Travel Highlights of Transylvania
Remote Region of Romania Famous for Count Dracula, Bears and Wolves
Oct 9, 2008
One of the highlights of Transylvania is Brasov, a three hour drive from Romania's capital Bucharest. The town is a short bus trip from the Poiana Brasov ski resort.
Brasov Town
The town’s main attraction is the Black Church, said to be the most significant gothic monument in Transylvania. Built between 1385 and 1477, it is named after the fire that damaged it and destroyed much of the city in 1689 during a siege of Austrian forces.
- The year 1477 is written in Gothic letters on the front gate, the only wooden part of the church that resisted the fire.
- A monument adorns one side of the church, the statue of a boy who showed such promise while helping to build the church, that the master felt threatened for his future and killed him.
Across town, signs of a more recent conflict are also present. At the end of the main pedestrian street, a building still carries the scars of bullet holes, a sign of the period of unrest sparked by the Romanian revolution and fall of communism in December 1989.
Bran Castle
No trip to Transylvania can be complete without a visit to Bran Castle, or Dracula's Castle, as featured in the Bram Stoker novel. Either hire a car or join a guided tour. The surroundings look spectacular in winter so sit back and enjoy the barren, snow covered countryside and learn the history of the man on whom Dracula is allegedly based, Vlad Dracul.
Vlad the Impaler
Vlad Dracul served as Prince Wallachi, in southern Romania during the 15th century and was known as Vlad the Impaler due to his preferred method of killing his victims. While he never actually owned the castle, Vlad is rumoured to have stayed there on occasions when passing through Transylvania.
Vampires - Myth or Reality?
Bran Castle itself stands high up on rocks, imposingly looking down on the valley beneath it and surrounded by sinister, dark forest. The inside of the castle contains enough dark staircases and eerie furniture and artefacts to provide some scares but in reality it's difficult to live up to the legend. Most of the artefacts that were able to be recovered from the communist leaders belonged to Queen Marie, who lived in the castle in the early 20th century, and there's little mention of Vlad Dracul or vampires.
Carpathian Mountains
So the vampires may not be real, but there's still the opportunity to see some scary creatures here. One of the highlights of Transylvania is arguably the beautifully remote Carpathian mountain range that sweeps from Ukraine to the north, through Transylvania and on towards Serbia.
It's here that that the European Brown Bear and European Grey Wolf can be spotted in the wild, a fantastic experience. The Bears in particular are an incredible sight. They can grow up to 2.5m and weigh upwards of 400kg.
- This is excellent hiking country - in particular at Piatra Craiului National Park
- The Fagaras and Bucegi Mountain rages, either side of the town of Zarnresti, are also great hiking destinations.
- The Eurasian Lynx, though largely elusive, can be found in south east Transylvania and northern Romania.
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