Sighisoara

Situated on Tarnava Mare’s bank, Sighisoara is a well-known tourist destination that can be considered Europe’s pearl, as it is one of the few inhabited citadels of the old continent. The first documentary attestation refers to it under the name of “Castrum Sex”, in 1280, although there is evidence of its existence since 1191. Built by the Saxon colonists living in Transylvania who had to watch over the frontiers of the Hungarian kingdom in the 12th and 13th centuries A.C., the fortress gathered inside its walls Saxon, Romanian and Hungarian craftsmen. That’s the reason why the citadel was named in all the three languages: SCHAESSBURG, SIGHISOARA, and SEGESVAR. More than that, the craftsmen were organized in guilds, each of them administrating a defense tower. The defense walls are 960 meters long, and of the 17 towers there are only nine left, except for the clock tower.

For 15 years, on summer there is organized the three days Medieval Art Festival. It is difficult to present in a few words the multitude of tourist attraction points of this town: towers, bastions, churches and houses. However, the most important are considered to be Turnul cu Ceas (the Clock Tower) – the entrance gate in the citadel – which is also a symbol of Sighisoara, Turnul Cositorarilor (the Tin Coaters Tower), Turnul Macelarilor (the Butcher’s Tower), Turnul Cizmarilor (the Shoemaker’s Tower), Turnul Croitorilor (the Taylor’s Tower), Turnul Cojocarilor (the Furrier’s Tower), Turnul Fierarilor (the Blacksmith’s Tower), Turnul Franghierilor (the Rope Makers’ Tower), Turnul Tabacarilor (the Tanner’s Tower), Biserica Manastirii (the Church of the Monastery), Biserica din Deal (the Church on the Hill), Casa Venetiana (the Venetian House), Casa cu Cerb (the House with Antlers), Casa de pe Stanca (the Cliff House), Casa cu Sindrila (the House with Shingle), Casa Vlad Dracul (the house attributed to Vlad Tepes) and so on.

The Clock Tower (Turnul cu ceas)
In the course of time, Turnul Portii (the Gate Tower) was used for the council’s meetings and for storing Sighisoara’s archive and thesaurus. Turnul Portii (the Gate Tower) was named Turnul cu Ceas (the Clock Tower) after 1604, when a clock with a wood mechanism was installed in it. In 1648 the blacksmiths of Sighisoara rebuilt that mechanism using metal components and improved it so that its hands also indicated the minutes. The two faces of the clock are each 2.4 meters in diameter, and one of them looks towards Orasul de Jos, and the other towards the Citadel. The clock was also equipped with two groups of wooden statuettes disposed in three registers. Two of the statuettes represent Justice and Fairness, symbolizing the judicial autonomy of the town. Another statuette represents a brazier announcing the exact time. A “desperate man” is also represented by one statuette, telling the strangers that death penalty is applied in the citadel. After the style of that time, there are also present 0.80 meters tall statuettes made of linden trees, representing the pagan gods personifying the days of the week: Diana, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Sun. In 1964 the clock was equipped with an electric engine. Nowadays, Turnul cu Ceas (the Clock Tower) shelters the History Museum of the town.

The Tin Coaters Tower (Turnul Cositorarilor)
It is a robust and at the same time strange building, combining a pentagonal drum over a rectangular platform, above which there are the ramparts forming an octagonal floor, and in top of it there is the hexagonal roof, with unequal sides. The mortar, riddled with bullets and cannon balls, gives the impression of a building that went through the heats of many battles. The tower is completed by Galeria Puscasilor (the Gunmen’s Gallery), a sole exemplar in the architecture of the citadel.
The Tanner’s Tower (Turnul Tabacarilor)
Turnul Tabacarilor (the Tanner’s Tower), one of the oldest towers, is situated on the South – East side of the citadel. From the architectonic point of view, it looks like a square prism, with a one slope roof. In 1631, Turnul barbierilor (the Barber’s Tower) was joined to it, but this one was destroyed later.
The Goldsmith’s Tower (Turnul Aurarilor)
Turnul Giuvaergiilor (the Jeweler’s Tower) or Turnul Aurarilor (the Goldsmith’s Tower) is documentary mentioned in 1511, being built on the South – West side of the citadel, next to the Castaldo Bastion, on the highest point of the town. In 1706 it was blown out by kurutzy peasants, in 1809 a thunder destroyed its roof and floor, and by 1863 it became a gymnasium of the Scoala din Deal (the School on the Hill). In 1935 it became a mortuary.
The Taylor’s Tower (Turnul Croitorilor)
Turnul Croitorilor (the Taylor’s Tower) dates from the 14th century, being the second entrance gate in the citadel. The tower belonged to one of the richest guild in the citadel. In 1676 the tower was destroyed by a fire, especially because there were barrels with gun powder and different weapons inside it. Three years later it was rebuilt, and the North – West corridor was turned into a gun powder storehouse.
The Rope Makers’ Tower (Turnul Frangherilor)
Turnul Franghierilor (the Rope Makers’ Tower) is situated on the North – West corner of the upper platform. In 1935, after some archaeological diggings, there were discovered some crenel vestiges, which led to the conclusion that it had been built over an older wall of the citadel. The attendant of the cemetery lived in this tower for a long period of time.
The Butcher’s Tower (Turnul Macelarilor)
Turnul Macelarilor (the Butcher’s Tower) seems to have been built in the 15th century, and then rebuilt in the 16th century. According to documents, it was mentioned for the first time in 1680. It had a great strategic importance, because it was situated at the foot of the steepest portion of the hill that went down from the superior platform to the inferior platform.
The Blacksmith’s Tower (Turnul Fierarilor)
Turnul Fierarilor (The Blacksmith’s Tower) is a flank tower and was built in 1631 in the place of the old Turnul barbierilor (Barber’s Tower). Its front part has windows and shooting holes that confer it a special aspect. In the past, it protected the Church of the Monastery in the event of sieges.
Unfortunately, in the 19th century some of the buildings were demolished; for instance, Turnul Lacatusilor (the Locksmith’s Tower) and the Franciscan Monastery were pulled down in 1894 to build the Catholic Church; Turnul Dogarilor (the Cooper’s Tower), which was said to be one of the oldest towers of the citadel and whose rooms were used as dwellings, was pulled down in 1886. Turnul Tesatorilor (the Weaver’s Tower) is also known to have housed the military prison of the town, but it was demolished in 1858, and the streets of the citadel were paved for the first time with the resulting stones.
The Furrier’s Tower (Turnul Cojocarilor)
Turnul Cojocarilor (the Furrier’s Tower), built in the 15th century, seems to be the most humble of all, being placed at a small distance from Turnul Macelarilor (the Butcher’s Tower); Poarta Torle (Torle gate), where the sheep were shared in the evening, unifies the two towers.
The Shoemaker’s Tower (Turnul Cizmarilor)
The first documentary attestation of the Turnul Cizmarilor (the Shoemaker’s Tower) dates from 1594, but it was rebuilt under the present shape in 1650. It looks like a hexagonal prism, and it is shorter than the other towers. What is unusual is its small observation tower oriented towards the town. It used to have an artillery bastion in front, but it was demolished in 1846. Nowadays it houses the local radio station called “Radioson”.

Other tourist attractions in Sighisoara
Biserica din Deal (The Church on the Hill) is the only old crypt Evangelic church in Transylvania, and its walls contain 60 tombstones. Inside the church there is also a collection of altars, brought from Germany, and a collection of bottom drawers. On the walls of the church there is also a fresco dating from 1380 which presents the Holy Trinity as a person with three faces. In the Church of the Monastery there is also a collection of oriental carpets, and an organ concert takes place here every week as well.
Casa Vlad Dracul (Vlad Dracula’s House) is one of the oldest buildings, and it is placed on the left side of the little square in front of the Turnul cu Ceas (Clock Tower). The building was the official residence, belonging to the mayor or to the royal county lord of the citadel. Vlad Dracul, the son of Mircea cel Batran, lived here between 1431 and 1435, as well. Nowadays, the building shelters a restaurant.
Casa cu Cerbi (the House with Antlers), a construction specific to the Transylvanian Renaissance period, received this name because of a stag head fixed on the angle of the building.

The central square is limited by 18th century houses, inhabited by the noble families of the town. The main fairs or the criminal trials took place in this square, the execution post (pillar of infamy) being placed here as well.
The Bastion Street, on which can be found Casa cu Sindrila (the House with Shingle), a specific handicraftsman’s house, continues the Square. The house shelters the residence of the Interethnic Centre for the Youth, as part of the German Forum of Sighisoara, where they carry on a great number of educational courses for the youth, and it also shelters an Internet-Café.

History Museum from Sighisoara
During the Medieval Art Festival, those who move about the streets of the fortress, artists, keepsake vendors, or even tourists, generally wear clothes reminding of the Feudal period. In 2007, the local authorities launched the “S.O.S. the Citadel of Sighisoara” campaign, trying to aware the Government of the defacement of monuments.

Included in the UNESCO patrimony
In 1999 Sighisoara was included in the UNESCO patrimony, beeing, together with other European cities with the same type of monuments, on the World Heritage Cities list of protected monuments as well.
How to get there and accommodation possibilities
Situated at about 279 km far from Bucharest and 117 km from Brasov, Sighisoara attracts a lot of foreign tourists every year. One can get here by car on the E 60 European Highway, from Targu Mures to Brasov, or by train, on the Bucharest – Brasov – Teius route, with shuntings to Arad and Oradea. The accomodation possibilities are unlimited, in hotels, motels and boarding houses.

Historical and mythological interference- Dracula

rrDracula - as perceived and promoted in tourist brochures today - is the result of legendary yet, genuine historical facts of Vlad the Impaler's reign, as recounted by revisionist historians, interspersed and dramatically accentuated by the Irishman Bram Stoker's 1897 fictional character, Dracula.
The truth about Wallachia's ruler, Vlad the Impaler (1456-1462, 1476) is known from countless academic papers written by both Romanian and foreign historiographers. Brave and fair, benevolent with decent people while ruthless with lawbreakers, Vlad the Impaler is convinced that only strong leadership can maintain internal order and thus allow him to mount a strong defence against external peril. This vision is admirably encompassed in his letter to the people of Brasov, on the 10th of September 1456. In it he says: "When a man or lord is strong and powerful he can make peace whichever way he wishes yet, when he is weak, someone stronger will come onto him and submit him to his mercy."Thus, Vlad the Impaler resorts to an authoritarian style of leadership by imposing honesty and hard work as virtues to be had; dishonesty (thievery) and sloth were punished harshly by impaling - a practice which was to make him infamous. Every single one of those who chose not to observe the laws or the freedom of the country - regardless of whether they were Transylvanian traders, Turkish soldiers or local landowners (boyars) - would receive this punishment if they were found guilty of any such crimes. Such abominable punishment can be understood in the context of the times when punishments such as crucifixion, or being burnt at the stake were an all too common occurrence.
A quite conclusive episode that proves his unflinching desire to strengthen central authority in the face of rulers becoming mere tools in the hands of various boyar interest groups is the one mentioned in the German chronicles. Here, Vlad summons around 500 boyars to accuse them of bearing responsibility for the disastrous state of the country. Before saying, "the responsibility was borne by your shameful disunity" he asked them how many reigns they had lived under. As most had lived under an average of seven, this was to be their last one as Vlad understood that this occurrence owed a lot to their devious intrigues so he impaled every single one of them. Another unforgiving deed of his rather cruel reign was the revenge of his father and brother's killing right on Easter Day when he proceeded to impale the entire elderly population of Targoviste while sparing the younger ones only to condemn them to hard labour to erect the Poienari citadel. Alexandru Vlahuta best illustrates the cruelty with which he punished his adversaries, in a book called "From our Past". In it, he recalls an episode when one of Wallachia's royal claimants, who went by the name of Dan, is chastised for nurturing sedition: "he (Vlad) catches young Dan and, in order that he is cured of his yearning to rule, he lays him between torches that were lit on the margins of a hole in the ground that was big enough to fit him, gets priests to say prayers and wailers to wail him, and then he chops his head of and tosses his body in the eternal resting place."2
The same author recalls the cruelty with which he punishes the people of Brasov for disobedience and for having given his adversaries shelter: "he overruns the Barsa County, plunders and sets fire to its villages and to the Brasov citadel, and there, in a bay of blood pouring out of bodies that were put to the stake and much wailing of these unfortunates that were struggling to die, Vlad sits happy at the top of the table and enjoys himself with his most valiant soldiers whose hand trembles each time they raise their glass for at such a feast, in such a place, and with such a lord at the top of the table, each drink could be their last". There are many legends asserting his unequivocal dislike for half-truths and lies. One of those recounts how a trader on his way to trading his goods asked for his protection. Vlad had told him to leave his dray under the open skies for he should fear no thieves. Yet, the next morning, the trader finds his 160 gold pieces missing and he tells Vlad about this. Upon hearing this, Vlad sends his men to find the thief, which they do and the thief is immediately caught and quickly impaled. Vlad then summons the trader to give him the money back and slips in an extra gold piece. The trader counts the money and finds the extra coin and tells Vlad about this. Vlad spares his life for his honesty, as he would have impaled him too had he not told him the truth.
Another legend, which denotes Vlad's preoccupation for eradicating thievery, tells the story of a golden cup left at a faraway fountain, in the middle of a forest, which nobody dared steal even long after Vlad the Impaler had passed away.
The end result of such drastic measures was that Vlad managed to quell the utter chaos gripping the country and reinstated much needed order and discipline instead. "A stranger to pity and forgiveness - says the historian A.D.Xenopol - he puts his dreadful temper in the service of his country and, as soon as he cleanses it from internal ills, he proceeds to redress the downfall of the country"4.
His deeds attracted much ill feeling from his contemporaries. Thus, he was prone to defamation and accusations of secret deals with the Ottomans against the interests of his country - falsehoods that eventually led to his imprisonment by King Matias Corvin. As time went on, his cruel features became associated with those of the vampire Dracula. The so-called Dracula myth has its origins in Vlad Basarab, the father of the future king Vlad the Impaler - Dracula becoming member of the Order of the Dragon, on the 8th of February 1431. Incidentally, this Order was a very exclusive club with a select membership numbering only monarchs, or heirs to the throne. The cape, which Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg himself bestows on his shoulders, was tied at the front with a golden collar and a medallion in the shape of a dragon. Upon becoming king of Wallachia, Vlad Basarab proceeds to use the image of the dragon not only on his personal seal but also on the coins minted during his reign. This is the reason why his contemporaries calling him Vlad Dracul i.e. Vlad the Devil while the rest of his family as well as his ancestors were called Draculesti i.e. Devilish. His second born, also called Vlad, who was to rule Wallachia between 1456 and 1462 was called by the Turks, Seitanoglu i.e. the Devil's Son or, Kaziklu i.e. the one who impales - after the usual punishment to wrongdoers.
The nickname Dracula - which his adversaries use when referring to him - suffers distortions, as it is associated with a sign of the link with the Devil himself. The link Dracula-Devil comes to being used by the Saxons of Transylvania as well, who were hostile to the great King as recounted in the "German Stories about King Dracula." After the First Edition from 1488, this representation of a unimaginably cruel, blood thirsty king becomes ever more gruesome - like the scene depicted in one of the thirty odd representations in the seventeenth century in which he is portrayed as having lunch among many bodies of impaled boyars.
Gradually, Vlad's public image shifts from that of a ruthless ruler who was merciless with lawbreakers to that of a vampire. This owes much to speculations about some sort of a blood tie with Countess Elisabeth Bathory. Since HRT was some five centuries away, one of the Countess' middle of the sixteenth century pastimes in her Czech mansion was reputedly to bathe in maiden's blood in order that she could preserve her youthful looks - hence, the reason for her contemporaries believing this was but a family trait. Seventeenth century chronicles collected by Austrian soldiers from Western Wallachia and Transylvania recount popular beliefs about ghosts. In their reports dating from the period between 1718 and 1739, there is mention of a local custom of digging up bodies of people who were suspected to have been ghosts during their lifetime and subsequently stabbing them through the heart with a wooden stake. Their endeavours were rewarded with a burst of thick, black blood that proved their suspicions to be well founded. Bar for the stench, this practice is mentioned in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula. Such military reports continue to stoke up the fires of an image of Transylvania being a somewhat supernatural place for the Undead, living in ruined castles that are permanently haunted by evil spirits, ghosts and vampires.
In 1897, the famous fictional character Dracula comes to (after-) life in London, out of the Irishman Bram Stoker's pen - a novel considered by Oscar Wilde to be one of the best novel of all times. Yet, according to Stoker's own admission, neither Transylvania nor Dracula have any historical value for Romania as he had used both the place as well as the name only because of the fame they enjoyed at the time, which was but a useful tool in creating a semblance of credibility to a fictional story.
The relationship between Bram Stoker's fictional character and king Vlad the Impaler is the one suggested by the author himself: "there was indeed a king Dracula who earned his name fighting against the Ottoman's, over the great river, right on the border with the Ottoman Empire". Stoker believes Vlad was no ordinary man since "for centuries, he was spoken of as one of the shrewdest, cunning and bravest son's of his country lying beyond the forests, whose quick spirit and iron will still fight from beyond the grave." This is the point at which the author introduces popular beliefs about ghosts that continue to wander long after the body is gone: "The Un-dead i.e. ghost, vampires etc. suffer the curse of immortality - says Bram Stoker - they pass from age to age without ageing, making more victims and enhancing the ills of the world-". Moreover, Bram Stoker never visited Transylvania and only used some maps given by England's libraries to conjure up his vampire-tale. The main character, Dracula, a Szeckler count that lived in a decayed Castle, in the Bargaului Pass, slept during the day-time in a burial vault, and only came out at night as a vampire who possessed a supernatural yet, malefic force that was put in the service of the Devil. He is visited here by Jonathan Harker, secretary to an English lawyer who came to perfect with count Dracula the purchasing of a property near London. Upon becoming a prisoner, Jonathan Harker goes through a series of dreadful mishaps. Managing somehow to get back to London, he convinces a group of acquaintances to follow him to the Bargaului Pass to kill the vampire count, which they manage to do in front of his Castle by stabbing his heart out with a dagger.
All Dracula characters are but the authors' figment of imagination yet, Count Dracula's deeds and his grand finale death have a basis in popular superstitions about ghosts that were mentioned by reputed folklore gatherers such as I. A. Candrea. The reputed scholar argues that "all day, the ghost minds his own business like the rest of the people do yet, as night falls and he falls asleep, his soul comes out to meet other ghosts leaving his body lying in bed as if he was dead. The souls of these ghosts [-] kill children to suck their blood [-]." He goes on to say that "when one of these presumed ghosts dies it is customary that a red hot rod is pierced through his heart to prevent its soul from ever coming out of the grave to torment innocent people by night." According to popular beliefs, the bat - an animal that lives in caves by day - is also considered to be a vampire for it comes out of its day time resting-place at night, to suck the blood of innocent people by biting them by the neck. In the South and Central America, vampires are but a species of large bats that feed on the blood of birds and mammals caught unawares. In the Odyssey, Homer identifies the bat with the soul of dead people - hence the not so far - fetched chance for this to be but another after-life apparition.
Nowadays, the image of Dracula as the incarnation of King Vlad the Impaler as it was penned in a xylography, in The German Stories about King Dracula published in Nurnberg, in 1488, is the ubiquitous commercial of a vampire that has lost any historical sense it may have had and looks like Bella Lugosi of Nosferatu (In the film Nosferatu, such as it is called the victim of the un-dead i.e. the ghost, who also becomes a ghost). The only purpose this image serves is one that gives a welcome boost to the tourist industry in the Bran area.

Dracula and the village of Bran

Thus, the Bran castle - better known as Dracula's Castle - is one of the most valuable architectural monuments that also had precise military and economic functions - which are extensively presented by the scholar Ioan Prahoveanu in his work, The Bran Castle. The link made by the vampire-seeking tourist between this castle and King Vlad the Impaler owes a lot to the fact that the Castle of Bran was situated on the Bran Pass, which separated Saxon of Transylvania traders from the Wallachian trade fairs where they could sell their goods. Stories of cruel punishments applied to smugglers abound hence the relationship with the Castle of Bran officials may have been a little strained at times.
Yet, whether Vlad the Impaler really ruled over the Castle of Bran is a moot point for there exists no written evidence to support this claim. Apart from administrative documents there is really very little in terms of the political and military events of the time. One thing is certain, though. In the autumn of 1462, the King of Hungary, Matei Corvin's army captures Vlad close to the Oratii Citadel, near Rucar - which is situated at about 25 kilometres from Bran - and imprisons him in the Bran Castle for almost two months. From here he will be moved to the Visegrad Citadel.
The belief in ghosts and other evil spirits is an essential component of popular mythology. Yet, beyond this imaginary universe populated with vampires and ghosts, tourists will find the peace and tranquillity of the peasant village of Bran. Here, in the bosom of the Carpathian Mountains, one can find legends that can rival the world's greatest legends such as the ones that Prometheus was chained in the Caucasus mountains because of his teaching humans to use the fire on the Bran Keys Rock or, the one according to which the Old Lady Dochia was turned to stone in the Bucegi mountains.
Many traditional customs are still alive in this area - including those with a legal character like, for instance, the oral communication of the village elders' decisions through the village or, sheep shearing with a twist i.e. keeping the sheep safe from evil spirits named "iele" etc. Moreover, the twelve-day cycle of the winter festivities that marks the burial of the old year and the beginning of the new one revolves around three main events: Christmas (the 25th of December), the New Year (the 1st of January) and Epiphany (the 6th of January). Every one of these events is marked by rituals, which follow old customs that gather together the entire community such as, Christmas carols, plugusorul and roscovaitul (New Year carols), traditional masked games as well as many other carols and customs that have the meaning of purifying the spirit of this place from evil spirits.
Traditional customs relating to death and marriage are must see events. Traditional dress and dances signify fertility and prosperity rituals that are particular to this region. Knitting, sheep shearing customs and last, but not least, traditional food are but some of the reasons that make travelling to this region a truly meaningful endeavour.

DRACULA`S CASTLE- BRAN HISTORY

BRAN CASTLE (1377-1920)


The Bran fortress was built on a cliff between Măgura and The Hill of the Fortress, its position conferring an outstanding view towards both the hills of Moeciu and the ones from the Land of Bârsa. The building of the fortress was imposed by strategic and economic reasons. The strategic reasons underlined by the expansion of the Ottoman Empire which, by the end of the XIV century, began threatening the south-eastern borders of Transylvania; the economic reasons, given by the fact that the commercial road, one of the most important access ways connecting Transylvania to Wallachia, crossed this area. All these reasons determined the Hungarian king Louis I of Anjou to develop strengthening works of the Bran pass.jointly interested in raising the fortress were also the people of Braşov, aiming to secure their geographical position on one hand, and the economic one, on the other hand, by supervising the commercial road passing through the valley. These mutual actions materialize on November 19th 1377, when Louis I of Anjou grants the people of Braşov the privilege of building the fortress “unforced and unbound, but willingly they have generously and unanimously promised to build a new fort in Bran, on their own efforts and expenses, and to cut the forest thereabouts”. It was remarkable the fact that, by the death of the Hungarian king in 1382, the fortress was already built. After finalizing the construction, the fortress becomes property of the Hungarian royalty, who settles here a garrison of mercenaries, made up by archers and ballista men. In order to fulfill the needs of the fortress, the king grants it a domain formed by the villages Baciu, Cernatu, Satulung, Turcheş, Tărlungeni, Zizin, Purcăreni, Crizbav, Apaţa, Zărneşti and Tohan (the latter two until 1395), with permission to exploit the forests and waters, to hunt and fish, and to use the mutual fields and hay fields. The Hungarian royalty assumes its right to appoint a lord of the castle to run the fortress. The Szekler committee was sometimes entrusted with this prerogative, this position being mostly taken by the Voivodes of Transylvania. Yet, by the act of 1380, it is specified that, generally, a Saxon can be appointed in this position. The lord of the castle fulfilled several military tasks (command of the garrison, organization and supervising of borders) and also administrative – jurisdictional tasks (as lord of the mansion, he checked the incomes resulted from the fees owed by the inhabitants of the domain, as well as from other economic activities related to the city of Braşov).
About the same time, a customs point was built in the vicinity of the fortress, collecting a duty of 3% from the value of the goods being transited on the commercial road connecting Transylvania to Wallachia. At the beginning of the XV century, as product of the collaboration between the Hungarian king Sigismund of Luxemburg and the Wallachian ruler Mircea cel Bătrân with respect to the anti-Ottoman politics, the Bran fortress is transferred to the possession of the Wallachian ruler and to his descendants, with the purpose to strengthen the Transylvanian – Wallachian border. With this occasion, the customs point from the feet of the fortress was moved to Braşov.
Mircea cel Bătrân replaced the lord of the castle with one of his chief magistrates, appointing him with the supervising of the commercial road. On August 6th 1413, he grants the people of Braşov the well known commercial privilege, emphasizing “the establishments left by their forefathers for customs purposes through the boroughs from Wallachia and on the road from Braşov through the Bran pass up to Brăila”. The descendants of Mircea cel Bătrân disrespect the commercial privileges conferred to the people of Braşov, driving them to the Hungarian king with a complaint. This state of facts, corroborated with the persistent Turkish attacks (culminating with the one in 1421, when the Turks rob The Land of Bârsa) determine Sigismund of Luxemburg to entrust the Bran Fortress, on February 3rd 1426, to the Prince of Transylvania, entrusting him to appoint the lord of the castle. In exchange for granting new privileges to the people of Braşov, these had the obligation of supplying the fortress with food and informing the Transylvanian prince in case of imminent Turkish danger.The summer of 1427, Sigismund seems to have personally come to Bran in order to check the defense works and yet, in spite of all safety measures taken, the Turks penetrate The Land of Bârsa through the Bran pass and rob it again
The summer of 1441 the Turks initiate a new incursion in Transylvania, but are defeated in the district of Bran by Iancu de Hunedoara, prince of this province, who paid an extreme attention to the Bran Fortress and to the commercial road passing through this area, confirming the old commercial privilege granted to the people of Braşov by Mircea cel Bătrân and confirmed by Sigismund. Within the first months of the year 1459 the armies of Vlad Ţepeş, a Wallachian ruler, attack the city of Braşov through Bran, burning the suburbs and the old church of Bartholomew; this action came as a consequence of a commercial litigation between the Wallachian ruler and the merchants from Braşov. Bran was also the pass used by the armies of prince Ştefan Bathory, when supporting Vlad Ţepeş in his second reign (1456-1462). The acts of abuse committed by the lords of the castle from the fortress Bran caused inconvenience to the commercial activity of the city Braşov – which had become one of the most important commercial centers of Transylvania – making the people of Braşov try to get into its possession. In order to achieve this purpose the people of Braşov needed, besides the approval of the king, the actual owner, also the consent of the Transylvanian prince who, being appointed with the defense of the borders as representative of the Szekler committee, had military authority over the fortress of Bran. The arrangement seems to have been made only between the people of Braşov and the King of Hungary Vladislav II Jagello, and on the 1st of January 1498, the latter pledging by himself the Bran fortress to the people of Braşov “along with all possessions and rights of usage” for ten years, in exchange for 1000 florins. In 1508, after expiration of this term, the Hungarian king renews for another twenty five years the pledge contract for the domain and the fortress of Bran, in favor of the city of Braşov. At the end of this period the royalty had to pay to the people of Braşov the amount of 6300 florins, as ransom, or else the fortress remained property of the city of Braşov. In 1513, King Vladislav Jagello issues an act by means of which he removes the Bran fortress from the jurisdiction of the prince of Transylvania, and grants it to the people of Braşov “to keep and administrate” for twenty five years, should they always be truthful to the king, ensure keeping the fortress and support the spies in Turkey. By means of this document the city of Braşov gains possession over the fortress and domain of Bran, having absolute rights as possessor. Once the Bran fortress became property of the city of Braşov, the duties of the serfs grew ruthless and more numerous, making the serfs often complain and rise up against them. In addition to all that, by a decision ruled by the king, dating from the beginning of the XVI century, they were bound to perform the military duty for the city of Braşov and, in need, to take up arms at its request. This provision made the serfs from the villages in the Bran domain run away. This state of facts concurs with the riot of the Transylvanian villagers from 1514. The serfs from the Bran domain refused to rise up against the rebels – as presented in a letter from the voivode of Transylvania addressed to the king of Hungary – and above all that, “they refuse to pay their regular duty to our citizens from Braşov. This major disobedience came close to causing a riot of the common people even in our city of Braşov and in the Land of Bârsa”. The position of the villagers from Bran vexed the leaders of Braşov who, at first, did not dare take any actions, waiting for the denouement of the riot. Only after the riot was repressed the people of Braşov had the courage to ask the king for his support. By rule of the king, Ioan Zapolya, the prince of Transylvania, set off to Braşov, in order to punish the rebels. As a consequence of this action, Braşov was reinstated by use of weapons. As expected, the Bran fortress had also been involved in this political action. Thus, at first, after the denouement form Mohacs, the people from Braşov, supporting Ferdinand of Austria, adopted a hostile attitude towards Ioan Zapolya, who had succeeded to take over Transylvania. This explains why, in 1529 when Lăudat, the commander of the Wallachian armies, tried to cross to Transylvania to help Ioan Zapolya, he came up against the resistance of the garrison from the Bran fortress, lead by the lord of the castle Ioan Hock. Although the siege lasted several days, the fortress could not be conquered. The year to come, the Bran fortress stands up against Mehmed Beg, stopping the Turks attempt to break into Transylvania, aiming to support the same Ioan Zapolya. In 1531, seeing that their resistance against Zapolya caused only prejudices, they cross to his side, being sworn in faithful to him. In exchange, the prince reinforces their privileges and grants them possession of the forests from the Transylvanian part of Buzău.Even after 1541, when Transylvania becomes an autonomous principality under Turkish suzerainty, the Bran fortress remains property of the city of Braşov. Yet, the serfs belonging to this domain are bound to pay the Turkish yearly toll until 1602, when the prince suspends it in favor of the people of Braşov. In December 1596 Mihai Viteazul, on his trip to Alba Iulia used the road passing through Bran and his wife is likely to have stayed in the fortress for three days. In the year 1600, the son of Mihai Viteazul, Nicolae Pătraşcu, tries to penetrate The Land of Bârsa through the Bran pass, aiming to punish the people of Braşov, who had revolted against the domination of the Wallachian ruler. Unable to conquer the fortress, they had to withdraw. In the decades to come, the prince of Transylvania, Gabriel Bathory, temporarily occupying the Bran fortress, contested the property rights of the city of Braşov over the fortress. This action caused major economic damage to the people of Braşov, by cutting the commerce with Wallachia, as well as political and military prejudices. In 1613 the people of Braşov regain the property rights over the Bran fortress, consequential to a treaty signed with Gabriel Bathory. The same year, during the campaign of the Turkish army lead by Ali Pasha Maghiaroglu, aiming to install Gabriel Bethlen as prince of Transylvania, the Pasha requests the lord of the Bran castle to use their cannons, in order to prevent the “Tartar sultan” from passing through Bran. The permanent tendency of the city of Braşov to interfere with the Transylvanian politics determines Gabriel Bethlen (in the meantime prince) to raise the question of verifying the endorsed possession rights over the Bran fortress and the inherent domain. In 1625 the Transylvanian prince agrees to let the Bran fortress and the domain remain property of the people of Braşov.
The spring of 1651, on 25th of April, Braşov signs with the prince of Transylvania Gheorghe Rackoczi a sale-purchase contract according to which the city “irrevocably and for ever” bought the Bran fortress and the inherent domain, including the villages belonging to the castle, as well as the communes: Purcăreni, Zizin, Tărlungeni, Satulung, Cernatu, Turcheş, Bacifalu, Crizbav and Apaţa, becomming owner with full legal rights over these estates. In exchange for yielding the rights over the fortress and the domain, the people of Braşov had to give up, besides the amount owed by Vladislav II, also the amount of 11.000 florins (paid to the exchequer), along with several villages being up to that point in their possession. The sale-purchase contract for the Bran domain was confirmed by the Transylvanian states through the law Approbatae constitutiones regni Transsilvaniae III, title 84, paragraph 1. After a constant and tenaciously fought fight of over one hundred fifty years, the city of Braşov succeeded to consolidate its lawful rights over Bran.
At the end of the XVII century, as a consequence of the defeats suffered by the Turks, first at the siege of Vienna in 1683, then at Zenta in 1687, The Habsburg Empire gets dominion over Transylvania. Since the “Leopold Diploma” from 1691 confirmed all privileges and donations made by the princes of Transylvania, acknowledging the old laws of the country, the old administrative and judicial stabilities, the old privileges granted to the Saxons and the Szeklers, the city of Braşov also remains rightfully owner of the Bran fortress and domain, in conformity with the contract from 1651. The Habsburg economic politics and military strategy in the XVIII century lead to a diminution of the fortresses purpose, hindering the commerce of the people of Braşov with Wallachia, and even the lords of the castle in fulfilling their responsibilities on the Bran territory.
This way, on May 1st 1706, a customs officer is appointed to administrate the Bran customs point, a clerk of the Austrian Treasury who, besides the task of collecting the customs duties, took over from the lord of the castle also the table lands and the paths in the mountains Bucegi and Piatra Craiului, in order to prevent the illicit commercial activity and the illegal crossing of the border. To the same purpose, the Austrian state set up a sanitary cordon along the mountains Carpaţi, establishing, middle of the XVIII century, a quarantine office at Bran. Planning to strengthen the Bran pass, the castle was restored in 1723, as results from an inscription on the inner wall. The basic purposes of the fortress were practically reduced to those of head office of the domain administration and residence of the lord of the castle. Yet, it still constituted a defense residence which could possibly face a potential attack.
In spite of all these impediments, the Bran fortress continued to be mentioned in chronicles and also to partially fulfill its military and customs point role. Carol XII, king of Sweden, after being defeated in Russia, passes through Bran on the way to his country, accompanied by his armies that took refuge at the Turks. In 1737 an Austrian army company passes through Bran, attacking the Turks in Câmpulung.
During the Russian-Austrian-Turkish war from 1787, the Bran pass was invaded by the Moslem armies, who attacked the fortress, but failed to conquer it.
The amplification of the economic crisis from the second half of the XVIII century made the Austrian state stiffen the taxation policy, introducing the so-called “cadastral registers” in Bran too.
The major decline in the living conditions of the tenants from Bran generated several riots. The most important one, in the context of the events that took place in the years of the uprising led by Horea, Cloşca and Crişan, was in July 1785, when the tenants from Bran refused to pay their taxes to the city of Braşov.
The XIX century brought the decay of the last military tasks of the Bran fortress. The fortress failed to remain an efficient keeper of the border, due to the change in the military strategy and to the spreading of the performing fire guns.
In 1836, along with the transfer of the Transylvanian borders with Wallachia upper in the mountain, at Pajura, the Bran fortress loses its task as customs point at the border of the Austrian state and, along with that, the control over the commercial transit from the area.
The activity of the fortress becomes exclusively focused on the administration of the domain, which will generate numerous abuses coming from the land agents and lords of the castle. In the context of the rebellious movements from 1848, these abuses lead to a local riot, when the inhabitants of Bran organized themselves in “national guards”, acting against the lord of the castle and the garrison, banishing them from the fortress.
The imminence of the Russian-Romanian-Turkish war from 1877 determined the Austrian army to execute defense works along the eastern border of Transylvania. In this context, the Austrians occupied the Bran fortress, replacing its roof (easily exposed to any shelling) with faggots, thing which caused its severe decline.
Taking into account all that the city of Braşov asked the Austrian authorities to restore the fortress. Eventually, they accepted to support the expenses made within the period 1883-1886, and on July 22nd 1888, they handed it over to the city of Braşov.Not long after the city donated the fortress to the Forestry Administration from Braşov. From that point, the fortress was inhabited by forest keepers, foresters from Bran and, at times, in the expressly fit official chambers, by the forest inspectors came from Braşov. The Forestry Administration had the fortress in possession until 1918.