Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ity. But who would have thought this oftentimes hyperbole-blown epistolary-style yarn
about a lawyer visiting a megalomaniac aristocrat would almost single-handedly spawn a
literary genre? Forget your
Vampire Chronicles
and
Twilight
series, because arguably
neither would have been written without
Dracula
. And Victorian dramatics aside, this
late-19th-century Gothic epic is a master-class in thriller writing, and so beautifully craf-
ted in places it leaves an indelible impression on the reader's mind; none more so than the
eerie passages following Harker's journey and imprisonment in Transylvania.
Countless films have loosely followed its
storyline, and the novel has never been out of
print.
Stoker undoubtedly read Emily de Laszowska Ger-
ard's
Transylvanian Superstitions
, detailing how to
kill vampires.
More than 200 films have been made featuring the
character Dracula. The first movie,
Dracula
, was
released n 1931 and starred Hungarian actor, Bela
Lugosi.
IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF DRACULA
For diehard
Dracula
fans, the good news is that the Transylvania chapters of the topic are rooted in pure geo-
graphical fact, so you can actually see the places visited by its hero, Jonathan Harker. Despite visiting much of the
world in his capacity as actor Henry Irving's manager, Irish-born Bram Stoker never actually set foot in Eastern
Europe. Instead, he relied on exhaustive research from afar. Follow this itinerary to squeeze as many drops from
both legends.
To catch the trail of the real Dracula, head to the remote Poienari Citadel on the Transylvania-Wallachia border
where the Impaler's wife committed suicide. Not far from Brasov - where he also had people impaled - is Bran
Castle, where Ţepeş was briefly imprisoned. The pretty Saxon citadel of Sighişoara may look to be straight out of
a fairytale, but it's also the birthplace of Vlad the Impaler. Visit the spooky Casa Dracula (
Click here
)
restaurant
for lunch.
Next follow Jonathan Harker's footsteps to northern Transylvania's Bistriţa - known in the topic as Bistritz -
the medieval town he visited on the eve of St George's Day where locals pleaded with him to turn back from his
destination at Castle Dracula. From here it's a short drive up the lonely, forested Tihuţa Pass (which in the topic is
described as the Borgo Pass). Perched on top of the pass, in exactly the spot Harker described the castle as being,
is the Hotel Castle Dracula (
Click here
)
. This hotel is loosely Gothic with blood-red carpets and stuffed animals
in reception (not forgetting its occasional heart-attack-inducing crypt). The real reason to come, however, is the
view. The rest is up to your imagination!
