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“I want to suck your blood!” — Count Dracula
Dracula is the imaginary Gothic-era vampire created by Bram Stoker in the late 19th-century novel of the same name. Although Count Dracula is fictional, many believe he was modeled after Vlad the Impaler, a real person who lived in Transylvania in the 15th century.
Vlad Dracula (his actual name) was a prince in Wallachia (which later became part of what is now Romania). He spent much of his life battling the Turks and became known for his brutal tactics, including impaling defeated enemies on posts outside his castle walls.
His original castle now lies in ruins, so Bran Castle in Transylvania is marketed as Dracula’s Castle because of its location and dramatic Gothic appearance. It is a real place that you can easily visit. The logical starting point for a visit to Dracula’s Castle is Bucharest, Romania’s capital.
Bucharest is known as the “Little Paris of the East,” and justifiably so. It is an elegant, beautiful city on the banks of the Dâmbovița River in southeastern Romania. The city center is rich with elegant Belle Époque-style architecture and a vibrant street scene with an abundance of restaurants, bars and coffee shops.
Bucharest is often confused with Budapest, Hungary. The most famous example was in 1992, when Michael Jackson shouted, “It’s great to be here in Budapest!” to the crowd from the stage of Lia Manoliu Stadium during his Dangerous World Tour. Legend has it that the quick-witted crowd returned his welcome with a hearty “Thank you, Prince!”
Bucharest’s Parliament is the world’s second-largest administrative building (behind the Pentagon), a multi-billion-dollar vanity project built by long-time communist dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu. A tour of the building is time well spent, with more than 1,000 marble- and crystal-clad rooms, 12 floors above ground, eight floors below ground, and even a nuclear bunker.
The gaudy Parliament building stands in stark contrast to both the dreary Soviet-era apartment blocks and the lively French-inspired architecture and ambiance of the old-town district.
You can easily get from Bucharest to Transylvania by renting a car, but I recommend booking a day-trip tour through your hotel or travel agency. It is about a three-hour drive, and most tours offer expert guides who fill that time by explaining Romanian history and culture along the way. I found it particularly interesting to talk with guides who lived through the transition from the Ceaușescu era to the reintegration with Western Europe.
Another topic of interest is labor shortages amid an influx of both legal and illegal immigration. Today, Romania is experiencing net positive migration, with more people moving in than leaving. Their struggles are not so different than our own.
The Dracula Castle tour takes about three hours. The castle is beautifully preserved with medieval artifacts and weaponry, a secret stone staircase and passageway, interpretive displays and fantastic views of the surrounding Carpathian Mountains.
The castle curators are aware of the fictional Dracula tie-in, but really make an effort to relate the story and the haunting history of the people who actually lived there.
If you are a fan of Gothic literature, vampires, medieval history or even modern European politics and culture, Romania and Dracula Castle are a must-see stop in Eastern Europe.
And if you limit your visit to a day trip out of Bucharest, your blood is safe. The vampires only come out at night.
(Dan Keyport is a CCLN board member and former Chaska business owner, now retired. For more than 30 years, his home base for international travel has been Chaska.)
