Dracula - Beyond the legend

 

Ever since Bram Stoker wrote his famous horror novel “Dracula” in 1897 Transylvania has been associated with vampires and darkness.

 

What is the truth behind Dracula?

 

Who was the cruel Vlad the Impaler, who is thought to be the inspiration behind the blood-thirsty count?

 

History is full of enigmas. Vampires are believed to hang around crossroads on St. George's Day, April 23, and the eve of St.Andrew, November 29. 

 

Some say that Transylvania sits on one of Earth's strongest magnetic fields and its

people have extra-sensory perception. 

But tales of the supernatural had been circulating in Romanian folklore for centuries

when Irish writer Bram Stoker picked up the thread and spun it into a golden tale of

ghoulishness that has never been out of print since its first publication in 1897.

To research his immortal tale, Stoker immersed himself in the history, lore and legends

of Transylvania, which he called a “whirlpool for the imagination.”

 

Count Dracula, a fictional character in the Dracula novel, was inspired by one of the

best-known figures of Romanian history, Vlad Dracula, nicknamed Vlad Tepes (Vlad the

Impaler), who was the ruler of Walachia at various times from 1456-1462. 

Where the name Vlad Dracula came from? Well, Vlad Tepes adopted the method of

impaling criminals and enemies and raising them aloft in the town square forall to see.

Almost any crime, from lying and stealing to killing, could be punished by impalement.

Being so confident in the effectiveness of his law, Dracula placed a golden cup on display

in the central square of Targoviste. The cup could be used by thirsty travelers, but had to

remain on the square.

According to the available historical sources, it was never stolen and remained entirely

unmolested throughout Vlad's reign. Crime and corruption ceased; commerce and

culture thrived, and many Romanians to this day view Vlad Tepes as a hero for his fierce

insistence on honesty and order.

 

Although Bram Stocker never traveled to Romania, he crammed his book with

descriptions of many real locations that can still be visited in  present-day Romania.

Such a trip will unreveal at least part of the legend, following in the footsteps of the fictitious Count Dracula and the historical person Vlad the Impaler through Transylvania. You should visit Sighişoara, where Vlad the Impaler’s birth house stands beside a Saxon church, then Bran Castle (see picture below), supposed to be the model for Stoker’s Dracula castle, and Poenari, the “authentic” castle.

In the picturesque town of Braşov stood his headquarters and today you can still visit impressive churches. 

Just nearby Bucharest, at Snagov monastery,  according to legend, Vlad’s remains were buried.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                              Be ready for tracking “Dracula”. And do not forget the garlic :)