Tourism at Bran Castle

Bran Castle

After the publication of Bram Stoker’s hit novel Dracula in 1897, it left a massive impact on our culture, and still continues to more than 100 years after being written. For people who love anything related to Dracula, or traveling/tourism, there’s some good news. In Transylvania, there is a castle (top-view of castle pictured above) “that fits Bram Stoker’s description of Dracula’s Castle” (1). Many people around the world, and fans of the classic novel have now coined this castle as Dracula’s castle. However, the castle has a rich history that dates back far before Bram Stoker’s classic.

Aside from John Polidori’s monster from The Vampyre, Bram Stoker had another person influence the monster Dracula. That person would be real life prince, Vlad Tepes (pictured to the left), also known as Vlad the Impaler who actually spent some time in Bran Castle as a prisoner. It is the story of Vlad the Impaler who viciously murdered his enemies, and the legacy of Dracula that bring tourists from around the world to visit the historical site. It is also said that the castle is rented out to tourists for “Halloween parties, complete with bloody vodka shots” (2).

The castle did not become a tourist site until 1993, after restorations were finished that started in 1987. It is now open to the public as a museum. The castle is also host to many fun events for fans of Dracula, and even has restaurants inside as well. For upcoming events, and records of past events, check out http://www.bran-castle.com/events-archive.html

Events that have been held here include live concerts, and even shows that are adaptations of the Dracula story. One event that was held recently was Dracula – The Kiss in the Black Church. Events are temporarily on hold due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In 2009 the castle “fully re-entered the possession of its legal heirs, Archduke Dominic, Archduchess Maria Magdalena and Archduchess Elisabeth” (3). However, of course this has not stopped Bran Castle from being a major tourist attraction. Over the years this has become an astounding museum for fans of literature. This just shows what a great impact this novel still has on world culture today, with people from countries all over the world flocking in to check it out. This is also a museum for lovers of history as it has a lot of historical information from before Dracula was even written. There is a really neat video tour of the castle that can be viewed at http://www.bran-castle.com/video-tour.html

Works Cited

Alipio, Amy. (2018, September 28). Inside the fortress known as Dracula's Castle. National Geographic.

Retrieved from 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/destinations/europe/romania/dracula-castle-things-to-do-brasov-transylvania/#close

Lallanilla, Marc. (2013, October 31). Vlad the Impaler: the real Dracula was absolutely vicious. NBC.

Retrieved from 

https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/vlad-impaler-real-dracula-was-absolutely-vicious-8C11505315

Historical timeline. Bran-Castle.

Retrieved from 

http://www.bran-castle.com/historical-timeline.html

19th Century Vampire Epidemic

Vampires have always been known as blood-sucking predators, but the the iconic powers and weaknesses of these creatures have changed through time. In Twilight we see vampires having sparkling skin when they step into the sun, luring in their victims with their magnificent beauty. They have incredible speed and strength, and mind controlling powers, which we see a lot of in the show, Vampire Diaries. Vampires can not enter a household unless invited in, or they can’t see their own reflection in a mirror. Ranging from different movies and shows their weaknesses consist of garlic, Vervain, sunlight, werewolf bites, and the classic wooden stake in the heart, but where do all these ideas originate from?

Before Stoker’s notorious Dracula, there was an irrational fear spreading throughout the European nations in the 17th and 18th century. Becky Little explains how this popular, spreading belief was debunked, “By the mid-18th century, Pope Benedict XIV declared that vampires were “fallacious fictions of human fantasy,” and the Hapsburg ruler Maria Theresa condemned vampire beliefs as “superstition and fraud” (Little, 1). However, this didn’t stop people from digging up bodies in the 19th century. Becky explains that these beliefs often occurred due to the misunderstanding of how bodies decompose.

According to Wyatt Redd, back in the 1900s, Tuberculosis was a highly contagious bacterial disease, and people were unsure of the cause and how to fight this disease. The effects of Tuberculosis leaves a person very pale and skinny, along with the symptom of coughing up blood, which makes us understand why it might have led people to believe there were vampires walking among them. Since people were nervous about the undead coming back to life, they would often dig up the dead bodies and see the growth of teeth and nails(1), confirming the idea of their loved one being a vampire. In order to escape the vampire attacks, the people would cut out the heart of a dead body and burn it, along with rearranging the person’s body in the casket so they would not be able to get out(2). However, what the people of the 19th century didn’t realize, was that the interactions they had with the body carrying the disease, is what made them also contract the extremities of Tuberculosis.

Little, Becky. “The Bloody Truth About Vampires.” National Geographic, 27 Oct. 2016, www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/10/vampires-europe-new-england-halloween-history/#close.

Redd, Wyatt. “The Truth Behind the 19th Century New England Vampire Panic.” HistoryCollection.co, 30 Sept. 2019, historycollection.co/truth-behind-19th-century-new-england-vampire-panic/2/.

Tucker, Abigail. “The Great New England Vampire Panic.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 1 Oct. 2012, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-great-new-england-vampire-panic-36482878/.

Bram Stoker's Personal Life

Bram Stoker's Personal Life 

See Source 1

        According to Richard Means, Bram Stoker spent most of his childhood as an invalid after he was born in Dublin, Ireland on November 8, 1847. He was constantly weak and sick, causing him to be unable to walk until the age of seven. Stoker grew up with four brothers and two sisters (2). According to Andrew Maunder, Bram was especially close to his two older brothers, Thornley and George, who both became doctors (3). Despite his unfortunate childhood illness, Means's biography of Stoker reveals that as he aged, he grew very quickly and soon became stronger and taller than most of his peers. Stoker was apparently quite timid in his early school career, but his teachers noticed he was exceptionally bright. He eventually became more confident and excelled at Trinity College as a student and an athlete. Stoker graduated from Trinity College with a degree in law to follow in his father's footsteps, but nevertheless was interested in literature and published his first novel just five years after graduation college (2).

        As stated in Andrew Maunder's eBook, Stoker married well-known beauty, Florence Anne Lemon Balcombe in 1878. Around a year later, Florence gave birth to their first and only son, Noel (3). However, according to Means, Stoker's sexual relationship with his wife ended shortly after Noel was born, leading him to involvement with other women. Years of activity with prostitutes caused Stoker to develop syphilis, which in turn caused him to have a stroke later on. He not only suffered from this disease, but also gout and a kidney condition before his death in 1912 at the age of 64 (2).

        Stoker developed relationships with several other well-known figures of his time. According to CliffsNotes.com, Stoker met Henry Irving, a famous actor, when Stoker was 29 years old. He had seen Irving's acting before and was quite impressed by his talent. Following this meeting, Stoker became the acting manager of Irving's theater and kept the position for 27 years (4). According to Means, Stoker was also very close with Oscar Wilde for several years after Wilde's mother, a writer, invited Stoker into her exclusive literary circle. Interestingly, Florence Balcombe had previously been Wilde's lover (2). Maunder's eBook explains that Stoker was also a fan of Walt Whitman. After years of correspondence, Stoker officially met Whitman in 1884 (3). 

         According to Means, Stoker wrote eighteen novels, but none of them became nearly as popular as Dracula. Among his literary accomplishments, Stoker was also recognized for attempting to save a drowning man in 1882. He evidently witnessed a man jumping off of the cruise ship they were both on, with the intention of committing suicide. Stoker jumped off the ship and was able to successfully return the man back on board. Although the man lost his life that day, Stoker was still honored for his bravery, as he was featured as a hero in several newspapers and the Royal Humane Society awarded him with a medal (2).

Works Cited/Resources for More Information:

1. "Pictures of Bram Stoker." Bram Stoker - Pictures, http://bramstoker.org/pict.html

2. Means, Richard. "Bram Stoker." 1 Aug. 2017. Middle Search Plus,  http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.proxy-bloomu.klnpa.org/eds/detail/detail?vid=5&sid=00d636c7-d942-45a6-85df-b7343285c5a1%40sdc-v-sessmgr02&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=19358662&db=mih

3. Maunder, Andrew. Bram Stoker. Northcote House Publishers, 2006, https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/bloomsburguniv-ebooks/reader.action?docID=3383429

4. “Dracula.” Bram Stoker Biography, https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/d/dracula/bram-stoker-biography