Bran Castle and Brasov

 September 9, 2025   Bran Castle and Brasov

 We left Bucharest this morning to drive to Brasov, with a stop on the way at Bran Castle.  

Bran Castle started life as a fortress, rebuilt from a ruin in 1382.  Its purpose was the defense of Transylvania from Walachia, the portion of Romania we’ve just come from.  Over the years it became a castle with a royal residence, but it is most famous as the home of Vlad the Impaler, and, with little evidence, of the reputed castle of Count Dracula, the fictional creation of Bram Stoker.  It is imposing: 

Inside, there is no furniture nor any furnishings from the original fortress/castle.  Here is a view of the courtyard from one of the high floors: 

There is a display of the rulers; Vlad is on the right here. 

The passageways climbing around the castle are not easy: 

There is a major display of torture instruments, along with engravings and drawings of their use.  Here are a couple of the milder instruments.  The more horrible ones are so awful I won’t post them: 


After touring the castle we drove to Brasov, a lovely city with an old town.  We checked into our hotel, and walked to the old town, with occasional rain not a major problem.  Here’s the town hall: 

The “Black” Church, named so because of its appearance after a fire.  It was once a Catholic church, then, after the reformation, a Lutheran Church, and now a museum maintained by the German government. 


We then went to the synagogue.  Brasov was home to more than 100,000 Jews, and this synagogue was built in 1901: 



At least 135,000 Northern Transylvanian Jews were murdered in the Holocaust, and there is a moving memorial to them adjacent to the synagogue. 

We had dinner at a lovely restaurant, outdoors on the main square, and enjoyed a bottle of Romanian red wine recommended by the proprietor which was very good.  Not exported, though. 

Tomorrow on to Sighisoara.  More then.

Comments

  1. Ralph P. LockeSeptember 12, 2025 at 11:18 AM

    Great to see these famous sites, which seem at least to be in decent repair (unlike, you say, some of the exhibits at the village museum). That enormous synagogue is a powerful reminder of the former vitality (and sheer numbers) of Eastern European Jewry. One of my great-grandfathers apparently came from Romania--the ship's manifest gives his place of origin (or at least where he started his trip from) as Iasi. I've always loved the two Romanian Rhapsodies of Enescu. I should get to know more music of that part of the world.....

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