Yes,there was a real Dracula, and he was a true prince of darkness.He was Prince Vlad III Dracula, also known as Vlad Tepes,meaning"Vlad the Impaler"(tansfix body upon stake, as a capital punishment). He was the Prince of Vallachia (Central Romania), but as the legend suggests, he was born in Transylvania (our town is in this region), which at that time,1431,was ruled by Hungary. His father, Vlad II, who was an illegitimate son of Prince Mircea-the-Old (king of Vallachia),grew up in the court of King Sigismund of Hungary.Sigismund founded a secret fraternal order of knights called "the Order of the Dragon"that built a fortress in 1212,known as Dietrichstein, now Bran Castle.The Teutonic Order was to uphold Catholicism and fight Turkey. Vlad II was admitted to the Order and he was called "Dracul",as the word "dragon"did not have another translation but "dracul". Vlad's second son was therefore named "son of the dragon",i.e. Dracula. Since "dracul" also means "devil" in Romanian, some of Dracula's enemies called him "son of the devil".

Sigismund made Vlad II the military governor of Transylvania (between 1431-1435). During that time he lived in the town of Sighisoara (Schassburg). You can still visit the citadel there and even the house where Vlad II's son, Dracula, was born.

Dracula's reign is considered important for unifying Vallachia, for defending Christianity, and for his resistance against enemies.
BUT, what made him "famous" for eternity was his unimaginable cruelty,the diabolic moral code he imposed on his subjects, his insatiable lust for blood while he was at Poenari fortress (its ruins can be seen today).

The supposed exaggerations at that time, and why not adding a lot of humour which is amazingly lasting in the Romanian's character, must have been the kernel that gave birth to Bram Stoker's bloody vampire story that is still haunting the cinema screens to the day and after.

The final chapter of Dracula's life remains mysterious as well. He died while fighting near Bucharest. His body was buried at the island monastery of Snagov. BUT...the excavations in 1931 failed to turn up any sign of his coffin!...

Today you can visit the ruin of the Poenari fortress,which is now called Castle Dracula, near Targoviste; Bran castle where he occasionally stayed,near the town of Brasov; and the most exciting is the "castle" near Tihuta gorge, where tourists encouter "real" vampires that create a genuine creepy atmosphere.