Happy Halloween! Oct 31, 2025

Tonight, Halloween casts its spell—and only a few places on Earth carry a mystery quite like Bran Castle in Romania. The fortress was built in the 14th century and has withstood wars, monarchs, and shifting empires. But here, legends speak louder than history. Perched between the regions of Transylvania—renowned for its chilling tales—and Wallachia, once ruled by Vlad III Dracula, the castle evokes a haunting legacy. Vlad"s ruthless reputation inspired Bram Stoker"s 1897 Gothic novel "Dracula." Though the story is not set at Bran Castle, its looming form and persistent rumors of Vlad"s presence blur fact and legend, forever linking it to one of humanity"s most enduring tales.

© blue sky in my pocket/Getty Images

palette

Today in History

Oct 31, 2018Shhh, the movie is about to start
Oct 31, 2019Protect your neck
Oct 31, 2020Twas a night just like tonight
Oct 31, 2021Happy Halloween!
Oct 31, 2022Wychwood Forest, Oxfordshire, England
Oct 31, 2023Halloween
Oct 31, 2024Happy Halloween!

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Sep 17, 2019Constitution Day and Citizenship Day
Jul 18, 2020The moth wonderful time of the year
Jun 23, 2019Adorable activism
Mar 30, 2022Belted Galloway cows
Mar 1, 2020Casting a vote for women s history
Apr 5, 2022Goðafoss waterfall, Iceland
Aug 6, 2022San Francisco Bay salt flats
Apr 24, 2019Cool water in the Quinault
Feb 14, 2020Two rocks and a heart spot
Oct 5, 2020Hey, you two in the front!
Mar 30, 2025Sydney Harbour, New South Wales, Australia
Aug 12, 2019Don t forget—it’s World Elephant Day
Dec 20, 2023Val Gardena, South Tyrol, Dolomites, Italy
May 2, 2023Jöriseen lakes in the Silvretta Alps, Switzerland
Aug 7, 2022National Lighthouse Day
Mar 9, 2020This grizzly has Napping Day down
Feb 2, 2025Groundhog Day
Sep 15, 2019A light on National Hispanic Heritage Month
Jul 27, 2020A stunning sight in Mexico s wilderness
Nov 9, 2023Birch trees, Drammen, Norway
Oct 5, 2019A fair that s star-studded
Apr 24, 2025Spire Cove in Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward, Alaska
Dec 5, 2022Saint Nicholas Day in Verbier, Switzerland
Jun 19, 2025Happy Juneteenth!
Jan 5, 2025National Bird Day
Jun 8, 2020A day for the oceans
Jul 14, 2021A different view of sharks
Nov 17, 2024Red deer stag in Glen Affric, Scottish Highlands
Sep 19, 2020Arrr, it be Talk Like a Pirate Day
Apr 13, 2018Replica of a Viking home in Dublin National Botanic Gardens, Ireland