The Teutonic Order began construction of a wooden fort known as
Dietrichstein in the early 13th
century. 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. In 1498,
Bran fell under the jurisdiction of Braşov.
After the Kingdom of Hungary was defeated by the Ottoman Empire, Bran became
part of the Principality of
