Castles and fortresses – Peles & Bran castle tour

A wide collection of castles and fortresses illustrates the rich medieval heritage of Romania. From strong and austere fortresses built manily for the purpose of defense against the invaders between the 14th and the 18th centuries to those imposing and luxurious castles erected starting late 1800s, all these mediaeval monuments have a story to tell or a secret to reveal. The most popular include the 14th century Corvin Castle, built on the site of a former Roman camp, the modern 19th century Peles Castle with its 160 rooms filled with priceless European art and last, but certainly not the least, the Bran Castle, built in the mid 1300s legendaryly known as home to Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula.

Some of Romania’s castles offered valuable sources of inspiration to the universal literature, to nominate here only the most famous novels “The Castle in the Carpathians” by Jules Verne and “Dracula” by Bram Stoker.

The nearly nine centuries of Saxon presence claims an unique European cultural and architectural heritage for Transylvania – land beyond the forest. This region is home to nearly 200 Saxon villages, churches and fortifications built between the 13th and 15th centuries. Seven of the fortified Saxon churches (those of Biertan, Calnic, Darjiu, Prejmer, Saschiz, Valea Viilor and Viscri) were assigned by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. A visit to these quaint villages, placed amidst lush farmland and green rolling hills, will give you a taste of the long-gone medieval times.