Obsessed with all things Gothic? Romania is home to some of the most remarkable Gothic architecture in Europe, including the castle on which Bram Stoker’s Dracula was based.
Located in Transylvania, Bran castle sits above a high valley. The castle was once believed to be home to a man named Vlad Tepes, who was often referred to as Vlad Dracul. The mysterious prince, in fact, lived in a castle nearby, but the description Stoker gives of Dracula’s castle in the novel is eerily similar to the real-life Bran Castle.
Stoker says that the castle sits “…on the very edge of a terrific precipice … with occasionally a deep rift where there is a chasm [with] silver threads where the rivers wind in deep gorges through the forests.”
The infamous Vlad Dracul was known to have visited the castle from time to time. He used it as a base to punish those who disobeyed his commands. Whether these punishments involved Vlad drinking the blood of his enemies is down to legend.
When you visit Bran Castle, you can learn about the history of Vlad Dracul, the castle itself, and its relation to the fictitious Count Dracula. You will be surprised to learn the similarities stretch further than you might expect…
