Previously an unpretentious stronghold - like building, with  the typical structure of the 14th century architecture, Bran castle  incorporates - as one can see today - elements which highlight  the different functions it had throughout its six hundred years existence.  

Playing a definite military role within the fortification system, at the end of the 14th century the building contained, in its initial phase, only a trapezoidal precinct surrounded by a curtain wall and a  circular corner tower on the east side of the former one. The  tower was adapted for defense during a firing gun attack and for  the configuration of the access way toward and from Barsa County  as well. 

Strongholds and commercial roads in Romanian Countries, 16th - 18th century
Yet, on the north side there might have been a single  parapet erected upwards on a rock, and there were rooms on  the ground floor of the east side - later erected - which contained  within their structure elements of a guard road. These elements  as well as the framings (remnants of a foundation on the opposite rock) make us believe that there was a crenelated gallery (a  guard road) supported on the arcades which connected the  castle's east side with the rock which and it allowed watching  from a great distance.
The building plan is primarily determined by the configu ration of the rock on which the castle was erected. The typical  14th century architectural elements from the exterior and the  interior of the castle were probably due to the role played by the  stronghold, that of watching and defending the Bran pass against  the attacks that might have occurred, against the settlements  from Barsa County. Thus, all the defensive advantages, the land  offered, were used to provide necessary lodgings for the  garrison. Through an opening made in the south curtain wall,  they entered the castle using a draw ladder.  
River boulders and bricks were used for raising the stronghold (mainly due to their advantage on fighting conditions), materials processed according to the technology of the hydraulic concrete.

During the 15th century Bran's architectural structure suffered a series of interventions, mainly influenced by the military technique development: the east side tower was built (successive modifications occurred that led to the shape we have today); it also contains a part of the former gallery and the defense works system, erected on the opposite rock, way abandoned, the north side barbican being raised.
A new stage in the stronghold's architectural development was attested in documents at the beginning of the 17th century during Gabriel Bethlen's reign as it is rendered on an inscription engraved on the east front of the Gate Tower, dating 1622. By this time, the Gate Tower, square in shape, including the former entrance equipped with a draw ladder, was erected on the south side: the south curtain wall was doubled and thickened up to 3,5m thick; it was adapted to a firing gun attack: the keep overseeing the inner bailey was round and a Polish attic was attached to. A century later Bran Castle was subdued to a new renovation - as rendered on an inscription placed on the keep's front overseeing the inner bailey, dating 1723.

During the Romanian - Russian - Turkish war between 1877-1878, the Austrians took measures to reinforce the castle. Thus, the castle's roof was replaced with faggots (heaps of earth covered rods), "endowed with several openings for cannons and fire guns; earth works and keeps were also erected on the  mountain peaks, both on the left and the right side of the castle". Shortly after, the castle came to a progressing state of degradation. In 1883 the citadel of Brasov asked the Austrians to repair the castle on their account. Consequently, the Bran edifice was subdued to works of restoration to a great extent. Almost entirely rebuilt, to the keep was added ornamental crenels and arcades recreating the aspect of the castle from the 17 century, meaning that the roofs were renovated and the shingle covering was replaced by tiles.

Gunpowder Tower overviewing the Inner Bailey
Having been donated to Queen Maria of Romania on December 1st 1920, Bran stronghold acquired a residential function. Being restored according to the plans of the royal court's architect, Carel Liman the edifice lost the appearance of stronghold with military functions, thus, being turned into a castle whose function was primarily residential. A special emphasis way given to the embellishments both from the interior and the exterior side of the castle. Besides the Romantic style, co-existing with the Neo-classic in the 20th century in Romania, and the eclectic one, the elements added by Liman left a significant trace on the castle's architecture. An attic was added to the roof and the castle was endowed with a fourth floor serving as a dwelling for the queen's aide (de camp). The corridor on the cylindrical shaped tower, formerly used for defense, was closed and arranged as a flat for the Lady of Honour; the outbuildings next to the gate and the semicylindric little tower, overseeing the inner bailey, were built on the south side; Gothic frames, taken from the old houses in Brasov, flanked the front entrance doors. Over the ancient well's aperture, which supplied the castle with drinking water, a power lift was installed. It used to lead the water through a tunnel dug into the rock towards the park where the famous gardener Pamula planted bushes brought from Balcic, dahlias and roses being the queen's favorite flowers, as well as decorative elements of a great artistic refinement which were decorative elements of a great artistic refinement which were arranged according to Liman's projects.

Bran Castle has four towers: the cylindrical shaped tower, known as the Powder Tower, surrounded by a corridor equipped with shooting holes that was used for stocking powder; and the basement room belonged to the artillery man; the rectangular shaped barbican, equipped with six shooting holes rowed by twos, which has on its superior part the watch tower from where the guardians were watching the pass; the rectangular shaped east tower, equipped with two orifices, pierced floor (covered balconies named "machicolations" or "pechnazes"), through which the stronghold's garrison poured hot liquids (tar and hot water) on the besiegers; the gate tower connecting the defensive; system, square in shape, which is placed on the south side being supported by three counterforts. Here the curtain walls are massive and endowed with shooting holes, arranged on two levels, overseeing the road; from these holes the stronghold' , garrison would shoot over the enemies who would put pressure' on the mountain pass. The stronghold was defended on the' south side by a strong fortification, about 200m away (partially preserved even today), which controlled the commercial trade through Bran customs.

The roof along the defense corridor, the only accessible parts that might have been inflammable, were equipped with single slope leaning against the wall and overseeing the bailey, to avoid the arson of the stronghold by throwing incandescent materials.

The desk-like roofs were built with the slopes oriented towards the interior side, thus, they were placed in a dead angle as to the enemy and, at the same time, they allowed flushing the castle's drains to supply the cisterns in the bailey.

Gunpowder Tower
 

Barbicane

 
The drinking water supply for the castle's garrison was made by means of a well, dug at 57m deep in the rock, and placed under the inner bailey's defense corridor.

Each epoch in Bran castle's history and its architecture evolution as well bear the marks of the changes in style and the architect's taste. This is why the Renaissance and the Romantic elements from a later phase are blended with the former Gothic architectural and military ones. They co-existed even if they lost their functional role, as it happened with the crenels and the "pechnazes", remnants of a former military function. This way, the Gothic elements in Renaissance form we encounter on door frames composed of profiles in successive withdrawals, with frames decorated with wands and braced arched elements, plead for the hypothesis of the later Gothic combination with Renaissance infiltration.

The Polish attic, an architectural element from the Renaissance period used for decorating the keep's upper side, is made of two friezes of blind arcades ended with a band of upper crenels both supported by consoles and columns. .

The architect Liman, whose romantic vision prevailed in the central European architecture at the turning of the 20th century, wanted to restore the castle, stylistically modeled wherever necessary considering the necessity of adapting the indoors to the comfort claimed by the royal court - upon the previous stages where we can remark, in the inner bailey, a small loggia built next to the doorway frames, already mentioned, and made up the balconies linking the floors. Hunting elements encarved in wood belonged to the Bavarian Altdeutch style

The styles' succession can also be followed at the vault system: the original cross vault, on fan tracery which is preserved only in the chapel on the first floor of the east tower, then, prevalent, on the vaults which are steadily approaching the demicyllindric type with specific later Renaissance penetrations and the third vaulting system built from the wood ceiling with apparent beams, some of them being later painted.

Hidden Staircase
We can conclude that, although the assembly has an eclectic character through its imposing and picturesque silhouette, Bran Castle is a valuable artistic architectural realization.

 

 

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