Dracula's Castle



Dracula's Castle (ドラキュラ城), also known as Demon Castle (悪魔城) or Castlevania, is the lair of Dracula and symbol of his magic. It houses an army of his supernatural minions, and tends to collapse when Dracula is defeated. Yet, it is able to restore itself and reappears intact in later games, even the ones where Dracula has not yet revived himself.

The exact location of the castle is uncertain. It is most likely located in northeast Transylvania (going by Dracula) or northern Valachia (the location of Vlad III Drăculea's Cetatea Poenari). The appearance of the castle also varies; in artwork for Castlevania it appears to be on top of a mountain, while in Symphony of the Night it is located off the shore of a lake, and in Curse of Darkness it resides by the ocean. In Symphony of the Night, Maria Renard remarks the castle is different from how she remembers it (she had fought in it five years earlier in Rondo of Blood). Alucard, who had probably once lived there, notes the castle is "a creature of Chaos", hinting at the castle's origins and explaining it is constantly changing nature.

It is possible that the castle originally belonged to Walter Bernhard. His castle had the familiar strange keep structure present in Castlevania. If this were the case, the castle dates back to at least the 11th century. In 1094, the castle appeared more like a traditional medieval castle than the more elaborate Gothic architecture seen elsewhere. One factor against the theory of Walter's castle becoming Castlevania is that at the end of Lament of Innocence, Mathias Cronqvist (Dracula) leaves the castle in the form of a bat. It is not known where he went, or if he ever returned. The other factor in favor for Walter's castle being Castlevania (or just being an entirely different castle) is in Curse of Darkness, the abandoned castle is the place where only a Belmont's blood can gain access to the infinite corridor. Seeing as Leon Belmont was the first Belmont proclaimed in Walter's castle, the abandoned castle could be Walter's original castle. The Japanese manual for Castlevania: The Adventure outright states Dracula to have built the castle himself.

Following Dracula's defeat in 1999, the castle was sealed into an eclipse, and was visited by Soma Cruz in 2035. In 2036, Celia Fortner and her cult built a castle immensely similar to Dracula's to foster the growth of a new Dark Lord. As her plan ruins, the castle completely collapses.

Rooms and features
Castlevania's interior constantly shifts between games, below are a few of the rooms that have appeared.
 * Entrance
 * Great Stairway
 * Olrox's Quarters
 * Marble Corridor
 * Outer Wall
 * Clock Tower
 * Castle Keep

Recreation

 * Royal Chapel
 * Dance Hall
 * Art Tower
 * Long Library
 * Observation Tower
 * Colosseum

Research

 * Tower of Science
 * Alchemy Laboratory

Underground

 * Nest of Evil
 * Underground Waterway
 * Tunnel
 * Buried Chamber
 * Abandoned Pit to the Catacomb
 * Underground Labyrinth
 * Arms Depot
 * Catacombs

Other castles

 * Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow is set in a castle which serves as the base of operations of With Light, a sect commanded by Celia Fortner. This castle was destroyed after Menace is killed by Soma Cruz.
 * Castlevania: Lament of Innocence is set in a castle belonging to Walter Bernhard. Whether Dracula now owns this castle or if it is another castle altogether is unconfirmed.
 * Castlevania: Circle of the Moon is set in an Austrian castle owned by Camilla and used as the site for a resurrection ritual for Dracula.
 * Castlevania: Bloodlines features an English castle called The Castle Proserpina, which serves as the final level of the game, in which Elizabeth Bartley and later Dracula reside.
 * Castlevania: Curse of Darkness begins in an old Abandoned Castle resembling Dracula's Castle (specifically the one in the original Castlevania), in which Hector chases Isaac. Whether it is an old castle once used by Dracula or another entirely is debatable.
 * Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance features a false castle, spawned from Maxim by collecting Dracula's relics, which created a new soul inside of him and a castle with two layers, each one representing an individual half of Maxim - the good half represented by a more realistic and structurally complete castle, and the evil half represented by a decaying castle accompanied by a red sky. These were both evidenced to be portions of the actual castle, as merging them (in actuality the merging of Maxim's two personalities by eliminating the "good" one) would create the complete castle.
 * Castlevania: Harmony of Despair features several incarnations of the castle which have been manifested through the Grimoire.