Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)

Bran Castle
Castelul Bran

Postmarked in 2010 with three Romania 1,00 L vase stamps

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Bran Castle, situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle", it is marketed as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker's Dracula.

There is evidence that Vlad Tepes actually did use the castle during his raids into Transylvania.

The castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior individually or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open air museum park exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, etc.) from across the country.

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Vlad Tepes - (Face you see at the bottom of the postcard) (November 1431 – December 1476), more commonly known as the Impaler or Dracula, was a three-time ruler of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462.

Historically, Vlad is best known for the cruel punishments he imposed on his enemies. (Impalement was his favorite choice of execution)
In the English-speaking world, Vlad III is perhaps most commonly known for inspiring the name of the vampire in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.