2956 ROMANIA (Braşov) - Bran

Bran (Törzburg in German) is a commune composed of five villages (Bran, Poarta, Predeluţ, Şimon and Sohodol), located between Bucegi and Piatra Craiului mountains, in Rucăr-Bran Pass. The medieval Bran Castle, which was once besieged by Vlad the Impaler, is a popular tourist destination, partly because it resembles the home of Dracula in Bram Stoker's famous novel.The legends mention an old man named Bran, master over these lands, who bequeathed them to his 14 sons. In this way were founded the 14 villages which make up the Bran area, grouped today in three communes: Bran, Moeciu and Fundata.

In the early 13th century, the Teutonic Order built a wooden fort. After the fort's destruction in 1242 by Mongols, King Sigismund of Hungary ordered the construction of a stone castle in 1377, while the settlement of Bran began to develop nearby. Positioned high atop a steep cliff, the castle guarded a strategic trade route between Transylvania and Wallachia. After the Kingdom of Hungary was defeated by the Ottoman Empire, Bran became part of the Principality of Transylvania during the 16th century, and eventually passed to the Habsburg Monarchy The commune became part of the Austrian Empire in 1804 and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1866. It was added to the Kingdom of Romania following WWI.

About the stamps

The stamps are part of the series Bats, designed by Radu Oltean and issued on August 15, 2006:
• Greater Mouse-Eared Bat / Myotis myotis (0.30 RON) - It's on the postcard 2956
• Lesser Horseshoe Bat / Rhinolophus hipposideros (0.50 RON)
• Brown Long-Eared Bat / Plecotus auritus (1.00 RON) - It's on the postcard 2956
• Scrub Bat / Pipistrellus pipistrellus (1.20 RON)
• Greater Crepuscular Bat / Nyctalus lasiopterus (1.60 RON)
• Snub Bat / Barbastella barbastellus (2.20 RON)

This is my contribution for Sunday Stamps II, hosted by the blog See it on a Postcard. The theme of this week is Eastern Hemisphere.

References
Bran, Braşov - Wikipedia

Sender: Dănuţ Ivănescu
Sent from Moieciu de Jos (Braşov / Romania), on 06.02.2017
Design: George Popa