On the Footsteps of Dracula

The legend of Dracula is still a mystery. However, one thing is sure: its genesis comes from the medieval emperor Vlad Tepes (the Impaler). Barbu Cioculescu even argues in his translation of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" that "Dracula is a vampire, a ghost; however, it is not an ordinary one, but the ghost of a legendary hero...Vlad Tepes."

Some make a confusion between Vlad Dracula Tepes (the Impaler) and his father, Vlad Dracul. It is Vlad's father who received the Order of the Dragon (Dracul or Dragon in the Romanian language), but it is Vlad who made this name famous. Some consider Vlad to be a hero, who fought for the independence of his country, for christianity, for the weak and the poor. Other see Vlad as a sick man, who killed for his sadic joy (historian C.C. Giurescu). Slavic literature mention that "high nobleman, priest, monk, ordinary man, or even very rich man, could not buy his ransom for death." 

Victor Hugo in his "Legende de Siecles," tells the way Vlad Tepes waited for the Ottoman army who wanted to conquer Wallachia. On their way to Targoviste, the janiceries were horrified by the landscape: burned houses, burned fields and poisoned waters. Everything culminated with the site near the Palace: an immense forest of impaled bodies. Terrified by horror and by the smell of the 20,000 impaled ottomans, the army retreated.

Vlad was born in Sighisoara Citadel in 1431, in Transylvania. He ruled Wallachia from his Royal Court in Targoviste and became famous for his cruel punishments: impaling, slavery, ear/nose/tongue cutting, nailing, and boiling. He was assassinated in 1476 and his head was taken to the Sultan, in Istanbul. His body is presumably buried at Snagov Monastery, in Wallachia.

Our virtual tour contains five video clips, one from every place that is connected to Vlad's life. They have basic editing and the sound is live, so that you witness a real experience. We highly advise you to watch the clips full screen, by clicking the TV-like button in the small video clip screen.

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