Dracula's Castle Returned to Owner

by Nicole Weston (RSS feed)
May 25th 2006 at 9:04AM

One of Romania's most popular tourist attractions, Dracula Castle, is being returned to its rightful owner, Dominic van Hapsburg, a New York Architect and descendant of the Hapsburg family line. The castle is actually named Bran Castle, and was never owned by Vlad the Impaler, though the prince who inspired the story of Dracula is though to have stayed there. The castle's remote, cliff-top location and striking Gothic architecture have made it a fixture of Dracula movies. The property is being returned under new legislation that reverses the seizures made by the former communist regime. The castle was originally taken in 1948 and was left to fall into disrepair until a restoration began in the 1980s. Part of the agreement for handing over the castle is that the new owner will not make any changes to it for at least three years. The hand-over ceremony will take place on Friday. The castle is worth approximately $25 million.