Vlad Dracula - The Truth

Bran Castle on Bing

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:33:00 +0000

Bing.com is presenting Bran Castle, near Brașov, Romania, on the front page. This happens on Romania's National Day, December, 1st. Nice!
In the past, I presented Bran castle, sometimes referred to as Dracula's Caslte

Corvin Castle

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Tue, 31 May 2011 09:30:00 +0000

I recently found an article in a Romanian newspaper, in Romanian, about Hunyadi Castle. Here is some data from it: The vast majority of tourists coming to visit Corvins' Castle in Hunedoara Knights Hall pass through without noticing the wooden hatch that leads to the castle prison. And even if they see it, it would not infer that there in the depths of the castle, the prison is saying that Vlad stayed before being led in Hungary, Visegrad, where he was imprisoned for many years.

Cell in the Knights Hall
Knights Hall. Tourist absorbed by columns and arches of its majestic rooms can easily escape the gaze "unguided" a wooden roof, "armed" with two beautifully shaped metal rods. That's because, while the wood roof and floor have gained about the same colour.
Wooden hatch opens easily with a piece of rope, leaving the visitor to discover a rectangular entrance, three feet long but narrower than 50 centimetres . A wooden staircase descends two and a half meters, directly under the vaults of prisoners cave.
To bottom, in the cell, there are three or four meters, but can not go down because there is no scale. And the only ray of light is coming through the cracks of a wooden lid that is covered with a small window giving directly into the stream Zlaşti. If you have the curiosity to open it, you immediately understand why the prisoners could not escape: from here to down in the valley, lies a wall of stone about 15 meters height.
At the edge of the wall on which probably stood the keeper when more come directly from the Knights Hall, a fragile wooden railing warns the visitor that one should not make any wrong step.

Symbolic Value
The cell has no floor, and the "bottom" over the room to resemble a grotto are dozens of large pieces of stone left in disorder. Left and right walls of the cell are built with stone, and above the walls we notice the brick arch.

It is the only remaining of the former prison cell Corvin Castle, which burned in the mid-nineteenth century, was abandoned about 14 years and then restored.
At that time, craftsmen found that the resistance of the wall structure of north-west has suffered, and any cave left would have caused problems in the future, so that almost all the rooms filled with stone. However, the cell with direct input from the Knights' Hall was left as a testimony for generations. Perhaps they knew, as people from Hunedoara passionate by the castle's stories, that Vlad Ţepes was imprisoned here.

"I saw no entry"
Hall of Knights is an enigma puzzling many visitors, even those passionate about history.
Other travelers who say that neither those from the castle did not made any reference to this. "About the fact that Vlad the Impaler was imprisoned here I was not told by anyone, not at school, but not even when I visited the castle," says Adrian Tomcea from Timisoara.
Equally surprised by the existence of the cell are visitors in the area. Florin Butnaru, Deva, admits: "I joined the Knights Hall about three or four times now, friends came to visit, but I never saw any entry in any hole. I read on the Internet and something about the Impaler castle, but I don't think it was about being trapped on the here, I do not remember."

Historian Nicolae Cerişor, from Corvin Museum, opening the hatch to the prison: "It seems that the sentence served in prison in the Hall of Knights. He was held here a while, then was taken to Visegrad, where he had a softer detention."

Hisstory
Two to three months imprisonment
Historian Nicolae Cerişer, director of the Museum "Corvin Castle, estimated that Vlad Tepeş's detention in Hunedoara lasted two to three months, but could not specify the exact date because the reference documentation at the moment are very limited.
"Vlad Tepeş was arrested, it seems, at Bran, after the nobility of the Romanian country, disturbed by the growing authority of the ruler, have made a compromising letter in which Vlad, by then an ally of Matthias Corvinus, would be declared intention to ally with the Ottoman Empire. It seems that the sentence was communicated to Vlad directly by Matthias Corvinus, or by his representative exactly in the Knits' Hall at Corvin Castle. He was kept here for a while, then he was gone Vişegrad, where he took a more lenient prison, is actually about a "house arrest", as one might say today", explains Nicolae Cerişer.

Legend
Catch and kill birds
Circulating in the area and a number of legends about this historical episode. Some say that , while imprisoned at Hunedoara Vlad was driven mad by the thought that he could serve as food to the hungry animals at anytime (in the place is known as the "lion's den", that probably housed hungry wolves or bears).
Another story says that in the cell, Vlad's appetite for blood should be further increased, it will often climb to the window to catch birds and kill them.
Historian Cerişer Nicolae considers only the fruit of popular imagination: "I do not think that the penalties imposed to Vlad Tepes led to the manifestation of any mental illness. But I think that was his preferred method of imposing authority. Overall, Vlad Tepes killed, probably Stefan cel Mare fewer people than just that he committed such acts in a much shorter interval.

Bram Stoker's Dracula - HD. Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Fri, 06 May 2011 09:54:00 +0000

if you have a good connection choose Full HD and view it full-screen.

Bram Stoker's Dracula, HD. Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 14:39:00 +0000

Bram Stoker's Dracula, HD. Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 07:00:00 +0000

Here is part 2 of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Watch in HD

Bram Stoker's Dracula HD

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:50:00 +0000

I posted a link to this movie in 2007, however now I found the HD version, with a Portuguese translation. Here is the first part:

Dracula - Prince of Darkness 11

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:28:00 +0000

All Dracula movies.

Dracula, Prince of Darkness X

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 10:15:00 +0000

Killing of a woman that is "possessed by the devil". "She's dead and what it contains is pure evil"

Part 9 is here

Dracula, Prince of Darkness. Part IX

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:34:00 +0000

Here are other Dracula movies

Dracula, Prince of Darkness. part 08

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:36:00 +0000

<< Part 7 || Part 9 >>

All Dracula movies

Dracula, Prince of Darkness 07

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 08:00:00 +0000

7th part of the movie. Dracula, Prince of Darkness

Dracula. Prince of Darkness 07

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 04:00:00 +0000

All Dracula artistic movies are here.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness. Part VI

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 00:00:00 +0000

<< Part V || Part VII >>

Dracula: Prince of Darkness. Part V

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:30:00 +0000

I continue to like the movie. Where the tension starts to build-up.

Dracula: Prince of Darkness 04

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 13:32:00 +0000

The 4th part of the movie "Dracula: Prince of Darkness". I like the plot and also the play of Christopher Lee

Here are all Dracula movies

Vampire Secrets part 9/9

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 14:05:00 +0000

and the last part:

Searching for Dracula

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 10:55:00 +0000

here is an article from "The Guardian", on Dracula's Trail in Romania:

Dracula-related places are visited and shortly described: Sighişoara, Târgovişte, Poenari, Bran Castle, Bucharest.

Vampire Secrets part 8/9

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 15:28:00 +0000

We get to know the story of Susan Walsh, who decided to write an article about the vampire clubs in New York city, the Rome of modern vampires.

She submits the story and than vanishes. No-one knows when she is and if her disappearance can be related to vampires subculture. The blood drinking societies in New York and the reasons behind there behavior are analyzed more in depth.

Halloween in Transylvania

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 13:39:00 +0000

When thinking of Halloween many people think about Vampires, Dracula, Transylvania.

While Transylvania can be as spooky without any Halloween celebration, the mystery of Halloween enriches the experience. Before continuing I have to mention that all the points presented here are just some ideas and you should be accompanied by locals, or at least play common sense, take caution for wild animals and badly intended people, as well as other hazards, like for example fast-driving people on narrow roads.

The top places to visit in Tranylvania for Halloween would be:

Bran Castle. This article tells more about Bran Castle
Râşnov Fortified citadel - visit it by day, as a walk from the parking to the stronghold during the night is subject to encounters with bears, and this can be more than scary.
Sighişoara, birth place of Vlad Dracula. You can walk through the medieval town but also go up to the church on the hill as the night falls. The German cemetery is open only during the day, pay respect when visiting it.
any small villages, visited by night. Go for example to Feldioara and walk up to the ruins of the fortification, but also visit the church and the cemetery.
Take/rent a bike and ride on a local road connecting two small villages, by the sunset. Wild animals are still plenty in Transylvania, so I would always suggest being accompanied by a support car.
Visit any Gypsy village close to the towns, this can be more spooky that you are looking for.
Go to the cheapest possible pub in Braşov, Mediaş or other town and try to resist there for more than one hour :)
Go to Sibiu and take a walk on the narrow streets around the historic center be amazed by your own shadow projected by old lamps on the walls of medieval houses and try to distinguish voices in the wind.

Romanian tour-operators offer tours that can take you to all this places, but I would suggest NOT buying a "Halloween Tour", as this can indulge quite a strong feeling of "fake", "made for tourists". I would instead go to a company offering custom made tours and ask them for a tour around Transylvania and maybe other parts of Romania, with a bias towards spooky things. I would recommend Outdoor Holidays for the experience they have with Transylvania as well as for the fact that they do offer many custom made tours and can customize existing tours.

Vampire Secrets part 7/9

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:25:00 +0000

Here is the part 7 of the documentary about ancient and modern vampires. the connection between vampirism and sexuality is analyzed.
"The daemon lover" story is a theme encountered in many of the histories about vampires. The simple formula is : you have a relationship with one person only to discover that the person is a daemon creature or someone who has come back to life from the death. The morale is that sex outside normal routines can have horrible consequences.

Vampire Secrets. Part 6 . Vampire the masquerade

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 07:00:00 +0000

The case of Farell, obsessed by the game Vampire the masquerade. The image of the vampire attracts so much that some people start acting like a vampire, like a serial killer. Is the case of Rodd Farrell.

Vampire Secrets. Part 5. Vampire Killing

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 03:00:00 +0000

The tools needed in a vampire killing kit are:
- a wooden steak
- a mallet
- holly water from the local church
- a cross
- garlic

Finally we have the scientific explanation of vampire stories.

Also the documentary explains the interest of many people for vampirism and the games like the role-playing game "Vampire the masquerades"

Vampire Secrets. Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 22:13:00 +0000

Fear of vampires in XVII-th century is not due only to Elizabeth Bathory, but also associated with diseases like tuberculosis. Is interesting the comment that, after a vampire attack the villagers dig the grave and found the corpse without rigor mortis and with blood around the mouth. That means that "the Earth did not receive the body and heaven did not receive the soul". I'm stopping for one moment on this comment because I remember in Romanian religious ceremony at funerary the priest asks God that the Earth / the ground (there is the same word in Romanian) shall receive the body of the defunct. Probably exactly from preventing him/her for becoming a vampire.

A study published in 1746 by Augusting Calmet concludes that vampires do exist. At that time vampire hunting was well documented and a real occupation of the people

Vampire Secrets. Part 3 . Elizabeth Bathory

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 02:03:00 +0000

Part 2 of the documentary about vampires continues with more about the noble Elizabeth Bathory and her torturing, biting and killing young virgins, drinking their blood. Is possible the Bram Stoker was inspired also by Bathory when writing his novel. Her obsession for blood is a then reloaded in Dracula.

The rituals involving blood are in fact common in many cultures and blood is associated with power, but in European tradition drinking blood, especially human is considered a deadly sin.

Vampire Secrets. Part 2 . About Dracula

noreply@blogger.com (Radu) — Tue, 05 Oct 2010 21:36:00 +0000

"Decoding the past". After the first part, the documentary continues with a presentation of what were considered to be causes of returning from the death and vampirism.
Also references to Elizabeth Bathory, worst female serial killer in history (at the end the XVI-th century she made few hundred victims in Transylvania)

The presentation reserves space for Dracula, who was made famous by Bram Stoker's novel from 1897, originally named "The Undead". After a presentation of how Stoker's novel was written, based on Bram Stoker's researches on Eastern European folklore, the focus shifts on to the real Vlad Dracula, Vlad III, his reasons for being so cruel and the impalement, as a slow and painful death.