Dracula and Vlad the Impaler: the man behind the legend

About Dracula and Vlad the Impaler: the man behind the legend

By the ULTIMATE Bucharest Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, known as Vlad the Impaler and as Dracula, “son of the dragon”, ruled in the 15th century and is the first ruler to name Bucharest in a surviving document. More than four centuries later, an Irish novelist borrowed his name for the most famous vampire in fiction.

The son of the dragon

Vlad’s father, Vlad II, belonged to the Order of the Dragon, a knightly order, and was known as Dracul; his son became Dracula, “son of Dracul”. Vlad III ruled Wallachia three times, in 1448, from 1456 to 1462 and briefly in 1476, and his harsh punishments gave him the name Țepeș, “the Impaler”.

Vlad and Bucharest

A charter issued by Vlad on 20 September 1459 “in the fortress of Bucharest” is the oldest surviving document to name the city. The ruins of the Old Princely Court, in the Old Town, stand on the site of the princely residence where he and later rulers held court.

The oldest surviving document to name Bucharest was signed by Vlad the Impaler in 1459.

The legend

In 1897, Bram Stoker published Dracula, setting his vampire count in a castle in Transylvania. Stoker never visited Romania, and the novel has little to do with the historical Vlad, but it made the name famous around the world, and Bran Castle near Brașov, which has no proven connection to Vlad, became known as “Dracula’s castle”.

Where to follow his story

Visit the Old Princely Court in Bucharest; Snagov Monastery, north of the city, where tradition (unproven) places his grave; Poenari Fortress, the ruined stronghold he rebuilt high above the Argeș valley, reached by about 1,500 steps; and Sighișoara, where a house on the citadel square is said to be his birthplace.

Our advice: start at the Old Princely Court, then combine Snagov with Mogoșoaia Palace as a half-day trip; Poenari is a long day by car, best combined with the Transfăgărășan road in summer.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Dracula and Vlad the Impaler: the man behind the legend before you go.