Some day trips offer a heady mix of attractions. On this privately guided tour starting in Brasov, you'll visit a couple of man-made ones, one immediately impressive, the other one simple, based on old traditions, yet still amazing. Then, just to shake it up a little, you are going to discover a cave monastery, thought to be 7,000 years old with features carved into its walls some of which are shrouded in mystery to this day. Your driver-guide will stop first at an old water mill, just outside the village of Ohaba. It was originally built in 1873 with mill stones that, allegedly, came from Lyon in France and is still working at full power today. An older gentleman from the village manages today's operation and owns what is, undoubtedly, a serious ethnographic treasure. While a few small changes were made to the mill over time, it still features a large wheel that is driven by the river passing by the mill's yard, and villagers still come here every day to grind grain. Just observing the process, an authentic rural Transylvanian experience, is incredibly interesting.
Just a few minutes down the road, you'll discover a place that is wrapped in mystery. It's a cave complex on the outskirts of the village of Sinca Veche, variously called 'The Monastery', Temple of Destiny' or 'Temple of Fate'. The site is thought to be 7,000 years old and the origin of the original builders is unknown. The complex comprises of nine different rooms, two of which appear to represent separate chapels. A series of low windows and chimney-shaped skylights allow light to enter the cave adding to the overall mystique of the place. Based on an unusual melange of religious symbols carved on different temple walls, suggests that it must have been home to different religious tenants. You'll discover, for example, a Star of David and something that looks like a Chinese yin-yang symbol that could, however, also depict two fish. Another curious factor is the absence of Christian crosses although orthodox monks are rumored to have been hiding here from Habsburg Empress Maria Teresa, who was trying to convert the Orthodox Church to Catholicism. According to another legend, once you go underground you no longer feel any fatigue and, in fact, feel incredibly energized. This is certainly an encouraging benefit while you are on this exciting tour of discovery.
After coming back up from the cave complex, potentially very refreshed, you are 30 minutes away from the last stop on today's trip, the Fagaras Fortress. It is one of Transylvania's most impressive fortifications and still very much intact. The current stone citadel was built in 1310 after the Tartars burned down the original wooden structure and constant improvements and enlargements were made throughout the turbulent times of various rulers. For the longest time its primary function was as a noble residence for the princes and their families and in the 17th century, Prince Gabriel Bethlen brought in Italian architects and glassmakers to add some grace to the pragmatic structure. Unfortunately, little remains of the interior's luxurious, original decor. During the 18th century, the castle was transformed into a military garrison and there was no longer any requirement for opulent interiors, which accounts for these dramatic changes. In 1948 the communists took over, taking it down another notch by turning it into a political prison. What used to be a rich and beautifully decorated place, is now a museum but, thankfully, displaying an amazing array of medieval weapons, traditional folk crafts and a stunning collection of icons painted on glass.
Following a tour around the castle, your driver-guide takes you back to your hotel in Brasov.
The atmosphere on this privately guided program will be further enhanced by the castle's 'nightshift', dressed in capes and holding aloft lanterns as they lead you up spiral staircases and along narrow corridors to ensure that you are fully immersed in a medieval experience. This is a great 'behind-the-scenes' tour of the castle.
Importantly, though, you should imagine the evening as if you are temporarily on a movie set, playing out scenes for a Count Dracula story. The reason for this is simple: Bran Castle, despite its suggestive looks, is not Dracula's Castle. Although many a myth connect the real Vlad Dracula, more widely known as Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler with Bran, virtually all historians agree that he never set foot in the place. Knowledge of this should, of course, not deter you from enjoying a potentially spooky, vampiric evening.
History buffs might be interested to know that the partially ruined castle was offered as a gift to Romania's Queen Maria who restored and modernized the old fortress, transforming it into one of her favorite royal residences. After her death in 1938, the castle was inherited by her favorite daughter, Princess Ileana. She lived here with her family until the end of 1947 when the communists forced her to leave the country. Fast-tracking to 2009, possession of the castle was given to its legal heir, Archduke Dominic von Habsburg, who opened the refurbished castle to the public as the first private museum of the country.
