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A legend for sale? 13/04/2007 The Romanian government, the county of Brasov and the descendants of the royal Habsburgs have been arguing over the future of "Dracula's Castle". In terms of tourism revenue and the local economy, the stakes are high. By Paul Ciocoiu for Southeast European Times in Bucharest - 13/04/07 Last year, the Romanian state agreed to return one of the country's hottest tourist properties, Bran Castle, to the heirs of Queen Marie. As part of the deal, the site popularly known as "Dracula's Castle" was to remain a state-run museum for three years. The new owners, Dominic von Habsburg and his two sisters, were free to make the drafty, 14th century fortress their home - or sell it. They have decided on the latter. The county of Brasov, intent on protecting one of its main sources of tourism revenue, says it is ready to take out a loan in order to buy the property. But the Romanian government disputes the plan, arguing that the state has first dibs. It also insists the price set by von Hapsburg - almost 60m euros -- is outrageously high. In the view of Maxim (http://zi-de-zi.blogspot.com/), a Romanian blogger specializing in business ethics, the whole process has been haphazard and non-transparent. "The fate of Bran Castle should be settled by law as it is a national patrimony building," he writes. "The owner has to take care of the castle and maintain it according to certain standards, otherwise it can be confiscated. And if the Romanian state (which has the right of pre-emption) wants to buy it back and pay 60m euros, it has to show us a realistic business plan. But we haven't seen anything like that so far!" It's too bad the Romanian state wasn't able to hang on to the property to begin with, comments Nemesis. "Bran Castle is one of the main tourist attractions of the country and the 'engine' of the agro-tourism development of the region. What's going to happen after the three years? It will be closed and the tens hostels and hotels in the region will go bankrupt." "I think the government should realize what the national priorities are. Bran Castle is clearly a landmark of Romania. It could have surely reached a more profitable deal," he adds. Another commenter, Supreme, thinks the castle could be part of an overall marketing strategy for promoting Romania. "A German friend of mine told me that the best branding strategy for Romania is the so-called 3D: Dracula, Danube and [car manufacturer] Dacia," he writes. "Dracula is a myth which has caught deep roots in the West and the Bran Castle is a prime destination for a myriad of foreigners. So why not cleverly take advantage of it? And the Danube delta, unique in Europe - there's another ace in the sleeve that is just not being capitalized upon. What a shame". By contrast, Draculaddicted urges Romanians to be more flexible in their thinking. "Dracula is a legend, a myth, a story that goes on forever. It doesn't only reside in a castle," he suggests. "The respective building is just a wheel in a whole mechanism created around this character. We should know -- in case Bran doesn't return to the Romanian state -- how to transfer the center of gravity of the legend to someplace else, maybe Sighisoara, Sibiu, anywhere." "It is true that this castle, once it is the property of someone else, will be a huge loss for the Romanian tourism, but it doesn't all stop here. The legend goes on!" he concludes. (C) SETimes ---------------------------- Vali "Noble blood is an accident of fortune; noble actions are the chief mark of greatness." (Carlo Goldoni) "When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace." (Jimi Hendrix)
