Thanks to Bram Stoker's iconic novel Dracula, interest in vampires swept across the world like a hurricane. The subject of vampirism struck literally all areas of art: cinema, television, theater, painting. People have always loved everything mysterious and mystical, and even if it has real prototypes, then it is doubly interesting. Perhaps this can explain the inexhaustible burning interest in the habitat of Dracula. Many fans of the vampire theme are wondering: “Where is Transylvania located?” and go in search of something terrible and supernatural.
A little history of the long-suffering region
According to Stocker's novel, Count Dracula's habitat is Transylvania, where his famous castle is located. Currently, this northwestern region of Romania has other, less popular names - Erdei or Semigradier. Over the centuries, this region has passed many times from one country to another. In the Middle Ages, the region had an autonomous status in the Hungarian kingdom. In 1526, after the Battle of Mojac, Transylvania was cut off from Hungary and for some time was an independent principality, but in 1566 it became subordinate to the Turkish Sultan. Until 1613, princes from the Bathory clan ruled Transylvania, and after that from the Rakoczi clan. In those days, the principality was a stronghold of Protestantism in Eastern Europe. In 1687, the Turkish sultan, after losing in the confrontation with the Habsburg dynasty for Transylvania, refused all claims to this region. At the beginning of the XVIII century, the region lost its independence and again became part of the Hungarian kingdom. However, after the end of World War I, Transylvania was completely transferred to Romania. During the twentieth century, the northeastern part of Transylvania was transferred from Romania to Hungary and back several times, and only in the 70s it finally remained part of Romania. The historical center of the place where Transylvania is located is the Transylvanian Plateau (its height is about 500 meters), giving rise to several rivers and tributaries of the Danube.
Wallachia
It is not enough to answer the question: "Where is Transylvania - the birthplace of Count Dracula?" He was really born in Transylvania, but he was a ruler in Wallachia. This principality existed in the region under the same name from the middle of the XIV to the middle of the XIX century, when it merged with the Moldavian Principality. The region of Wallachia was historically located in the south of modern Romania, between the Danube and the Carpathians, and was divided by the Olt River into two parts - the Greater and Lesser Wallachia. Like neighboring Transylvania, the principality, beginning in the 15th century, was feudally dependent on the Ottoman Empire. In Wallachia, over the course of its history, a huge number of rulers changed, which was very characteristic of that time, given that the struggle was fought not only for the throne, but also for influence on the principality and neighboring territories between the Turks and the Hungarian kingdom.
Vlad III the Impaler
It was this historical figure that so attracted Bram Stoker in his time and became the prototype of the hero of his novel. And, perhaps, this happened for a reason, because the figure of Tepes is very ambiguous and is shrouded in a halo of mystery and all kinds of horror stories. Even the modern scholars still cannot figure out which of the legends is true and which is a lie. Many facts of his biography are not exactly known, many are debatable, and many are not proven. Even the exact date of his birth is unknown. Historians have calculated that he was born tentatively in 1431. His birthplace was Transylvania, where the city of Sighisoara is located. Today, this town is on the UNESCO World Heritage List, and even the house in which the Dracula family lived was preserved. How to find and where it is located: Transylvania (Romania), Sighisoara city, Zhestyanschikov street, 5.
Dragon Son
Vlad got his nickname “Impaler” after his death. And it was a translation of the nickname from Turkish, it was the Turks who called the prince a “pecker” for a special manner of cracking down on enemies. But Dracula was his father. Vlad II was a knight of the Order of the Dragon (the so-called Order of St. George). On his behalf, he minted coins with a dragon depicted on them, which were distributed throughout Wallachia, for which he received the nickname Dracula - which means "dragon". The nickname was inherited by his son, but it could not have done without some transformation, and so Vlad III became Dracula.
Lord of Wallachia
That is what the rulers in this region were called. Dracula came to power three times: briefly in 1448, from 1456 to 1462, and shortly before his death in 1476. From Transylvania, the Dracula family moved to the city of Targovishte, the capital of Wallachia, because Vlad's father became a prince. This city also houses the castle where Vlad Tepes lived. In 1444, his father, along with his sons, Vlad and his brother, was forced to go to Turkey and ask for help from the Sultan, because Janusz Hunyadi, the ruler of the Kingdom of Hungary at that time, decided to overthrow Vlad II and make his henchman the ruler of Wallachia. The key to the help of the Sultan was Vlad and Radu, his brother. For a long time they were actually captured by the Turkish Sultan. It is believed that it was these years that greatly influenced Dracula, changed his character, made him so cruel. Probably, this was facilitated by the fact that his father was betrayed and killed, and his older brother was buried alive. However, in addition to the fact that Vlad brutally cracked down on his enemies and traitors, he did a lot of charity work, built temples, was an Orthodox philanthropist, and peculiarly, but effectively fought crime in the streets of Wallachia.
Bran or Poenar?
It so happened that the castle of Count Dracula is considered Bran Castle. However, this is a mistake, and it appeared due to the fact that this castle appeared in the film adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel. Well, it looks, of course, it is impressive, intimidating and inaccessible. It is not known for certain how often Vlad visited the area where Transylvania is located. Dracula, according to some sources, liked to hunt in those places, according to others - he stopped during his campaigns. There is also a version that it was in this castle that the Turks tortured him. Be that as it may, in reality, Bran is now the most visited attraction in Dracula tours. The Romanian region of Transylvania, where the "Dracula's Castle" is located, attracts thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. And only the Poenari fortress, which is considered to be a real Dracula's castle, is a competitor to this castle, it was his real residence. Unfortunately, the fortress was destroyed, only ruins have survived to this day. Its location was strategically very important, on the border of Wallachia and Transylvania, high in the mountains above the Arges River.
Definitely worth a visit
Many people dream of visiting the amazing, mysterious, shrouded in a halo of antiquity and mystery places where Transylvania is located - the birthplace of Count Dracula. Transylvania attracts tourists with its fabulous landscapes and the atmosphere of the Middle Ages. In almost all corners of this area, you can find riddles and legends that are alluring and mysterious. In addition to all kinds of excursions to various historical places, here you can relax with your soul, as the surrounding nature literally breathes harmony and peace.