The legend of Dracula
lost, explained the two reasons Bran is now indelibly linked with Dracula.
The first is that the author of the original Dracula story, Irishman Bram Stoker, when writing about Dracula’s lair, in Transylvania, seem to rather accurately describe Bran (possibly after seeing an illustration in an early guide to the region).
‘‘And the second,’’ said ‘Vlad’, ‘‘appears to be the result of a group of American tourists some decades ago imploring their guide to show them Dracula’s castle. There was, of course, no such thing but not wanting to disappoint them he brought them to Bran and as they say, the rest is now history … or not.’’
On the border of Transylvania and the neighbouring region of Wallachia is another spectacular building with royal connections, Peles Castle.
Built between 1873 and 1914, Peles is more accurately a palace and was built for the Romanian king of the time, Carol I.
Featuring about 170 rooms and 30 bathrooms, it was a costly exercise; in today’s money the construction bill would amount to about $165 million.
The style is a blend of Neorenaissance and Gothic Revival with towers, balconies and a central courtyard decorated with frescoes. Many of the rooms have an international flavour, being decorated in Italian, Moorish and even, rather ironically given the region’s long history repelling the Ottomans, Turkish, styles.
Bran and Peles tend to steal the limelight from Transylvania’s other treasures, its medieval towns such as Sighisoara and Sibiu.
Sighisoara doesn’t entirely escape the Dracula phenomenon, having been the birthplaces of the historical figure Vlad the Impaler. However, with its pastel-coloured houses, winding cobblestoned streets and medieval walls and towers (each of which named after the artisans’ guild given the responsibility for its upkeep) it is a captivating place to explore.
I spent some time here ensconced in a cellar because Sighisoara is the home of the best producers of Transylvanian brandies.
Teo Coroian’s pear, apple and plum brandies, together with a berry liqueur, pack quite a punch and have been produced by his family for more than 200 years. He has a wall full of international awards too. I’d make a lousy judge because each one appeared to me to be better than the last.
En route for Sibiu we stopped in Saschiz, a small Romanian village surrounded by fields of sunflowers and corn where farmers were still using horses and carts on the main roads. Ducks swam in the stream that flowed between the houses and elderly residents sat on benches outside their houses to watch the world go by.
Sibiu, a city founded by German settlers known as the Transylvania Saxons, has not one, but three town squares. What arrests visitors most however, is the curious impression that one is being constantly watched.
Many of the houses which once were home to wealth merchants have steeply pitched roofs to provide ample storage for goods. These attics were lit by tiny almond-shaped windows that look eerily like heavy-lidded eyes.
A former European Union Capital of Culture, Sibiu hosts more festivals and craft fairs than any other place in Romania. Outside the Gothic Lutheran Evangelical Cathedral built between 1300 and 1520, artisan blacksmiths were at work, one crafting beautiful roses from iron.
Inside the church an organist was practising on a baroque instrument built in 1671 which after additions in 1917, now features more than 6000 pipes, making it the largest pipe organ in south-eastern Europe. Only a few glittering facade pipes could be seen form the nave, which rather sums up Transylvanian … a place of hidden depths behind its more lurid exterior.