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Poenari Castle (Romanian pronunciation: [po.eˈnarʲ]), also known as Poenari Citadel (Cetatea Poenari in Romanian), is a ruined castle in Romania which was a home of Vlad the Impaler. [2] The citadel is situated on top of a mountain and accessed by climbing 1,480 concrete stairs.
Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler (Romanian: Vlad Țepeș [ˈ v l a d ˈ ts e p e ʃ]) or Vlad Dracula (/ ˈ d r æ k j ʊ l ə,-j ə-/; Romanian: Vlad Drăculea [ˈ d r ə k u l e̯a]; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77.
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- RELATED: 25 Castles You Can Sleep In
Bram Stoker never traveled to Transylvania, much less Bran Castle.
Dracula slept here. Or maybe not.
Bran Castle perches dramatically on a hill in Transylvania, its burnt-orange-tiled turrets and steeples rising above a crown of trees in Romania’s Carpathian Mountains. Depending on what account you read, Vlad Tepes—aka Vlad the Impaler—may have spent a night or two in this 14th-century fortress as a prisoner, or he may have attacked it once.
Irish novelist Bram Stoker loosely based his fictional toothy vampire on this historical 15th-century prince, whose fondness for skewering enemies on stakes as a public warning earned him his nickname. Now visitors from all over the world descend on rural Transylvania for a chance to experience some of the eerie thrill of Stoker’s novel. Tour companies often book Bran Castle for Halloween parties, complete with “bloody” vodka shots and a DJ.
Yet, Stoker never visited Transylvania, much less Bran Castle. So how did it come to be known as Dracula’s?
“In the 1960s, when Romania was ruled by a communist government, its tourism czars decided it could be advantageous to market a place associated with Vlad Tepes," says local historian Nicolae Pepene. “They looked around at all of the available castles and decided that this castle at Bran, which guarded the one mountain pass running between Transylvania and Walachia, looked sufficiently Gothic.” (Bonus point: Poiana Brașov, a popular ski resort, is only eight miles away.)
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Start with an 11th-century medieval fortress nestled between the French regions of Bordeaux and Cognac. Add 22 rooms with silky walls, rich berry-hued drapery, white marble baths, and cornice canopies. Then decide between veal with caramelized chanterelles or Ballotine quail with reduced grape and shallot chutney from Chateau de Mirambeau's Michelin-starred restaurant.
Start with an 11th-century medieval fortress nestled between the French regions of Bordeaux and Cognac. Add 22 rooms with silky walls, rich berry-hued drapery, white marble baths, and cornice canopies. Then decide between veal with caramelized chanterelles or Ballotine quail with reduced grape and shallot chutney from Chateau de Mirambeau's Michelin-starred restaurant.
Photograph by Bjorn Grotting, Alamy Stock Photo
On a moonless fall night, the imposing castle may look like a lair for the Prince of Darkness, but in the daylight the place actually seems more fit for a queen. Which it once was. Queen Marie of Romania called the 57-room chateâu home from 1920 to 1938. Behind thick defensive walls, the castle reveals a maze of cozy rooms, nooks, and crannies; a balconied inner courtyard with a well; and even a secret stairway to a wood-paneled library.
- Bran Castle. Bran Castle is perhaps the most famous Dracula location and is now one of the most respected national landmarks in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia.
- Poenari Fortress. Considered to be the real castle of Dracula, Poenari Fortress is located on a cliff in the village of the Arefu commune. It was built at the turn of the 13th century by the rulers of Wallachia and in the 15th century it was made a primary fortress by Vlad the Impaler.
- Sighisoara. Dating back to the 6th century B.C., Sighisoara is a small city in Transylvania and still stands as one of the most beautiful medieval towns in Europe.
- Old Princely Court. Located in Bucharest, Romania’s capital city, Old Princely Court is right in the center of town. Also called Curtea Veche, it was built as a place of residence for Vlad the Impaler and now operates as a museum.
Jun 14, 2012 · Discover Poenari Castle in Wallachia, Romania: The legendary cliffside castle of three-time Voivode of Wallachia, Vlad the Impaler.
Though many myths have been connected to him in connection with the Dracula myth, most historians agree that Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad the Impaler, never set foot in Castle Bran, which was neither a friendly place for him to visit nor under his rule. It was once believed that he was imprisoned there after he was captured by the ...
Vlad’s castle was Poenari Castle. It is located in the middle of present-day Romania, about 100 miles northwest of Bucharest. Poenari Castle sits on top of a cliff that overlooks the Arges River. It was originally home to the Basarab rulers. The Basarabs were an important royal Wallachian family.
