Romania, one of the least known destinations in Eastern Europe has amazing landscapes, castles and unique traditions, far beyond what is being advertised. Have you ever dreamed of an area filled with legends, castles & breathtaking views at every step? If the answer is yes, then you found it. Explore an area like no other.
Among the multitude of places one can easily imagine living in, is the Peles Castle. Imagine a country looking for a king, when an unexpected answer comes from the Sigmaringen Hohenzolern family, that Carol will be crowned the king of Romania. Coming to visit the area of Sinaia, just south of Transylvania, he falls in love with it and decides to buy a plot of land in this untouched area. And that is when the Peles Castle starts to be built. 1873 to 1883, in a record time, the first part is finished and the Royal Family moves in, but further improvements were made up to 1914. The Castle is perfectly restored and one can easily imagine the times when this place was in full bloom. The elegant interiors with gorgeous woodwork, the attention to details and the fine touches everywhere gives you a feeling of a fairytale. Electrically operated elevator, central vacuum cleaner, it’s own power plant and many more made this place a dream in the end of the 19th century.
Join the local guitar player in the garden for some nice music while enjoying the views and the clean mountain air, or maybe taste the delicious home made deserts and a cup of coffee at the local cafeteria.
While Peles is maybe the most elegant castle, the most famous one is Bran Castle, also known worldwide as Dracula’s Castle. But way before Bram Stocker was even born, this castle built in 1211 by the Teutonic Knights was the most important fortress in the area, separating two historical regions: Wallachia & Transylvania, two huge empires: The Ottoman Empire & The Austro-Hungarian Empire and even more important a border in between 2 religions: Islam & Catholic. Perched high up on a cliff, this stunning medieval structure was offering perfect view over the border line (Bran meaning gate in old Slavic language). Throughout the years the castle was made famous by the second Royal Family of Romania: Queen Mary (the grand-daughter of Queen Victoria) & King Ferdinand. And while they called this place home, the castle gained its worldwide popularity when the famous Dracula novel appeared. With that, Bram Stocker placed Bran Castle on the map and since then, it became one of the most famous places of interest around the world, although Bram Stocker never even saw the castle in reality.
Bran Castle was protecting Transylvania against the Turks and especially the town of Brasov, which was part of the “Siebenburgen”, the old German word for Transylvania.
Brasov is one of the best preserved medieval cities, with beautifully laid main square and the largest Gothic cathedral between Vienna and Istanbul, the Black Church. Black Church got it’s name after the great fire burned it down completely leaving just a black ruin out of it. Luckily with the help of the local community, the church was rebuilt and it’s gorgeous interiors are for sure to impress. One of the largest organs in the southeastern Europe is here as well, boasting 3993 pipes and 76 registers, all original. Plus, the largest collection of Turkish carpets outside of Turkey it’s also here since the Turkish merchants were offering them as gifts to the main church in the city after every good journey they completed.
The romantic alleyways and streets are always telling stories of the times long gone but also of the present ones and are for sure to always be in one’s heart when leaving this place.
Explore all of these and much more on our Day Trip to Dracula’s Castle Tour, where one of our passionate guides will take you for exclusive visits inside the castles and for a leisurely walking tour in the heart of Medieval Brasov. Explore the land of legend and learn about Dracula between myth and reality but also discover the uniqueness that Romania & Transylvania offers to its guests.
Text and images courtesy of Eastern European Experience.
Join a fascinating tour of this region https://www.travelcoup.com/en/tours/Bucharest/Day-Trip-to-Draculas-Castle-Full-Day-Tour-from-Bucharest-Small-Shared-Group-8327c850-ca2d-43b9-af8a-61cf59ef7cf9
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