{"id":718,"date":"2007-05-15T03:02:46","date_gmt":"2007-05-15T07:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s265039441.onlinehome.us\/philpaine\/?p=718"},"modified":"2018-08-18T20:25:19","modified_gmt":"2018-08-19T00:25:19","slug":"tuesday-may-15-2007-castle-dracula-sort-of","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/?p=718","title":{"rendered":"Tuesday, May 15, 2007 \u2014 Castle Dracula, Sort Of"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"07-05-15<\/a>\"07-05-15<\/a>The citadel at Deva was absolute\u00adly spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar. It perched on a rugged peak, over\u00adlook\u00ading the city, and could only be reached by a funic\u00adu\u00adlar rail\u00adway. It was pret\u00adty hard to imag\u00adine how it had been built. Every block and beam dragged up by ropes? It was in a pic\u00adturesque\u00adly ruined state. The view, over Deva (pop. 80,000) and the sur\u00adround\u00ading coun\u00adtry\u00adside, was beau\u00adti\u00adful. The lit\u00adtle, cone-shaped moun\u00adtain the citadel perch\u00ades upon is pro\u00adtect\u00aded for its rare flo\u00adral species and the pres\u00adence of the horned adder. We did\u00adn\u2019t stay long, as we had booked a train that left for Bra\u015fov in a few hours. This would be anoth\u00ader long, overnight haul, which would land us in that city in the wee hours of the morn\u00ading. Lone\u00adly Plan\u00adet had rec\u00adom\u00admend\u00aded two hos\u00adtels there, so we planned to just emerge from the rail\u00adway sta\u00adtion and try to find them.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"07-05-15<\/a>\"07-05-15<\/a>We could\u00adn\u2019t find the first one, near\u00adest the sta\u00adtion, so we pro\u00adceed\u00aded on a long walk to the oth\u00ader end of the city, again through streets that were most\u00adly emp\u00adty, silent, and poor\u00adly lit. But we found the sec\u00adond, which turned out to be extreme\u00adly nice. It even had a free laun\u00addry ser\u00advice, which by this time we were much in need of. We arranged to stay two days, so that we could make a day trip to Bran Cas\u00adtle, our third pre-planned des\u00adti\u00adna\u00adtion. Bra\u015fov was the biggest town we had seen in Roma\u00adnia so far. There was a sprin\u00adkling of tourists, the main square was impres\u00adsive, and there was a large Goth\u00adic, Luther\u00adan cathe\u00addral, look\u00ading com\u00adplete\u00adly out of place, in the cen\u00adter. In the mid\u00addle ages, \u201cSax\u00adons\u201d had migrat\u00aded to Tran\u00adsyl\u00adva\u00adnia in great num\u00adbers. The term was an umbrel\u00adla for almost any set\u00adtler from north\u00adern or cen\u00adtral Europe, but the major\u00adi\u00adty of them spoke some dialect of Ger\u00adman. Actu\u00adal\u00adly, few of them would have been from Sax\u00adony. The word was being used with the same loose\u00adness by which the Byzan\u00adtines and Arabs called all Euro\u00adpeans \u201cFranks\u201d. Bra\u015fov had been one of the largest medieval Ger\u00adman set\u00adtle\u00adments in Tran\u00adsyl\u00adva\u00adnia, which is quite evi\u00addent in the archi\u00adtec\u00adture, but now Ger\u00adman speech is known to less than one per\u00adcent of the pop\u00adu\u00adla\u00adtion. The town was half Hun\u00adgar\u00adi\u00adan a cen\u00adtu\u00adry ago, but today it\u2019s most\u00adly Romanian-speaking.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>

The rather grim \u201cBlack Church\u201d, a Luther\u00adan rel\u00adic in a now almost entire\u00adly East\u00adern Ortho\u00addox city.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"07-05-15<\/a>

Bra\u015fov seen from the near\u00adby moun\u00adtain-top lodge.<\/p><\/div>\n

For me, it\u2019s main attrac\u00adtion was that it was the birth\u00adplace of B\u00e1lint Bak\u00adfark, a Renais\u00adsance com\u00adpos\u00ader and lutanist of whom I\u2019m very fond. If you like the music of John Dow\u00adland, you might like Bakfark.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most tourists come to Bra\u015fov because it\u2019s the biggest town near Bran Cas\u00adtle. That\u2019s essen\u00adtial\u00adly why we were there, and it final\u00adly brings us to the sub\u00adject that I\u2019ve avoid\u00aded dis\u00adcussing until now: Dracula.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, I\u2019m sure that most Roma\u00adni\u00adans are sick to death of Drac\u00adu\u00adla. Tran\u00adsyl\u00adva\u00adnia is an extra\u00ador\u00addi\u00adnar\u00adi\u00adly beau\u00adti\u00adful coun\u00adtry of moun\u00adtains, forests, and a farm\u00adland, with charm\u00ading old towns, cas\u00adtles, and won\u00adder\u00adful ski resorts. Visu\u00adal\u00adly, it\u2019s sort of a cross between Switzer\u00adland and Mon\u00adtana, though admit\u00adted\u00adly still very eco\u00adnom\u00adi\u00adcal\u00adly unde\u00advel\u00adoped. But in the 19th Cen\u00adtu\u00adry, it was the least-trav\u00adeled part of Europe, it\u2019s curi\u00adous eth\u00adnic mix\u00adture, and it\u2019s fron\u00adtier sta\u00adtus between the Haps\u00adburg and Ottoman empires made it seem extreme\u00adly dis\u00adtant and exot\u00adic to an Irish author like Bram Stok\u00ader. To the roman\u00adtic mind of the 19th cen\u00adtu\u00adry, any wild for\u00adest was a dark and men\u00adac\u00ading enti\u00adty. Moun\u00adtains and forests were the abode of the super\u00adnat\u00adur\u00adal. Stok\u00ader spent eight years research\u00ading vam\u00adpire folk\u00adlore before writ\u00ading his nov\u00adel, but he nev\u00ader trav\u00adeled to Tran\u00adsyl\u00adva\u00adnia. Vam\u00adpires are a com\u00admon folk motif every\u00adwhere in East\u00adern Europe, play\u00ading rough\u00adly the same role as the Witch motif in West\u00adern Europe. Stok\u00ader drew on these tra\u00addi\u00adtions for his roman\u00adtic tale of vam\u00adpirism. In addi\u00adtion, he fixed on a name from Tran\u00adsyl\u00advan\u00adian His\u00adto\u00adry, Vlad \u0162epe\u015f the Voivode of Wal\u00adlachia, also known as Vlad III<\/span> the Impaler, Kaz\u0131k\u00adl\u0131 Bey in Turk\u00adish, or Vlad Dr\u0103culea \u2014 or to Eng\u00adlish read\u00aders, Drac\u00adu\u00adla. Vlad the Impaler was wide\u00adly known for his grue\u00adsome habit of impal\u00ading his ene\u00admies, but he was by no means the most vio\u00adlent prince in the region or peri\u00adod. But among Haps\u00adburg and Ger\u00adman his\u00adto\u00adri\u00adans, he was used as an exem\u00adplar of the bru\u00adtal and ter\u00adri\u00adfy\u00ading Balkan ruler. How\u00adev\u00ader, Vlad Drac\u00adu\u00adla was nev\u00ader asso\u00adci\u00adat\u00aded with vam\u00adpirism in any local tra\u00addi\u00adtion or folk\u00adlore. The two ele\u00adments did not have any\u00adthing to do with each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

So Bram Stok\u00ader pulled togeth\u00ader var\u00adi\u00adous ele\u00adments to make Drac\u00adu\u00adla. The folk tra\u00addi\u00adtions of the undead vam\u00adpires were com\u00admon to most of East\u00adern Europe, and can be found in ancient Greek lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture. To these, he added the Faus\u00adt\u00adian theme of the bar\u00adgain with the dev\u00adil, and of eter\u00adnal life at a hor\u00adrif\u00adic price. This last theme had many incar\u00adna\u00adtions in Euro\u00adpean lit\u00ader\u00ada\u00adture, and was already well estab\u00adlished in Roman\u00adtic hor\u00adror fic\u00adtion. For the cas\u00adtle, Stok\u00ader was actu\u00adal\u00adly inspired by one he saw in Scot\u00adland, but of course, they abound\u00aded in hor\u00adror fic\u00adtion. It was mere\u00adly a mat\u00adter of shift\u00ading Cas\u00adtle Franken\u00adstein (Switzer\u00adland was still exot\u00adic when Mary Shel\u00adley wrote her mas\u00adter\u00adpiece) fur\u00adther East. Since few Eng\u00adlish read\u00aders had any clear idea of what was in Tran\u00adsyl\u00adva\u00adnia, it could be turned by his deft poet\u00adic hand into a fan\u00adtas\u00adtic land of dark\u00adness, mys\u00adtery and horror.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Vlad<\/a>

Vlad III<\/span> \u021aepe\u0219 or \u201cVlad the Impaler\u201d of the House Basarab-Dr\u0103cule\u0219ti c.1560<\/p><\/div>\n

Stok\u00ader\u2019s Drac\u00adu\u00adla played so expert\u00adly on the sub\u00adcon\u00adscious fears of sex\u00adu\u00adal\u00adi\u00adty and mor\u00adtal\u00adi\u00adty that absorbed the Eng\u00adlish of the Vic\u00adto\u00adri\u00adan Era, that Drac\u00adu\u00adla became a pow\u00ader\u00adful sym\u00adbol. Stok\u00ader had con\u00adstruct\u00aded an arche\u00adtype. The effect of this image was mul\u00adti\u00adplied when the Hun\u00adgar\u00adi\u00adan actor B\u00e9la Fer\u00adenc Dezs\u0151 Blask\u00f3 (Bela Lugosi) cre\u00adat\u00aded a per\u00adfect visu\u00adal and vocal man\u00adi\u00adfes\u00adta\u00adtion of this arche\u00adtype. The Drac\u00adu\u00adla myth con\u00adtin\u00adues to be pro\u00adfound\u00adly evoca\u00adtive, wher\u00adev\u00ader you have read\u00aders who see in it a sym\u00adbol\u00adic rep\u00adre\u00adsen\u00adta\u00adtion of their own inner fears, sex\u00adu\u00adal ambi\u00adgu\u00adi\u00adty, or iso\u00adla\u00adtion and lone\u00adli\u00adness. The immense suc\u00adcess of Ann Rice nov\u00adels in recent times shows that the arche\u00adtype still has tremen\u00addous power.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, it\u2019s not sur\u00adpris\u00ading that Roma\u00adni\u00adans would find this asso\u00adci\u00ada\u00adtion of one of their his\u00adtor\u00adi\u00adcal fig\u00adures \u2014 to them, bet\u00adter known as one of lead\u00aders in con\u00adflicts with the Turks \u2014 with all this super\u00adnat\u00adur\u00adal stuff to be a bit embarrassing.<\/span><\/p>\n

But, after all, the real Vlad Drac\u00adu\u00adla was a pret\u00adty scary guy, and vam\u00adpires are part of local folk\u00adlore, and tourists are eager to flock to some\u00adplace if they believe it to be \u201cDrac\u00adu\u00adla\u2019s cas\u00adtle\u201c. So a cas\u00adtle that can be attached to his name is a big asset. Vlad Drac\u00adu\u00adla was a Prince of Wal\u00adlachia, not Tran\u00adsyl\u00adva\u00adnia, but the flat coun\u00adtry of Wal\u00adlachia is not very roman\u00adtic ter\u00adri\u00adto\u00adry. He did of course spend some time in the moun\u00adtains of Tran\u00adsyl\u00adva\u00adnia. Like most princes in that era, Vlad\u2019s name could be con\u00adnect\u00aded to sev\u00ader\u00adal cas\u00adtles. The best can\u00addi\u00addate, the one that would be most describ\u00adable as his home, is Poe\u00adnari Cas\u00adtle, in the Cen\u00adtral South\u00adern Carpathi\u00adans. Unfor\u00adtu\u00adnate\u00adly, there is noth\u00ading left of it but a small ruin, and it is locat\u00aded in a place very dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to reach. Ser\u00advic\u00ading it on a large scale for tourists would be expen\u00adsive and imprac\u00adti\u00adcal. Also, once there, tourists would not see enough to please them.<\/span><\/p>\n

So the sta\u00adtus of \u201cDrac\u00adu\u00adla\u2019s cas\u00adtle\u201c has fall\u00aden to Bran Cas\u00adtle, a quite nice lit\u00adtle cas\u00adtle, well pre\u00adserved, near a big town with good rail con\u00adnec\u00adtions. Bran Cas\u00adtle can be con\u00adnect\u00aded to Vlad III<\/span> only very mar\u00adgin\u00adal\u00adly. But it is now more or less the offi\u00adcial Cas\u00adtle Drac\u00adu\u00adla, and prob\u00ada\u00adbly the sin\u00adgle biggest tourist attrac\u00adtion in Roma\u00adnia. At its base, there are sev\u00ader\u00adal acres of sou\u00advenir stands and tourist ser\u00advices. It\u2019s actu\u00adal\u00adly kind of charm\u00ading, because they are so ridicu\u00adlous\u00adly tacky, so idi\u00adot\u00adic, that you can\u2019t get angry. It would be like sneer\u00ading at a chil\u00addren\u2019s lemon\u00adade stand for being an inef\u00adfi\u00adcient busi\u00adness. If you have a des\u00adper\u00adate desire to have vam\u00adpire pota\u00adto chips or latex fangs made in Tai\u00adwan, then this is the place to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

How\u00adev\u00ader, the trash ends at the gate, and once you enter the cas\u00adtle grounds, all men\u00adtion of Drac\u00adu\u00adla stops. I will give cred\u00adit to the oper\u00ada\u00adtors of the cas\u00adtle. It is well restored, and it\u2019s inte\u00adri\u00ador is a fine muse\u00adum of local his\u00adto\u00adry, focus\u00ading on the actu\u00adal impor\u00adtant inhab\u00adi\u00adtant of the cas\u00adtle, Queen Marie of Roma\u00adnia. Fur\u00adni\u00adture, house\u00adwares, and objets d\u2019art<\/em> either from the local region, or from Marie\u2019s per\u00adson\u00adal effects, are dis\u00adplayed with taste. No Drac\u00adu\u00adla stuff. The trip was quite worth it for the castle\u2019s actu\u00adal his\u00adto\u00adry, or for that mat\u00adter for the spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar scenery you see while get\u00adting there.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>

A store-front in Bra\u015fov urges Roma\u00adni\u00adans to emi\u00adgrate to vam\u00adpire-free Canada.<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Religious<\/a>

Reli\u00adgious mur\u00adal in Bra\u015fov.<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The citadel at Deva was absolute\u00adly spec\u00adtac\u00adu\u00adlar. It perched on a rugged peak, over\u00adlook\u00ading the city, and could only be reached by a funic\u00adu\u00adlar rail\u00adway. It was pret\u00adty hard to imag\u00adine how it had been built. Every block and beam \u2026<\/p>\n

Read more \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wp_typography_post_enhancements_disabled":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1,11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-a-blog","category-at-blog-2007"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=718"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9158,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/718\/revisions\/9158"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=718"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=718"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.philpaine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=718"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}