Dracula Castle Introduction
It was the writer and novelist Bram Stoker (pictured left) who in the 19th century really put Transylvania on the map when he made it the setting for his novel about Count Dracula - the world's most famous vampire!However, it wasn't until fairly recent times that people realised that Stoker had based his character of Count Dracula on a real historical figure who was renowned in his time probably more than anything else for his cruelty and sadistic nature although he was also a very wily and cunning warlord. His name was Prince Vlad Dracula and today he is remembered by the nickname: 'the impaler'.
Vlad Dracula (pictured right) is reputed to have performed such horrific acts as disembowelling his pregnant mistress as well as collecting the noses of 24,000 of his beaten enemies in order to send them to another foe! Even by the standards of his time, he was exceptionally cruel. It cannot however be denied that Vlad left a legacy of fortified palaces and castles which he inherited and greatly developed and which have survived through the centuries.
In spite of his many cruelties, in Romania Vlad Dracula is remembered today as a national hero.
Dracula's Early Life | Bran Castle & Tirgoviste
Castle Poenari | The Taking of Brasov | War With the Ottaman Turks
Vlad Dracula's Legacy