| Entry for July 05, 2007, 360 import, Draculars castle, | for loretta's contacts |
Heir puts 'Dracula's Castle' for sale 
Being
the avid Castle lover that I am I just could not resist this when I saw
it…… yep…. It’s for real… Dracula’s Castle is for sale!!!!!!!!! 
By ALEXANDRU ALEXE, Associated Press Writer Mon Jul 2,
BUCHAREST, Romania - A Habsburg heir is hoping someone will take a bite of his offer Monday to sell "Dracula's Castle" in Transylvania. 
The
medieval Bran Castle, perched on a cliff near Brasov in mountainous
central Romania, is a top tourist attraction because of its ties to
Prince Vlad the Impaler, the warlord whose cruelty inspired Bram
Stoker's 1897 novel, "Dracula." 
Legend
has it that the ruthless Vlad — who earned his nickname because of the
way he tortured his enemies — spent one night in the 1400s at the
castle. 
The
Habsburgs formally put the Bran Castle on the market Monday, a
U.S.-based investment company said. No selling price was announced. 
Bran Castle
was built in the 14th century to serve as a fortress to protect against
the invading Ottoman Turks. The royal family moved into the castle in
the 1920s, living there until the communist regime confiscated it from
Princess Ileana in 1948.
After
being restored in the late 1980s and following the end of communist
rule in Romania, it gained popularity as a tourist attraction known as
"Dracula's Castle." 
In
May 2006, the castle was returned to Princess Ileana's son, New York
architect Archduke Dominic Habsburg. He pledged to keep it open as a
museum until 2009.
Habsburg, 69, offered to sell the castle last year to local authorities for $80 million, but the offer was rejected.
On
Monday, he put the castle up for sale "to the right purchaser under the
right circumstances," said Michael Gardner, chief executive of Baytree
Capital, the company representing Habsburg. "The Habsburgs are not in
the business of managing a museum."
He
predicted the castle would sell for more than $135 million but added
that Habsburg will only sell it to a buyer "who will treat the property
and its history with appropriate respect."
Habsburg
said in a statement: "Aside from the castle's connection to one of the
most famous novels ever written, Bran Castle is steeped in critical
events of European history dating from the 14th century to the present."
According
to a contract signed when the castle was returned, the government pays
rent to Habsburg to run the castle as a museum for three years, charging
admission. After 2009, Habsburg will have full control of the castle,
Gardner said.
The government has priority as a buyer if it can match the best offer for the castle, he said.
Opposition
lawmakers have claimed the government's decision to return the castle
to Habsburg was illegal because of procedural errors.
In
recent years, the castle — complete with occasional glimpses of bats
flying around its ramparts at twilight — has attracted filmmakers
looking for a dramatic backdrop for films about Dracula and other horror
movies.
Some 450,000 people visit the castle every year, Gardner said.
Ok folks…………..who’s got a couple a quit they can lend me, I mean, this isn’t any old Castle…………..
This is Dracula’s Castle!!!!
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