Bran Castle

(Romanian: Castelul Bran; German: Törzburg; Hungarian: Törcsvár), situated near

Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and
landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania
and Wallachia, on DN73. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle" (although it is
one among several locations linked to the Dracula legend, including Poenari Castle
and Hunyad Castle), it is the home of the titular character in Bram Stoker's
Dracula. There is, however, no evidence that Stoker knew anything about this
castle, which has only tangential associations with Vlad III, voivode of Wallachia,
the putative inspiration for Dracula. As discovered by the Dutch author Hans
Corneel de Roos, the location Bram Stoker actually had in mind for Castle Dracula
while writing his novel was an empty mountain top, Mount Izvorul Călimanului,
2,033 metres (6,670 ft) high, located in the Transylvanian Călimani Alps near the
former border with Moldavia.
The castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected
by Queen Marie.Tourists can see the interior individually or by a guided tour. At
the bottom of the hill is a small open-air museum park exhibiting traditional
Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, etc.) from across the country.
History
In 1212, Teutonic Knights built the wooden castle of Dietrichstein as a fortified
position in the Burzenland at the entrance to a mountain valley through which
traders had travelled for more than a millennium, but in 1242 it was destroyed by
the Mongols. The first documented mentioning of Bran Castle is the act issued by
Louis I of Hungary on 19 November 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt
(Brașov) the privilege to build the stone citadel on their own expense and labor
force; the settlement of Bran began to develop nearby. 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. The Wallachian ruler Vlad Țepeș (Vlad the
Impaler) 1448–1476 does not seem to have had a significant role in the history of
the fortress, although he passed several times through the Bran Gorge. Bran Castle
belonged to the Hungarian Kings but due to King Vladislas II's failure to repay
loans, the city of Brasov gained possession of the fortress in 1533. Bran played a
militarily strategic role up to the mid-18th century.
In 1920, the castle became a royal residence within the Kingdom of Romania. It
became the favorite home and retreat of Queen Marie. The castle was inherited by
her daughter Princess Ileana who ran a hospital there in World War II: it was later
seized by the communist regime with the expulsion of the royal family in 1948.
In 2005, the Romanian government passed a special law allowing restitution
claims on properties illegally expropriated, such as Bran, and thus a year later the
castle was awarded ownership to Dominic von Habsburg, the son and heir of
Princess Ileana.
In September 2007, an investigation committee of the Romanian Parliament stated
that the retrocession of the castle to Archduke Dominic was illegal, as it broke the
Romanian law on property and succession. However, in October 2007 the
Constitutional Court of Romania rejected the parliament's petition on the matter. In
addition, an investigation commission of the Romanian government issued a
decision in December 2007 reaffirming the validity and legality of the restitution
procedures used and confirming that the restitution was made in full compliance
with the law.
On 18 May 2009, the Bran Castle administration was transferred from the
government to the administration of Archduke Dominic and his sisters Maria-
Magdalena Holzhausen and Elisabeth Sandhofer. On 1 June 2009, the Habsburgs
opened the refurbished castle to the public as the first private museum of the
country and disclosed with Bran Village a joint strategic concept to maintain their
domination in the Romanian tourist circuit and to safeguard the economic base in
the region.

Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

Edinburgh Castle is one of the most haunted locations in Scotland, and Edinburgh
itself has been called the most haunted city in all of Europe. The Castle's dungeons
have frequent paranormal sightings and are haunted by ghosts of former prisoners.

Edinburgh Castle sits on top of Castle Rock, an extinct volcano and has been a
fortification for over 2,000 years. The castle is protected to the north, south and
west by sheer cliffs rising 400 feet above sea level. Access to the castle is by a
steep road on the eastern side. The castle from its high position dominates views of
the city of Edinburgh.

Edinburgh Castle

A rich mix of architectural styles reflects the castle's complex history and role as
both stronghold and the seat of Kings. St Margaret's Chapel, the oldest building in
Edinburgh Castle dates from the early 12th Century. Crown square, the main
courtyard, was developed in the 15th century; the Great Hall with its impressive
hammer beam roof was built by James IV in 1511. The Half Moon Battery was
created in the late 16th century. The Vaults were where foreign prisoners-of-war
were held, particularly those captured in the wars with France in the 18th and 19th
centuries. The Scottish National War memorial was added after the First World
War.

Edinburgh has a hidden underworld to which the castle is strongly connected, a

series of secret tunnels leading from Edinburgh castle down the Royal Mile. One
of these is rumoured to lead to Holyrood House. Holyrood house itself is closely
associated with Scotland's turbulent past, including Mary, Queen of Scots, who
lived here between 1561 and 1567. Successive kings and queens have made the
Palace of Holyrood house the premier royal residence in Scotland; even today it's
still a royal residence.

When the tunnels were first discovered several hundred years ago, a piper was sent
to explore. As he navigated the tunnels he played his bagpipes so that his progress
could be tracked by those above. About half way down the Royal Mile the piping
suddenly stopped. When a rescue party was sent, there was no trace of the piper.
He had simply vanished. Several search parties went into the tunnel system but no
trace of the piper was ever found.

The piper's ghost still haunts Edinburgh today, walking endlessly along the
underground tunnel beneath the Royal Mile. His music can sometimes be heard
from within the castle and on the streets above the tunnels.

Many people have heard the sound of ghostly drums within Edinburgh castle;
however few have seen the drummer. The reason for this is the drummer ghost
only appears when the castle is about to be attacked something that hasn't
happened for some time.

The ghost drummer was first witnessed before Cromwell's attack on the castle in
1650 and is reported to take the form of a headless boy. Who the boy was and why
he now haunts Edinburgh castle is not known.

Edinburgh like most castles has dungeons where prisoners were often tortured and
often perished. These dungeons are haunted by the ghosts of their victims;
coloured orbs are constantly photographed by visitors. One desperate prisoner hid
in a dung barrow, hoping to be carried out of the castle down the Royal Mile and
escape to freedom. The unfortunate man died when the barrow was emptied down
the rocky slopes of the castle, sending him to his death. Visitors say his ghost tries
to shove them from the battlements and is accompanied by a strong and unpleasant
smell of dung.
The Vaults beneath Edinburgh Castle

What makes the Edinburgh castle dungeons unique is that the presence of ghosts or
at least the presence of something has been scientifically proven. In 2001 Dr
Richard Wiseman ran a research project studying the reactions of people to various
parts of the dungeons and surrounding areas. These visitors who had no previous
knowledge of the castle felt something far more often in the areas with a reputation
for being haunted than anywhere else in the castle.

In the 16th century Janet Douglas, Lady of Glamis, was imprisoned in Edinburgh
Castle, accused of witchcraft and conspiracy to murder King James V. Evidence
was obtained against her by the torturing of her servants. She was burned at the
stake on July 17, 1537, and her young son Gillespie was brought out and forced to
watch from the battlements. Lady Janet's restless spirit is said to still haunt parts of
the castle. Hollow knocking sounds are sometimes heard at night these are
attributed to the workmen building the platform on which she was burned.