Colorful castle, long history, fixer-upper, only $78 million!

"Blood stains have been removed." The Bran Castle in Romania, which had ties to "Vlad the Impaler," is up for sale. Vlad was part of the inspiration for Bram Stoker "Dracula" and the local council is looking into buying the castle to preserve it as a tourist site.

"After the restitution, concerns were raised that the family could sell the castle to a hotel chain and that the site could end up being the centerpiece of a Dracula theme park that would blight the surrounding, pristine countryside some 105 miles north of Bucharest." It's interesting to see the discussion on how much to pay for the castle. Keep in mind 400,000 people visit it each year (!).

Also check out the Bran Castle Museum site, with lots of interesting photos of the castle, architecture, and inhabitants over the years.