Originally known as Dietrichstein it was built as a fortress in 1212 by the knights of the teutonic order. Toward the end if the 13th century it was taken over by the Saxons to protect the city of Brasov, which was an important trade centre. It is well known for the alleged reports that Vlad the impaler lived there, but this as not been proven. The last people to own it were Princess Ileana of Romania; she had inherited from her mother Queen Marie. The Communist government of Romania seized the castle in 1948 and only erratically tended to it. It was restored in the 1980s and after the revolution in 1989 it became a tourist attraction. In 2006 the Romanian Government returned it to its rightful owner, the legal heir, who was the princesses’ son Dominic von Habsburg. It is known as Dracula’s castle even though the real Dracula castle lies in ruins by the Arges River.

Because of the links to Vlad the Impaler, Bran Castle is said to be a very haunted place because of how evil he was and the awful acts that he carried out towards other people.