Bran Again

It’s like a perpetual motion machine or something. No, no, a cornucopia! That’s a better analogy. It’s a well that never runs dry. Hardly a week, sometimes hardly a DAY, passes that I don’t see some new article on the trusty ol’ Internet about “Dracula’s Castle.” And every single time, they’re talking about Castle Bran. We can’t blame the everyday folks for so frequently getting it wrong. After all, the tourism department, or private tourism companies, or both, in Romania is/are trying everything it/they can to convince the world at large that Bran is Castle Dracula. Only historians and Dracula scholars know that it isn’t and it never was. The REAL Castle Dracula is the ruined fortress at Poenari. That’s the HISTORICAL Castle Dracula. The literary one only exists in the novel and in about a gazillion movies that have been made based on that novel. To be fair to Bran, and despite what this particular article will tell you, it is possible that Bram Stoker saw a picture of the castle in a book he was studying when writing his masterpiece novel and based his concept of Dracula’s Castle on the picture. It’s POSSIBLE, but there is no evidence that this was the case.

Nowadays, though, Castle Bran is forever intertwined with the legend of Dracula. It’s a beautiful place and should be appreciated. If a castle must be erroneously linked to Count Dracula and the real-life man who inspired him, then Bran is a suitable candidate.

By TheCheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS, specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced, and directed (and occasionally acted in) over two dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and True Crime genres. He obtained a doctorate in Occult Studies from Miskatonic University and is an active paranormal investigator. Is frequently told he resembles Anton Lavey. And Ming the Merciless. Denn die totden reiten schnell!

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