Visit Transylvania by Drone (Bran Castle, Rasnov Fortress, Cantacuzino Castle)

Bran Castle (Romanian: Castelul Bran; German: Törzburg; Hungarian: Törcsvár) is a castle in Bran, 25 kilometres (16 mi) southwest of Brașov. It is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is on the Transylvanian side of the historical border with Wallachia, on road DN73. Commonly known outside Romania as Dracula’s Castle (although it is one among several locations linked to the Dracula legend, including Poenari Castle and Hunyadi Castle),[citation needed] it is often erroneously referred to as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.[citation needed] There is no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad the Impaler, voivode of Wallachia, the putative inspiration for Dracula.[citation needed] Dutch author Hans Corneel de Roos proposes as location for Castle Dracula an empty mountain top, Mount Izvorul Călimanului, 2,033 metres (6,670 ft) high, located in the Călimani Alps near the former border with Moldavia.[1][full citation needed] Stoker’s description of Dracula’s crumbling fictional castle also bears no resemblance to Bran Castle. Râșnov Fortress (Romanian: Cetatea Râșnov, German: Rosenauer Burg, Hungarian: Barcarozsnyó vára) is a historic monument and landmark in Romania. It is situated in Râşnov, Brașov County, in the immediate vicinity of Brașov. The fortress was built as part of a defence system for the Transylvanian villages exposed to outside invasions. A decisive aspect for building the fortress at its location was the route of the invading armies which were coming from the Bran pass and were passing through Râșnov, on their way to Braşov and other parts of the Burzenland region. The only chance of survival for the inhabitants of the area, including from Cristian and Ghimbav, was the refuge inside the refuge castle at Râşnov. Compelled to stay there for decades, the people of Râșnov and the nearby villages turned the fortification into their long-term place of residence. The Cantacuzino Castle is situated on Zamora Street in Bușteni, Romania. The building, whose construction was completed in 1911, was conducted by the architect Gregory Cerchez at the request of Prince George Grigore Cantacuzino. It is built in Neo-Romanian style; the total surface of the estate is over 3,000 square meters.[1] The estate is surrounded by a park with paths that lead to a waterfall grotto and artisanal fountains. In the central pavilion is a collection of unique Romanian heraldry representing the families allied with the Cantacuzino family, as well as portraits of the family members. The castle belonged to the Cantacuzino family until the forced nationalization of 1948, when it became a preventorium for the Ministry of Internal Affairs. During the communist period, the original furniture was removed and a part of the interior walls were painted over. After 1989, the castle was returned to Cantacuzino descendants, who sold it to private investors in 2004. Bușteni (Romanian pronunciation: [buʃˈtenʲ]) is a small mountain town in the north of Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. It is located in the Prahova Valley, at the bottom of the Bucegi Mountains, that have a maximum altitude of 2505 m. Its name literally means tree-logs in Romanian. One village, Poiana Țapului, is administratively part of the town, formerly a separate commune prior to 1950. According to the 2011 census, it has 8,894 inhabitants. Bușteni’s average altitude is 900 m. It is one of the most popular mountain resorts in Romania,[citation needed] with year-round tourism opportunities, including skiing and mountain climbing. The town and the surrounding mountains were the site of military confrontations in 1916, during World War I (see Romania during World War I). A large commemorative monument (about 25 m high), Heroes’ Cross (Crucea Eroilor) lies atop nearby Caraiman Peak, at nearly 2,260 m. The monument is lighted at night and is visible from virtually everywhere in Bușteni.