A Journey to Dracula's Realm

THE ITINERARY

   In an age of incertitude and cruelty, oscillating both in diplomacy and in military strategy, a time when you could be promoted as genius or monster - there lived a terrible historical figure in Wallachia, by the name of Vlad Ţepeş  (The Impaler).
Whenever foreigners hear about Vlad Ţepeş , they think about Dracula, the vampire, haunting for centuries the endless paths of imagination. But for Romanians he has completely different connotations. Beyond the terrible legend going on endlessly about his deeds, Vlad Ţepeş, the one who defeated Mahomed II ( the conqueror of Constantinople, is an exceptional historical character, one of the bravest Romanian Princes, who really existed. He was descendant from the Bassarabians - the most famous reigning house in Wallachia. The father of Vlad Ţepeş was Vlad Dracul.

Sighişoara - the Clock Tower

 Although he was as cruel as his son, the name Dracul (drac means devil in Romanian) does not originate in his cruelty, but in the fact that he was a member of the chivalric Order of the Dragon. The word 'drac' derives from the Latin 'dragon'.
Normally Vlad Dracul's son took over his father's name, becoming Draculea. He was also called Ţepeş (The Impaler) because one of his favorite punishment was the impaling.

Vlad Ţepeş had twice the crown of Wallachia in the XVth century. The period of times when he ruled were troublesome, unsafe and unpredictable. The Turks, one one hand, and the Hungarians, on the other, were the most unforgiving neighbors of the Romanian Prince.
Matthias Corvinus, the Hungarian King of Romanian origin, in order to revenge , has sent him to prison to the castle from Visegrad. He stayed there for 10 years when it is said that he succeeded to train the bats in order to made them attack the guardiens.

Vlad Ţepeş had many enemies, including the Saxon traders from Transylvania. Their  betrayals and ruse were rewarded by the prince in full, and Braşov, Sibiu and Amlaş were punished by sword and fire, just like many other cities from the Southern part of Transylvania. But their revenge was the Saxon Chronicle , written after the death of the Wallachian Prince. The person they depicted will continue for centuries to be thought of as a blood-thirsty wild beast, a frightening vampire.
By the end of the XIXth century Bram Stoker, the Anglo-Irish novelist, will make Dracula the peerless, quintessential vampire.

Transylvania-the Land Beyond the Forest-famed as the homeland of Dracula, with alpine meadows and peaks, caves,  indigenous forests sheltering bears, wolves and wild boars, still remains one of the least known regions of Europe.

This journey will take you to the Prince's birthplace in Sighişoara (one of the best preserved medieval towns in Europe), to his real castle at Poienari, where you will climb its 1480 steps, and his tomb at Snagov Monastery. And, because people need legends and mysteries, strong emotions and adventure, we will follow the path to the castle described in Stoker's tale, crossing "the post-town of Bistriţa", which does exist, along the Borgo Valley and through its villages and orchards, into the Borgo Pass in northern Transylvania. You will enjoy here a horse drawn carriage ride to Piatra Fântânele or Borgo Pass, having a spectacular scenery to ride through.

To add more adventure to your tour we have included a visit to the Carpathian Large Carnivore Project which conducts research and conservation of brown bears, wolves and lynx since 1993 in the south-eastern Carpathians. Here you will have the opportunity to get in touch with the two tame wolves Crai and Poiana, you will be impressed by the spectacular mountains of Piatra Craiului and Bucegi, you will experience the old way of transportation with horses and cart and join a traditional campfire barbecue with roasted lamb and local music

The Carpathians

HOME