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BRAN CASTLE—ROMANIA By the students of Colegiul National Pedagogic Constantin Bratescu Constanta
The Bran Castle is situated at the entrance to the Rucăr - Bran passage, on the road connecting Braşov to Câmpulung, over towered by the peaks of the Bucegi and the Piatra Craiului Mountains.The castle is a national monument and landmark in Romania.
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In 1212, Teutonic Knights built the wooden castle of Dietrichstein as a fortified position in the Burzenland at the entrance to a mountain pass through which traders had travelled for more than a millennium, but in 1242 it was destroyed by the Mongols.
Built on the site of a Teutonic Knights stronghold dating from 1212, the castle was first documented in an act issued by Louis I of Hungary on November 19, 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (Brasov) the privilege to build the Citadel.
In 1438-1442,the Castle was used in defense against The Ottoman Empire,and later became a customs post on the mountain pass between Transylvania and Wallachia. It is believed the Castle was briefly held by Mircea The Elder of Wallachia during whose period the customs point was established.
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The Voivode of Transylvania, Iancu of Hunedoara, defeated a division of the Ottoman army in 1441 –1442 right at the walls of Bran Fortress.
Vlad the Impaler (Vlad Tepes) was allied with Bran and Brasov during his first reign (1448) and through the start of his next reign, after the Princes of Transylvania requested that he handle the anti-Ottoman resistance at the border. During his second reign (1456 – 1462), however, his army passed through Bran in early 1459 to attack Brasov, in order to settle a conflict between the Wallachia Voivode and the Saxons, who requested higher customs taxes and supported his opponent for the throne.
After 1918, Transylvania became part of Greater Romania. On December 1st 1920, the citizens of Brasov, through a unanimous decision of the city’s council, led by Mayor Karl Schnell, offered the castle to Queen Maria of Romania. The Castle became a favorite residence of Queen Maria, who restored and arranged it to be used as a residence of the royal family. Bran Castle was transformed by the communist authorities into a museum. The museum had three departments: the Castle – which contained pieces of royal heritage; the medieval customs; and Ethnography – that included traditional houses in the park near the castle.