Did you ever want to live in a castle? Did you ever want to live in a castle with an evil reputation? Well there is one on the market available to anyone with 80 million dollars. The castle in Bran Castle in Romania and it is the castle that Bram Stoker set his Gothic novel "Dracula" in. In reality it is just a plan old Romanian Castle set in the hills or Transylvania owned by an Archduke.
It was built in 1377 on the top of Mount Izvorul Calimanului in what is now Romania. It was once the favorite castle of Queen Marie of Romania and was used as a hospital during World War II.
When the communists took over the family who stilled owned it was turned out. Once the communists were out of power the was a small legal struggle over the retrocession of the property but in the end it was decided that it belonged to Archduke Dominic. Archduke Dominic has been running it as a museum displaying old family furniture. He now wants to sell the place. He would like to sell it to some one who is into the history of the castle and wants to keep it intact.
So if you love castles and have the dough give the Archduke a call.
In the Belgian countryside not far from the Verdun there is a fairy tale castle nestled in a green valley called Chateau Miranda or Chateau de Noisy (Noisy Castle). The castle which looks like something from a Brothers Grimm story but it is abandoned! Yes it is empty and slowly rotting away.
Chateau Miranda was built by Liedekerke-Beaufort family in 1866 after they had fled their previous castle during the French Revolution. Designed by English architect Edward Milner in the Gothic style popular in the 19th century the Chateau Miranda is a rambling building with a huge clock tower that tops off at 183 feet tall. Built has a summer home and occupied by the family until World War II when it was occupied by the Nazis. After the war the chateau was taken over by the National Railway Company of Belgium as a home for children until 1980. Now abandoned and fallen into disrepair the castle sits empty and beckoning adventurous tourists. The city of Celles has offered to take over the property but the family who still owns the Chateau has refused. There is no reason given by the family for retaining the decomposing castle which is located near their current castle.
What could be better than traipsing through a rotting eerie castle? There is rumour that the clock in the clock tower still works. Want to go to Belgium anyone?
