BRAN CASTLE - Restitution Challenged?
Fly-Over Photo

First built by Teutonic Knights in 1377 to protect Kronstadt (Brasov) from Ottoman attacks, it became a key guard post at the Carpathian Mountain pass for the Austro-Hungarian Empire's hold on Transylvania.

Gifted to Queen Marie of Romania by local citizens after Transylvania became a Romanian province in the early 1920s , she restored it into its present state. In 1950, after expropriation by the Communist government, the castle became a national monument to which was added a museum of restored village buildings.
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In May of 2006, the Castle was restituted to Archduke Dominic Habsburg, grandson of Queen Marie and son of Princess Ileana last owner of the Castle. Prior to this time it was managed by the Ministry of Culture as one of the most popular visitor sites in Romania both for Romanians and foreigners.

For Queen Marie's and other stories on the Castle
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Bran retrocession – illegal

LATEST NEWS ARTICLE Nine O'Clock- June 13, 2007
The Parliamentary Subcomission for Investigations decided that the document by which the Bran Castle was retroceded is considered to be null since the retrocession has not been made accordingly to the requests of the Law and the Constiturion. The Subcomission report will be forwarded to the Plenum of the Chamber of Deputies which is to give a verdict through a decision, so that the Parliament would have to inform the Government, the Highest Court of Cassation and the other institutions.
RESPONSE June 13. MediaFax.
Bran Castle Retrocession Legal
Romania’s culture minister Adrian Iorgulescu said the return of the country’s historical monument Bran Castle to its rightful owner was legal, adding that positions of members of the parliament committee investigating the retrocession are “political”. He also said it was not the ministry that returned the castle, but the castle’s manager, Narcis Dorin Ion.

NEWS ARTICLE Nine O'Clock- May 10, 2006
BUCHAREST – Minister of Culture Adrian Iorgulescu will sign with the lawful heir of the Bran Castle , Dominic von Habsburg, the decision to return the Bran Castle on May 26. Iorgulescu says that, according to an agreement forged by the parties, the Romanian State will continue to manage the Castle until 2009, with Dominic von Habsburg to appoint a representative in the Board of Directors.

As for what will happen after 2009, things are not yet clear, but Iorgulescu claims Dominic von Habsburg has no intention to change the Castle’s current destination. Dominic von Habsburg is the heir of Princess Ileana, aunt to former King of Romania Michael I and daughter of Queen Mary and King Ferdinand. He is an architect in New York and has never returned to Romania after his family was forced to leave the country in 1948.

“The owner expressed his intentions to keep the castle’s destination as a museum after 2009 as well. In this respect, as of 2009 Dominic von Habsburg will be bound to cover all management and maintenance expenses for Bran Castle, unless the owner negotiates a direct sale of Bran back to the Romanian State,” Iorgulescu explained. Bucharest authorities initially stated that after the three years the Romanian State may buy the castle back from Dominic von Habsburg for EUR 20 M. “But this was not a feasible project. Later the owner’s attorneys filed for restitution in kind. However, I would not rule out the scenario in which, if the owner is interested in a negotiation with the Romanian State, the respective minister of culture will negotiate the acquisition of the Bran castle against a specific amount. Anyway, in this case, under the law, the Romanian State will have pre-emptive rights for the purchase,” the Minister added.

Although the Romanian State is giving over ownership of the Bran Castle, the Ministry of Culture continues to invest in the estate. Minister Iorgulescu announced yesterday that ROL 17 bln was allotted for restoration works in the Bran Castle. “We want this museum to continue to be high-performing, as it is currently one of the most visited museums in Romania, and even a profitable one,” Adrian Iorgulescu pointed out.

NEWS ARTICLE - April 9, 2006
Bucharest Daily News

A descendant of princess Ileana (sister of Carol II), Dominic de Habsburg, said in an interview for the Financial Times that although there is no legal agreement yet, the Romanian government has said the restitution will be done this month. "For me this is moving and extremely important. I spent my childhood there and I have very good memories," he said. Bran Castle, which was first documented in 1377, is situated 30 kilometers from Brasov and is an important historical and tourist monument. In 1920, it was donated by Brasov County to Queen Marie of Romania, in recognition of her contribution to the unification of Romania in 1918. She left it as inheritance to Princess Ileana. During the communist regime, the castle was seized by the state.