"Dracula" castle is "For Sale"

BUCHAREST, Romania — The family that owns a Transylvanian castle famous for its connections to the 15th-century medieval ruler who inspired "Dracula" said yesterday it wants to sell the fortress to local authorities for $78 million. The local council said it was interested in buying Bran Castle, perched high on a rock and surrounded by snowcapped mountains in southern Transylvania.

Dominic Habsburg, the castle's owner and an architect in North Salem, N.Y., insisted his family had honorable intentions for wanting to sell the castle. "We are trying to find the best way to preserve the castle in the interest of the family and the people of Bran," Habsburg said in a statement made available exclusively to The Associated Press.