Vlad Tepes not associated with Bran Castle

[webmaster]

On innumerous occasions I have been told that Vlad never lived in Castle Bran.

To those of you that have no clue, here is what I have to say:

The reason I am associating Bran Castle with Vlad is a logical one: It is hard to conceive that during all his incursions into Brasov, trying to chase away or kill his enemies he never used Bran Castle as headquarters. First of all, his incursions were (they had to be) very secretive. That could explain why there were/are no records attesting his presence in the Castle.
There are 2(two) ways into Transylvania, as you might know: Via Bran Castle and via Olt Valley. Now, going up Olt River Valley may have been nice and cozy. However, that would have put him in the heart of Sibiu, quite a distance from Brasov, where his business (tracking down and impaling his enemies on the Timpa Hill) was. A more logical approach would have been in the middle of the night, via Bran Pass..

He would have come down on the City of Brasov like a thunder..catching them all by surprise.

Any comments anyone ??

[webmaster]

http://draculascastle.com/html/castlemap.html
The above shows the geography and distance of Bran VS. Brasov

http://go.hrw.com/atlas/norm_htm/romania.htm
The above link shows geography and distance of Sibiu VS. Brasov

Notice the distance.

Go figure.

[RealVlad]

He did hang out at Bran castle.

[Mina]

Isn't it impossible for him not to have stayed at Bran? I think I remember reading something Trow wrote about him staying there. By and large Vlad was an intelligent and practical guy, I don't think staying at Bran could have ( or would have) been avoided.

[mareid34]

I've heard that he has been at Bran Castle but then I also heard that he has resided at Peonari Castle. Is the Peonari Castle the same castle that they speak of in his life stories and such. I've also heard the people have been up at the Peonari Castle and have experience weird things while they were there.

Any opinions on this one? Sorry, I just joined so maybe this has already been discussed.

[Mina]

That's prettym uch what I've heard. I haven't heard about any weird experiences.. but I'm traveling over there in December, so I can always hope! On that note.. if anyone has been over there and has any adivce or suggestions about traveling in the area, it would be greatly appreciated!

[mareid34]

Lucky. One day I will be able to go. On the documentary done by Radu Florescu, which is supposed to be a direct descendent of the Florescu's back in Vlad's time, has reported people being up at the castle and seeing odd lights in the woods below and strange mists. People have also reported feeling a presence at the caltle as well. Take some good pictures, I would love to see them.

Have fun for me.

Michelle