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Photo: Dobre Cezar, CC BY-SA 3.0 ro via Wikimedia Commons
Heavily marketed today as "Dracula's Castle", it was built in 1377 to guard the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. It became the property of Brașov city in the late 15th century. At the end of the 18th century, its importance as a guard post diminished. After Transylvania became part of Romania, the castle was gifted to Queen Marie of Romania in 1920, who transformed it into a royal residence. The royal family were expelled when the communists took over and seized everything, but in 2009 the castle was returned to their descendant, Archduke Dominic von Hapsburg.
Bran Castle is a castle in Bran, 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Brașov. The castle was built by Saxons in 1377 who were given the privilege by Louis I of Hungary. It is a national monument and landmark in Transylvania. The fortress is on the Transylvanian side of the historical border with Wallachia, on road DN73.
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