Castle Keep

A Lot At Stake For Dracula Legislators

Legal experts in Bucharest, Romania, have begun debating whether the Transylvanian fortress commonly known as Dracula's Castle was legally returned to an heir of Romania's royal family and whether he is allowed to sell it. Bran Castle, which has been featured in many movies, was returned to Archduke Dominic Habsburg, the son of Princess Ileana, last year. The princess had been given the castle in exchange for good deeds done by the royal family, which ruled Romania from 1866 until the Communist era. The 14th century castle was confiscated by the Communists in 1948. Habsburg, 69, an architect from North Salem, N.Y., pledged to keep it open as a museum until 2009. He offered to sell it last year to local authorities for $80 million, but the offer was rejected because of the high price.

FOOTNOTE: I'm not going to stick my neck out.