Dr. Frank Einstein (7 page)

 
    In the Inner Court Yard we came upon kiosk with documents inside a vacuum compartment. She then said to me: The first documentary attestation of Bran Castle is the letter written in thirteen seventy seven by the Hungarian Ludovic I D'Anjou, giving the inhabitants of Brasov some privileges. At the end of the fourteenth century, King Sigismund gave up the leadership of Bran Fortress in favor of Mircea cel Batran. The royal domain had been given to the Hungarian aristocracy, while the fortress passed under the rule of Mircea's faithful boyars. Few years later, the Hungarian king got back the fortress. Bran Fortress was subordinated to the authority of Szeklers Committee. The Fortress had an essential role in protecting the Hungarian king from the Ottomans and Tartars' invasion, coming from Wallachia through Rucar Pass. That's the reason why the inhabitants of Brasov built the Castle on their own work and expenses. Iancu de Hunedoara fortified Transylvania's borders and also the towers of the Bran Castle. He made sure the rights of the peasants were respected by the boyars who ruled the fortress. However, there were frequent fights between merchants and boyars. In fourteen ninety eight the fortress passed under the merchant's possession and it was used mainly for treading. You should also know that it was a time when in charge of the leadership was a judge called "Judele Brasovului". Responsible for the defense of the castle was the permanent garrison: two guard and ten to twenty archers and ballisters.”

   
When we through grounds she told me. “The boyars had the right to collect fees from visitors and peasants. The fortress had an extra income from: selling cheese, milk and muttons and from manufacturing wood. The peasants fought against the aristocracy for several times. In fifteen fourteen they refused to take action against Gheorghe Doja. In the eighteenth century the fortress was the house of the Austrians frontier guards. In eighteen thirty six Bran became the official border and the defense role of the fortress was no longer a priority. In nineteen twenty, the Brasov Town council donated Bran Castle to Queen Maria of Great Romania, who lived there with the royal family till nineteen forty seven. Since nineteen forty seven the Castle is opened as a museum. The building of Bran Castle started somewhere around the year thirteen seventy eight. The constructors somehow succeeded in combining wood with the rock brought from Magura Branului. The castle had a protective and commercial purpose. It had two rows of walls closing the passing towards South. They were made in stone and brick. Only few traces of the initial defense position still exist.”

          
She showed me them.   Then we went to another ruin. Here she said this “The undersized building of the ancient Post Office had a pit with six to eight rooms and a cellar also used as prison. It hasn't been preserved. At that time the fortress comprised the exterior wall, the donjon, the round tower “she pointed and pointed, “and the gate's tower. The wall was built in stone blocks and bricks and had rectangular fire holes as had all Transylvanian fortresses. The donjon was located on the North side and comprised four floors and only two chambers. On the top there was an observation point. Since fifteen ninety three the round tower has a circular section. At its pit the ancient inhabitants used to deposit the gun powder. The first and the second floor comprised few chambers. Initially the gate's tower was round, but it was rebuilt in sixteen twenty five in rectangular shape. The ancient gate was blocked with beams. The only way of reaching this entrance was by climbing up a ladder. Inside the courtyard you can still see the initial well (fifty seven meters high).We headed back inside and visit the Fountain.  We went upstairs to the first floor.  We walked through the Hall. She showed Queen Maria’s bedroom, Passing Room, Gothic Room – Yellow Saloon, Large Saloon, and Secret Stairs.  Up to the second Floor she led through one more Passing Room, The Biedermeier Saloon King Ferdinand's Bedroom, Dining Room Hall of Costumes another Passing room, Interior Corridor Green Bedroom and Projection Hall.

          “Let go to the third Floor.” She said and I followed her.  She guided me through Queen Maria's Music saloon and library, Waiting Room for the Music Saloon and Loggia.  Finally up in the fourth Floor for the Prince Nicholas's bedroom. It gave Access to the East Tower Main Staircase and Bran Castle's Terrace. On the terrace she told me, “While centuries passed by changes have been made to the castle. In the sixteenth century the wax-paper from the windows was replaced with glass and the shingle from the roof with tile. Many of the changes and reparations have been made by the prince Gabriel Bethel. He added another rectangular tower, a square tower with two floors and the actual gate. The old observatory tower, dated sixteen twenty two, shows the Romanian architectural style. At that time the villagers’ houses were located on the North side of the castle. On the first floor there was a vestibule, a big dining room, a kitchen and under the stairs a small room where they kept the gun powder. The second level comprised also a vestibule, a small chamber with a door towards the new tower, a room with short beams, a small room and a corridor made in wood (the exit towards the courtyard).During nineteen twenty and - nineteen thirty other changes have been made. The fire holes turned into windows, the well into the elevator's room and the stoves into fireplaces. There have been added towers to the stairs and it was built in wood the fourth floor. Many legends are connected with Bran Castle. It is said the castle belonged to Count Dracula (Vlad Tapes), but nobody has any proof. Vlad Tepee lived only for a short time in the castle and only as a guest. What is really true is that Bran Castle conjures up the perfect Gothic fairy-tale image of a Transylvanian castle and as a result draws crowds of tourists from far and wide. In eighteen ninety seven Bram Stoker wrote a terrifying story about Count Dracula. A century after, there are still people who believe in it. Even researchers are trying to find out the truth about Dracula. All are trying to clear the mystery: was there or wasn't there a vampire in Transylvania? How many of these fabulous stories are legends and how many say the truth? Here is the legend about Dracula. Stoker's story is based on the life of Vlad Tepes/Vlad the Impaler who lived from (fourteen thirty one –fourteen seventy six), a ruler revered by Romanians for standing up to the Ottoman Empire. Known as one of the most dreadful enemies of the Turks, Vlad started organizing the state and enforcing the law by applying death penalty and impaling all those he considered enemies: robbers, cunning priests, treacherous noblemen, beggars, usurper Saxons. In fact he fought against everybody who tried to replace him either by his step brother Vlad the Monk or by his cousin Dan the Young. The historians nicknamed him Vlad Tepes while people say he was Count Dracula because he used to sign with his father's name, Dracul "The Devil". Dracula is derived from the Romanian word for devil or dragon. This word alone carries with it magic and mystery.   His castle is supposed to be Bran's Castle since its narrow corridors constitute a mysterious labyrinth of ghostly nooks and secret chambers easy to hide a "vampire". 

         We went through those chambers.  One chamber had a closed coffin .The Dracula's Castle was built on the edge of the Bran Pass and nowadays lures guests worldwide who wish to partake in the legend of the Count Dracula. VLAD TEPES/The Impaler (DRACULA) Prince of Wallachia who  lived from (fourteen forty eight, or fourteen fifty six to fourteen sixties two ,fourteen seventy  six) Son of Vlad Dracul (Knight of the Order of the Dragon- since his nickname Dracul, meaning 'dragon', 'devil' in Romanian-in fourteen thirty one ) and Grandson of Mircea the Great, King of Wallahia who lived from (thirteen eighty six-fourteen eighteen)The reason Romanians think  Vlad Tepes  is good is because he introduced a very strict order in Wallachia, strengthened the army, helped the trade with the neighboring countries and was merciless towards those who went against him. He adopted a totalitarian leadership and fought against The Ottoman Empire scoring many victories. Bran Castle we say inRomanian: Castelul Bran; the German say Törzburg; the Hungarian: Törcsvár), situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Roimania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia, on DN seventy three. I said to her. “I know that I just took that get here.”   She giggled; embarrassed she got so caught in the  spiel 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 marketed as 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 the third, 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, two thousand and thirty three meter high, located in the Transylvanian Kelemen Alps near the former border with Moldavia. In the year of twelve twelve, 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 the year of twelve forty two it was destroyed by the Mongols. As I said beforeThe first documented mentioning of Bran Castle is the act issued by Louis I of Hungary on November nineteen, thirteen seventy seven, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (Braşov) the privilege to build the stone citadel on their own expense and labor force; the settlement of Bran began to develop nearby.   Remember that document over there?”

     
    “Yes, I do.”  I acknowledged her.  

     
   “Anyway.” She carried with it, “In fourteen thirty eight to fourteen forty two, 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 Tepes (Vlad the Impaler) from fourteen forty eight to fourteen seventy six does not seem to have had a significant role in the history of the fortress, “she whispered, ‘communist bugs.  Her voice loudened, “although he passed several times through the Bran Gorge. Bran Castle belonged to the Magyar Kings but due to King Vladislas the second’s failure to repay loans, the city of Brasov gained possession of the fortress in fifteen thirty three. Bran played a militarily strategic role up to the mid- eighteen the century. In nineteen twenty, 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 and was later seized by the communist regime with the expulsion of the royal family in nineteen forty eight.

        After visiting the Castle of Vladimir the Impalar, either she or I asked the other to dinner.  So we dined that night.  We dine as tr
oubadours serenaded us.   The performers danced just like Russians.  She gazed at me across the table cloth draped table.   It would have been disconcerting if she so pretty.  We ate a five course dinner. She wanted to know everything about me.  She interrogated me.  She grilled me. Again I did not mind this because of her beauty.  Unfortunately I got so caught up in her questioning I forgot to ask about her life.  For an entrée we shared a Chateaubriand and a plate of sărmăluţe cu mămăligă, a popular Romanian dish of stuffed cabbage rolls (sarmale), accompanied by sauerkraut and mămăligă. They garnished with sour cream, not lemon and olive. For desert we had Amandine, Romanian chocolate sponge cake.

   
    As I took to her home that night the sky had clear up and flowed with the moon beam.  She took my hand. I looked at her.  She seemed very pale all a sudden.  I attributed it to the Moonlight.

    
    “It's not too late.  So my parents won't be mad.” She said at her door.   “Thank you Frank.  I'd like to see you again.  I suppose you'll be travelling on soon so you can see me tomorrow if you like?

    
    “I'd like that very much.” I replied to her.

    
    “Please come here at eight. OK?”

    
    “Sure.  Yes.”

    
     “Ok, Good night.”

    
     “Good night.”

                                                Chapter Fourteen

    It was the days before cell phones and the internet.  Being still communist it was almost impossible to get a landline in Romania. Nadia had no phone.  I was an hour and half early for our date. I still wandered over there towards her house because I was bored.

     There was a burst of energy out of the corner of my eye.  Curiosity overwhelmed me.  So I followed it.   I approached a body slumped
over making sucking noises.  I realized someone was slumped over a cow lying in the pasture.  The figure looked up and behind.  The sight paralyzed me.   It was Nadia.  Her eyes a glow; her fangs were unmistakable.  She left in a flash.