1533 and it had a strategic role until the mid-18th century. After 1920 the Saxons gave it to the royal house; Queen Marie renovated it and her daughter Princess Ileana ran a hospital there in WWII. The communist regime seized it in 1948 when the royal family was expelled. A 2005 law allowed restitution and on 18 May 2006 it was returned to Ileana's children, among them Archduke Dominic of Austria; a 2007 parliamentary committee called the retrocession illegal, but the Constitutional Court and a government commission upheld it. In January 2007 the family said it wanted to sell to the local authorities for about 78 million USD, which the culture minister called far too high; in July 2007 a broker said the castle would sell for over 135 million USD. The state administered it until 18 May 2009, when management passed to Dominic and his sisters; they opened it as a private museum on 1 June 2009.
Transactions & prices
| Date | Type | Amount | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006-05-18 | Restitution | — | Returned to Princess Ileana's children (Dominic among the heirs) ↗ |
| 2007-01-10 | Asking price | $78,000,000 | Family attorney said they wanted to sell to the local council; asking price reported by AP; culture minister called it about four times too high ↗ |
| 2007-07-03 | Asking price | $135,000,000 | No announced price; broker Baytree Capital (a company representative) predicted a sale price above 135 million USD. This is an estimate, not a list price ↗ |
Listed components
- Castelul Bran — 1377 - 1382 (BV-II-m-A-11610.01)
- Casa de ceai — înc. sec. XX (BV-II-m-A-11610.02)
- Fântâna — 1377 - 1382 (BV-II-m-A-11610.03)
- Incinta fortificată, donjonul, turnul de poartă, turnul pulberăriei — 1377 - 1382 (BV-II-m-A-11610.04)
- Parc — înc. sec. XX (BV-II-m-A-11610.05)
Sources & links
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