With its gray stone and red turrets, Bran Castle rises from the craggy rock face, an image that has evoked spine-tingling shivers for centuries. The Bucegi and Piatra Craiului mountains tower in the distance, creating a sense of menace that has haunted this medieval fortress for centuries. Built to defend important trade routes through the mountain pass, the castle has a rich history and was completed in the 14th Century under the aegis of King Louis the Great – Louis I of Anjou. The castle's most famous association was with Vlad Tepes or Vlad the Impaler, commonly mistaken as Bram Stoker's Count Dracula. It's believed that Stoker was inspired by photos and descriptions of Transylvania, and drew inspiration for his infamous castle and character from books he read about the country. However, the strong imagery still lingers, and Bran Castle is often referred to as Dracula's Castle to this day.