Searching the lost treasure of Dracula

There are in the Romanian history a few moments with suddenly unexpected executions, spectacular escapes or reversing rulers who leave a lots of spaces to speculations about the possible lost treasures. For the professional treasure seeker a gold mine, for sure, but no major discovery has been made during the last 150 years.

I will give you some examples of such dramatic crucial moments: the conquer of the Dacia by the Romans, first century b.C, when the Roman conquerors took with them a big treasure to Rome, but another substantial part of it has been lost and some people are still looking for it.

Much more recently, the dissolution and fall of Ceausescu  regime left space for for the speculations. Where is his money ( it is spoken than Ceausescu was a dollar millionaire))? Here in Romania we suspect his best men from Securitate, who knew a lot about secret operations. We also have some names, but there are no evidence against them; unbelievable, some of them are wealthy businessmen or powerful politicians, and you understand why I can't give any name! Aditionally, Ceausescu has a living son and a son in law, entitled to inherite all the fortune (they are poor nowadays and work as any normal people).

A notorious figure of the Middle Age, which turned meanwhile in a legend, is the prince Dracula. On the real name Vlad Tepes, he reigned twice in Wallachia (the southern part of Romania) and proved himself to be cruel, blood thirsty and intolerant. Both times when he was reversed, people said he had the necessary time to collect a healthy treasure, but did not manage to take it with. And no one reported yet the crucial discovery, there are still hopes and huge expectations for it. Some maniacs and fanatics invested fortunes, and lost a lot, but they don't give up and never accept to face the true. Or maybe have secret sources of information, pushing them to search and to dig up.

One of the best places for searching the lost treasure of Dracula is the isolated castle and fortress from Poenari. It lies on the Tranfagarasan, an iconic highway, not far from Curtea de Arges, on the way to Sibiu. Poenari is a genuine eagles' nest, and Dracula gave here some desperate battles, before to start his exile. Once you will reach the fortress, imagine it surrounded by enemies, who did not manage to conquer it, as it was practically impossible. Dracula made a spectacular retreat through secret underground channels. It is also said (popular legend) that during the siege, his faithful people used to communicate through arrows shot with unbelievable precision!

Even if you will not find the treasure of Dracula, the fortress of Poenari offers you as compensation a wonderful wide view

The fortress and its breathtaking location attracted already from the XIXth century the Romanian historians literally like a magnet! One legend says that the castle from Poenari was build by Vlad Tepes Dracula with the forced labor of local lords which were not loial in some circumstances. According other sources, the fortress is another 100 years older. Whatever is the true, it is the right place for the mystery seekers. From the main highway, in the front of the electric factory, leave your car and start climbing 1500 stairs to the fortress. Please dare and climb, but you must be fit and may not look back or down! The wide panorama is the first compensation for your efforts. Observe to the South the highway, and the cars looking smaller and smaller. To the North, the Vidraru dam with its strange monument coruscate. My tip: at night the panorama is even more spectacular, but only a few are able to do that.

I can only hope that the Vidrau lake did not swallow the hidden treasure of dracula!

According the local myths and legends, from the wide cellars started a secret passage, the last chance to escape. The same secret passage served as a hide for the Royal treasure, as official documents mention it. The money was kept in wine barrels, ready to be placed under the river bed if necessary. And this mentioned treasure of Vlad Tepes Dracula is still being searched by many adventurers!

Take a walk inside the fortress, and play the King, thinking about the best places for hiding the treasure! Observe the thick walls, they are 2-3 meters, and observe also the oval form of the fortress. There are five defending towers, four round and one rectangular. One could get inside only on a narrow bridge put on the abyssal precipice.

Even if you are a skilled sportsman and adventurer, please don't get me serious about climbing at night! Make it only in daylight, because it is difficult, and is possible to find snakes between the stones! Also, avoid the storms while climbing, otherwise bizarre phenomena can scare you totally ( deposits of electrostatic energy).

The true is, that Vlad Tepes Dracula is an important asset for the Romanian tourism, even without finding his treasure!

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Dracula Tour on Haloween

There are more opportunities which you don't want to miss very soon, within a few days. On one hand, the frequent passages and aggressive marketing Dracula enjoys in Romania, on the other hand the celebration of scaring Halloween worldwide (which is again a matter of marketing, of course). My idea and proposition for you is the Halloween Dracula Tour in Romania, a clever combination of these two events.

You must be very carefully, and book very soon, the Halloween falls on the 31st, and we must be on the way! Let,s start on the 28th, as the tour itself lasts 3 days long and costs only 270 Euro, as a way to thank you this last minute reservation! Completely not recommended for honeymoon!


The historic truth served as a base for a well known novel of Bram Stoker . There was a Wallachian ruler called Vlad Tepes (The Impaler) who was a very cruel man, his favorite execution method being the impalement. He hated the Turks and strongly fought against them, being celebrate as an athlete of Christianity and being supported even by the Pope.

Vlad Tepes The Impaler, also called Dracula, was cruel, severe, but right and fair, according to Romanian myths and legends

He had no trust in the local influent big boyars, who betrayed his father. These categories of enemies of Vlad Tepes gave him the unhappy opportunities to execute many of them. In the Romanian myths and legends, Vlad Tepes has been portrayed as a right, but severe ruler. His opened mass executions freightened even the big Sultan Mehmet II The Conqueror, coming to Wallachia to cash his tribute or kill Vlad Tepes. So, Mehmet II lost his temper and gone back, when seeing terrible scenes of impaled Turks ( a slow difficult death).

Starting from this truth, Bram Stroker's Novel made from Dracula a world symbol of horror, which is a terrible mistification. But we shall also marketing the Dracula legacy! And I gathered in this Romanian Dracula Tour everything which can remember the life and rule of Vlad Tepes Impaler.

Sighisoara is the birthplace of Vlad Tepes, and a well preserved medieval fortress

Day 1 Sighisoara in Transilvania is the birth place of Vlad Tepes The Impaler. The town of Sighisoara is even nowadays a very well preserved medieval fortress, and many buildings look in the same way they did a few centuries ago, during Tepes childhood. Stay a day there, walk and look the traces of Dracula. Wine tasting in Jidvei possible, and even probable.

The Bran Castle has many in common with Dracula  and makes a good marketing and publicity for it

Day 2 Travel to Cabana Fantanele, a mountain chalet, where Dracula used to refugiate, and Bran Castle, where you can find a torture room and the genuine atmosphere of the old times. You are supposed to eat a lot of garlic during all the day, in order to keep the Devil away (The Romanian Dracula originates from Dracu, or Devil). Not recommended for people with heart diseases, and only possible with a prescription from you Physician.

The Monastery of Snagov  hosts, according the legend,  the tomb  of Dracula

Day 3 Travel to Bucharest and visit the Monastery of Snagov, where according to the legend Vlad Tepes the Impaler was buried. This is again a mistification, he lies most probably in Comana monastery! Besides, you can visit other nice places in Bucharest or one of its wine tasting rooms.
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