"Dracula's Castle" is for sale, but it comes with a catch: Dracula himself, or at least the historical basis for the character, never actually lived there.
Also, it needs some bathrooms.
“If someone comes in with a reasonable offer, we will look at who they are, what they are proposing, and will seriously entertain the idea," Mark Meyer told the Daily Telegraph. His firm, Herzfeld & Rubin, would handle any potential sale for Bran Castle, as the building's really known.
Its nickname comes from the fact that it closely matches the description of the castle in Bram Stoker's "Dracula." Stoker himself never visited, but is believed to have read about it and based the castle in his novel on what he read.
The character itself, or at least its name, is based loosely on Vlad Dracul, a.k.a. Vlad Tepes or "Vlad the Impaler." And while Vlad never lived at Bran either, documents suggest he was once captured and imprisoned inside for two months.
If you want to own the castle, it's going to take a bite out of your bank account. While Meyer isn't naming a price, the 57-room manor on 22 acres has been on the market several times in recent years, with investors at one point hoping to get $135 million.
On the other hand, the castle gets 560,000 paying tourists a year so buying it won't necessarily bleed you dry.
“At present, it makes a tidy profit," Meyer told the Telegraph. "But in the right hands it has the potential to generate far more revenue than we could ever imagine.”
Check out some photos of the castle below:
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Sighisoara
Vlad III was born in 1431 in Sighisoara, Transylvania to Vlad II Dracul. The younger Vlad would hold the title voivode (denoting him as military governor or prince) of the principality of Wallachia. Wallachia would later join with parts of Moldavia and Transylvania to form modern-day Romania. Vlad's home is pictured above. Photo: Aleksander Dragnes/Flickr
Vlad and his younger brother were sent to the court of Ottoman Sultan Murad II in 1442. The boys were being used as a way to cement the relationship between Murad II and Vlad II. After Vlad's death, likely in January 1477, his head was brought to Constantinople. (The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul aka Constantinople, pictured here, was built by Murad II's successor Mehmed II. Entrance is between $10 and $15, but the Harem is an extra $10.) Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Moldavia
Vlad II was killed in 1447 while Vlad III was still in Ottoman captivity. Vlad III returned home in 1448 to take the throne, but was ousted shortly thereafter. He fled to the region of Moldavia (north east of Wallachia) to the protection of his uncle. Vlad returned to his throne in 1456. Photo: ruizsanjuan/Flickr
Poenari Castle
Poenari is a cliff-top castle and fortress that Vlad refurbished and for a time called home. Photo: Coco_ro/Flickr
Poenari Castle
According to legend, Vlad's first wife killed herself by jumping from the castle's tower during an Ottoman siege around 1462. She is believed to have said she'd rather rot than be captured by the Turks. Poenari Castle is located two hours from Bucharest. Be prepared to climb 1,462 steps to access the castle ruins. Photo: Coco_ro/Flickr
Visegrad, Hungary
From about 1462 to 1474 Vlad was held captive in Hungary, spending many years in Visegrad. However, he also spent much time living in the house of his second wife, a cousin to the Hungarian king. From Hungary he announced his third reign in 1476, but was killed about two months later. Photo: David Spender/Flickr
Visegrad, Hungary
Visegrad is a 12 hour drive from Bucharest, or an hour from the Hungarian capital of Budapest. A train between Bucharest and Budapest can take between 12 and 17 hours with fares from $126 at press time. Photo: sander_123/Flickr
Hunyad Castle
Hunyad is said to have housed Vlad for part of his Hungarian captivity. The castle is located in Hunedoara, Romania, five hours from Bucharest. Photo: Nagy David/Flickr
Snagov Monastery
While Vlad's head went to Constantinople, his body might have been buried at Comana, a monastery he founded. Legend holds that he was buried at Snagov Monastery, but no tomb has been found. Tour companies like Delta Travel and Visit Transylvania Travel offer half-day excursions to the monastery on Lake Snagov. Photo: fusion-of-horizons/Flickr
Bran Castle
Bran Castle is known as Dracula's Castle, though Vlad is only thought to have spent but a brief time there. Bran Castle is about two and a half hours from Bucharest. Entrance is 20 Lei (about $6) for adults. Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Spooky Shadow
Michael Williams 1: Spooky Shadows from a tree in the main square in Sighisoara
pcleaver1: Bran Castle was commissioned by Draculas grandfather and it is unknown whether he actually spent any time here.According to our guide the English tourists looking for Dracula's original castle decreed that this was it.
Brann Castle
Upon entering the gates and walking up to the castle.
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