Tags
Bram Stoker, crumbling, Dracula, drama, gothic, history, medieval, mono, photography, Romania, shadow, Sighisoara, Transylvania, UNESCO, vampire, Vlad Tepes, vlad the impaler, window, yellow
Do you remember that wonderful film? A vampire spoof with Count Dracula moving to New York after being driven out of his Transylvanian castle by the Communist government and a mob of angry villages. What a fantastic movie with some unforgettable one liners! I saw it in my very early teens and it has stayed with me ever since. That particular Dracula (George Hamilton) swept me off my young feet and had he come knocking on my window late one night I would have let him in and bared my neck without a moment’s hesitation 
Although not ‘love at first sight’ it was definitely curiosity and high hopes when I first set eyes on Sighişoara, birthplace of Vlad Dracula, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Count Dracula. We curled our way down the wooded hillside to this UNESCO World Heritage Site on the banks of the river Târnava Mare, one of the most beautiful and best-preserved medieval towns in Europe. Made up of two parts, the medieval stronghold sits atop a hill on the river bend with the lower town lying at its feet. From its original founding in the 12th century Sighişoara became one of the most important cities in Transylvania and its economic growth in the 14th and 15th centuries enabled the construction of a strong walled defence system with each of the 14 towers being built, maintained and defended by a craft guild, the most striking being the 14th century Clock Tower which controlled the main gate. 
Vlad Dracula, posthumously dubbed Vlad Țepeș (Vlad the Impaler) due to his preferred method of torture and execution, was ruler of the province of Wallachia during the mid 15th century and was born in the shadow of this tower. His father, Vlad II was a member of the chivalric ‘Order of the Dragon’, set up to uphold Christianity and defend the Empire against the Ottoman Turks. His bravery in fighting earned him the title Dracul, draco being Latin for dragon and Dracula, the title of Vlad Tepes, translates as Son of Dracul. 
As I made my way up to the Citadel I found myself going back in time and whilst walking the medieval mix of winding cobbled alleys, steep stairways, secluded squares, towers and turrets of this unique and beautiful town my heart slipped away unnoticed. 
(All images are copyright to Noeline Smith)
What a fabulous place! Beautiful images Noline and thanks for the history. I had no idea of the story behind the story. I hadn’t connected Vlad the impaler to Dracula.
Thanks Chillbrook. It really was an incredible place – so much so that there are more photos to come! Wandering about in the late evening and early morning with it virtually to myself was wonderfully atmospheric. The Vlad story is interesting as his cruelty horrified many but he was also something of a hero to those he defended – I guess the same can probably be said about a few places in the world these days.
I’ll look forward to those pictures Noeline. It’s always nice to get some history along with photographs like this. Sorry for the typo with your name by the way.
Don’t worry about that. You should hear the alternative names people use let alone the spelling
……. one of the best has got to be Knowling!!
I like the title, The commentary is very helpful in setting the scene and atmosphere. The images are superb – the saturated, vibrant colours and moody sepia match the text beautifully.
Thanks Louis. I have to say I wasn’t too sure about the sepia when I first did it but looking at it with fresh eyes it has more atmosphere than the colour scene and certainly suits the place better.
The colours are something else! You’ll see what I mean in my next post
Great combination of text and images, Noeline! I was swept along by it and loved the experience. Thankyou!
Thank you for your feedback June, it really is very much appreciated and I’m glad you enjoyed the post. If you haven’t seen it you ought to watch ‘Love at first bite’ – I think that particular Dracula will also sweep you off your feet
Wow, I was there in 1992, before there was any tourism push. Have to say it looks much better now, or maybe it’s your photos that make it look that way. I remember accidentally having Stoker and Interview with a Vampire in my backpack on that trip, and a couple of weeks later in Amsterdam every sound in the night made me bundle my coat tighter around my neck. . . ;o)
It’s great to hear from someone who’s been there – thank you! …… and I can just imagine you holding your collar tight
I went through Romania in 1994 and it was still a struggling nation. Although tourism is starting to come into play it is still very localised and there are fairly obvious wealth and development differences. A beautiful country though.
Presumably in ’94 Sighişoara was authentically untouched and very atmospheric. I guess it looked nothing like it does in my ‘Colour by numbers’ post then!
It might have looked like that, I just don’t remember. I ended up there by accident, having met a Norweigan on the train to Budapest who had a friend there opening up a disco, and I just went along for the ride. Lots of late nights, lot of sleepy days. . . ;o)
Sounds like a fun trip – those accidental happenings tend to be the most memorable
Amazing first photo, Noeline ! To me looks like the right person was at the right place, precisely at the right moment !
Thank you – I’m really pleased you like it!
We were sitting outside soaking up the atmosphere (with a glass of wine!) and I watched the darkness creep in, hoping that the Citadel lights would come on before the sky was completely black. As soon as it was what I was hoping for I excused myself and set about trying to capture that magical moment. This photo holds fond memories for me