If you read last season’s blog
posts or have been by the Key Room recently, you have probably seen the
addition of a replica key from one of Dracula’s castles. Although this key
joined our collection almost a year ago, we just received the key’s official
documentation from Bran Castle.
As mentioned in the letter itself and in a previous blog post (http://baldpatekeyroom.blogspot.com/2012/07/america-and-dracula.html
), Bran Castle was built in the 14th century
in Transylvania’s Carpathian Mountains. The picturesque fortress is located in
an area that was an economic crossroads and suffered many military invasions.
Vlad Tepes, also known as Vlad the Impaler or simply Dracula, is thought to
have resided here during his reign from 1456-1462. During this time he
instilled order throughout the country, though at high costs. His nickname “the
Impaler” derived from the way criminals, foreign enemies, and those who spoiled
his notion of a perfect society were punished: impalement. This is one way he
became connected to Bram Stoker’s fictional vampire (although, another “living
vampire” named Countess Elizabeth Bathory inspired Stoker’s count more than
Vlad Tepes did). Since then Bran Castle has been called Dracula’s Castle, even
though it was modernized and beautified by Queen Marie after World War I. In
1958 it solidified its place in history by becoming a museum that tourist still
frequent today.
From 1836 to 1920, the key whose
replica we received was used to unlock the main gates to Bran Castle. In 1937, though, during Queen Marie’s residence,
it opened a secret passageway from the inner courtyard to the Royal Park
outside, where the queen rode horses every morning. Today, the key rests in the
famous Key Room as part of The Baldpate’s key collection. Come by and decide
for yourself whether it looks like the key to Dracula’s Castle or Queen Marie’s
beautiful Bran Castle!
Caitlyn
Key Room Museum Curator
