Everyone has heard of Dracula. Dublin born Bram Stoker (1847-1912) created Count Dracula as a figure of fear and revulsion in his novel “Dracula” published in 1897. Since then, we’ve had countless Dracula versions through film, novels, TV series and even comic books. We all know that Dracula comes from Transylvania, in Romania but is there any truth in these myths? Did he really exist?

Popular opinion says that Dracula is based on an exaggerated account of a man called Vlad Tepes, the prince of the Wallachia (found in the southern part of today's Romania). Vlad Tepes was considered at the time to be a fair but very cruel man.

Let’s call him Vlad – Emperor Sigismund of Luxembourg granted him rulership of Wallachia in 1431. The emperor gave Vlad a necklace and a golden medallion with a dragon engraved on it. Vlad set up a mint where he used the dragon emblem.

The name Dracula is actually a nickname and is derived from the Romanian language that in turn comes from Latin – Drac means Devil. Vlad’s father was called this, and the name stuck, and so Vlad became known as Vlad Dracula. He was not a friend of the Ottoman Empire and started organising the state, the army, the law, applying the death penalty by impaling against all those he considered enemies: highwaymen, robbers, beggars, cunning priests, treacherous noblemen, usurper Saxons (who tried to replace him either with cousin Dan cel Tanar (Dan the Young) or by his natural brother Vlad Calugarul (Vlad the Monk)).

Vlad died in 1476 in a battle at Snagov, killed by Laiota Basarab who succeeded him to the throne of Wallachia. To experience some places in Dracula’s life, you can visit:

• The Birgau Mountains to see Dracula's Castle
• Bistrita at the Golden Crown Hotel to remember Stoker's famous character
• Sighisoara to see the mediaeval fortress and the house of Dracula's Childhood (the tourist may have dinner at his house, not far from there is gallows he put up to punish his enemies)
• Bran Castle (Vlad Dracula's halting place), dating from the 14th century and the ruins of the fortress Poienari rebuilt by Vald Dracula

• Poienari Fortress Ruin, a fortress rebuilt by Vlad Dracula