For sale: Medieval castle with storied past on 22 acres, perched on a cliff in mountainous Transylvania, central Romania. Looking for buyer who will respect the property's history. Asking price unknown. Bran Castle is a top tourist attraction because of its ties to Prince Vlad the Impaler, the warlord whose cruelty inspired Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, "Dracula."
Visitors view the courtyard of the Bran Castle, also known as Dracula's Castle, near Bucharest on May 26, 2006. The New York heir of Romania's former royal family has put the castle up for sale. While no selling price was announced, Dominic von Habsburg will only sell it to a buyer "who will treat the property and its history with appropriate respect." Its s predicted that the property could sell for $135 million.
Bran Castle was built in the 14th century to serve as a fortress to protect against the invading Ottoman Turks. The royal family moved into the castle in the 1920s, living there until the communist regime confiscated it from Princess Ileana in 1948. After being restored in the late 1980s and following the end of communist rule in Romania, it gained popularity with tourists, attracting 450,000 people annually.
Dominic von Habsburg, center, and family members pose in the courtyard of the Bran Castle May 26, 2006. The castle, which was conficated from Princess Ileana in 1948, was returned to her son, Habsburg. The architect from North Salem, N.Y. had pledged to keep it open as a museum until 2009 and offered to sell the castle last year to local authorities for $80 million, but the offer was rejected.
Dominic von Habsburg, center right, a New York architect, climbs the hill to Bran Castle on May 26, 2006. The castle, which was seized by the communist government in 1948, was returned to Habsburg, a descendant of the Habsburg dynasty that ruled Romania for a period starting in the late 17th century and lasting more than 60 years.