The Dracula Myth
Love it or loathe it, visit Romania and you can’t ignore the omnipresence of Dracula; from mugs and T-shirts all the way to bat- and blood-themed menus and cape-bedecked waiters. But what’s really chilling is that a blueprint for the pale, shape-shifting count we were all reared on in books and films actually existed – though not in a black cape and cloud of fog, but rather as a Wallachian warrior king with a predilection for extreme cruelty.
The Impaler
Fifteenth-century prince Vlad Ţepeş is often credited with being the inspiration for Dracula, the vampire-count originally featured in the classic Gothic horror story Dracula (1897). His princely father, Vlad II, was called Vlad Dracul. 'Dracula' actually means 'son of the house of Dracul', which itself translates as 'devil' or 'dragon'. Add to this diabolical moniker the fact that Vlad used to impale his victims – from which you get his surname: Ţepeş (Impaler) – and it's easy to see why Dracula’s creator, Irishman Bram Stoker, tapped into his bloodline. Even though Romanian shops are quick to bunch merchandise of the 19th-century vampire and 15th-century leader together, Vlad Ţepeş is still a much-respected figure in Romania today; a symbol of independence and resistance for his stand against the Ottoman Empire.
Legend has it that Ţepeş was born in 1431 opposite the clock tower in Sighişoara, and at the age of 17 he ascended to the throne of Wallachia. In 1459 his first act of murderous renown was against the Boyars (noblemen) of Târgovişte for the murder of his father and brother. The oldest Boyars were brutally impaled on spikes while the remainder were frogmarched 80km to Poienari where they were ordered to build an 850m-high fortress guarding the pass. You can still visit the ruins today.
The Vampire
Bram Stoker’s literary Dracula, by contrast, was a bloodsucking vampire – an undead corpse reliant on the blood of the living to sustain his own immortality. But who would have thought this oftentimes hyperbole-blown epistolary-style yarn about a lawyer visiting a megalomaniac aristocrat would almost single-handedly spawn a literary genre? Forget your Vampire Chronicles and Twilight series, because arguably neither would have been written without Dracula. And Victorian dramatics aside, this late-19th-century Gothic epic is a master-class in thriller writing, and so beautifully crafted in places it leaves an indelible impression on the reader’s mind; none more so than the eerie passages following young Jonathan Harker’s journey and imprisonment in Transylvania.
Countless films have loosely followed its storyline, and the novel has never been out of print.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DRACULA
For diehard Dracula fans, the good news is that the Transylvania chapters of the book are rooted in pure geographical fact, so you can actually see the places visited by its hero, Jonathan Harker. Despite visiting much of the world in his capacity as actor Henry Irving’s manager, Irish-born Bram Stoker never actually set foot in Eastern Europe. Instead, he relied on exhaustive research from afar. Follow this itinerary to squeeze as many drops from both legends.
To catch the trail of the real Dracula, head to the remote Poienari Citadel on the Transylvania–Wallachia border, where the Impaler’s wife committed suicide. Not far from Braşov – where he also had people impaled – is Bran Castle, where Ţepeş was allegedly briefly imprisoned. The pretty Saxon citadel of Sighişoara may look to be straight out of a fairy tale, but it’s also the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler. Visit the spooky Casa Vlad Dracul restaurant for lunch.
Next, follow Jonathan Harker's footsteps to northern Transylvania's Bistriţa – known in the book as Bistritz – the medieval town he visited on the eve of St George’s Day, when locals pleaded with him to turn back from his destination at Castle Dracula. From here it’s a short drive up the lonely, forested Tihuţa Pass (which in the book is described as the Borgo Pass). Perched on top of the pass, in exactly the spot Harker described the castle as being, is the Hotel Castel Dracula (
GOOGLE MAP
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%0266-264 020, 0266-264 010; www.hotelcasteldracula.ro; Piatra Fântânele; s/d/ste from 155/170/300 lei; 
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c). This hotel is loosely Gothic with blood-red carpets and stuffed animals in the reception (not forgetting its occasional heart-attack-inducing crypt). The real reason to come, however, is the view. The rest is up to your imagination.
Writer's Block
While he might have hit on the idea of writing a vampire story, initially Stoker couldn’t think of where to locate it. He was also lost for a name for his bloodthirsty nobleman. But then he found a book on Vlad Dracula in Whitby Library whilst on holiday and met a Hungarian who told him at length about Transylvania (meaning 'the land beyond the forests'), and suddenly his story slotted together. It was only then that Stoker immersed himself in the Reading Room at the British Museum Library, swotting up on everything from geography to Romanian folklore and the mythology of vampires.