How to detect Dracula in Transylvania (part 1)

Meeting people from other countries is always exciting. I proudly say to them, I was born in Romania. I am often asked to tell stories about vampires and Dracula. So what I would like to share with you in this story, is how to detect Dracula in Transylvania.

More than one legend

There are many stories about Dracula, but two of them are surely worth knowing. What I find very interesting, is that each part of Transylvania has its own different legend. The association between Dracula and Transylvania was born with the novel Dracula by Bram Stoker from 1897. But the author doesn’t place the story in an exact part of Transylvania, and this is the reason so many legends were born. The novel tells us that Jonathan Harker, a newly qualified English solicitor, goes to visit Count Dracula to give legal support for a real estate transaction.

Does Dracula live in northern Transylvania?

The visit in the novel takes place somewhere on the border of Transylvania, Bukovina, and Moldavia so the legend from northern Transylvania would correspond geographically. But following this legend is actually a way of meeting Dracula “in person”, as the Hotel Castle Dracula basement hosts the coffin of Dracula, where Dracula rests now.

Hotel Castel Dracula, Piatra Fântânelei

DN17, Piatra Fântânele, Romania

Who is Dracula?

Let’s back up a little bit. Who is Dracula? Dracula is a vampire with supernatural powers. He can move very fast and is very strong. He is an immortal and can transform humans into vampires by biting them. He can transform into a bat and can give orders to some creatures, likes wolves and bats.

But he has some weaknesses: A crucifix paralyzes him and garlic smell chases him away. A branch of wild roses bans his access and he cannot enter a house without being invited first. Daylight is his biggest weakness, so he spends his days sleeping in his coffin. Last and not least, a wooden spike thrust in his heart, turns him into dust.

And where is Dracula resting now?

In Bram Stokers novel, Dracula is killed by Van Helsing at the end, but this is of course fiction and the locals believe he still lives among them.

Located at an altitude of 1116 m and having the most amazing view, the hotel was build in 1983 and reminds of a medieval architecture style. If one has a choice, take this trip in autumn because the colors of the trees will transport you in a dream world. Once you get to the hotel, you can take a tour to Dracula’s coffin. But be careful, this tour is not for people with weak hearts.

This is one way to detect Dracula in Transylvania. Other people say, you can find him in southern Transylvania but more about finding Dracula in my second story.