Vlad the Impaler and "Count Dracula"

Vlad III, Price of Wallachia is most commonly known for inspiring the name of the vampire in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.   It is absolutely clear that Stoker had no basis for attributing the belief in impalement (as a ‘cure’ for a vampire) to Vlad Ţepeş when there is no evidence that Vlad believed that it was so.  Further, claims that Vlad raised the stakes in awfulness of execution because he introduced impalement cannot be sustained since, according to Hungarian popular tradition, it was a method (for execution) for dealing with them that had been long recognised and, not the least, pre-dated Vlad Ţepeş’ reign.  More striking still, with regards to the “devilry” attributed to Vlad Ţepeş by the Transylvanian Saxons, as a method of execution, impalement had long been prescribed by the Saxons in their penal code.

Let us begin this round-up of Transylvania with the town which features in Count Dracula – Bistriţa (or Bistritz in German).  The sense of history and tradition in Bistriţa is tangible.  Because of the geographical isolation of the region, its timeless quality and the fact that it is a frontier zone it has a particular atmosphere.  The authentic folklore and Stoker’s influence compete side-by-side for attention but the reality is much more interesting than Stoker could possibly have imagined.

Located in the modern county of Bistriţa-Nasăud in the north east of Transylvania, Bistriţa (Bistritz in German) has had a troubled history.  Named after the Bistritz river on which it sits, it was one of the towns in which the German settlers, who moved from eastern Germany to Transylvania during the 12th century (and who became known as “Saxons” as a result) settled in large numbers.  In 1711 the German magistrates expelled the Romanians from the town but over time they or their descendants returned.  At the time that Stoker wrote “Count Dracula” German-speakers numbered 1,321 and Romanian-speakers accounted 3,619 out of a total population of 6,820 .  Although Bistriţa was a mixed town it was totally surrounded by Romanian-speaking villages.  In 1930 ethnic Germans formed 31.6 % of the population.

Bistriţa is a frontier town and besides being exchanged between the major political powers over many centuries it was also subject to the raids by the various nomadic tribes who raided eastern and central Europe between the 7th and 18th centuries.  The Saxons and their descendants had made a very good living based on the numerous tanneries and sawmills in the town, reinforced by Bistriţa’s position as an entrepôt for trade with Danzig via the Oder River and that wealth attracted the attentions of the various steppe dwellers.  Nevertheless, because the Saxons pursued an independent lifestyle, not co-operating with their Romanian-speaking neighbours, it became impossible to come to any agreement about defending the town.

The various guilds into which the Saxon community at work was divided each had responsibility for construction of one of the towers and contribution towards the walls that were erected.  This led to a lack of standardisation and this was a potential weakness in the defences.

Originally there were 18 towers in the town wall but only one – the Dagarilor still stands. Today there is a puppet museum located there, many of whose puppets represent Romanian/ Transylvanian strigoii (the devils in Romanian folklore).  Nevertheless, although Stoker knew the word ‘strigoi’, he would not have been aware of these component characters, when he wrote Dracula.  When I visited the museum in 2001 some of my travelling companions thought the puppets were grotesque but I thought they were fascinating, particularly since many of their components are made of natural items.  The museum is managed by a man who makes and maintains many of the puppets and who claims to be a member of the Order of Dracula, which, he also claims, has its headquarters in Paris – he claims to be the only member based in Romania.

The Saxons now form a very tiny minority of the population of the town, which is very largely Romanian speaking, bar some Hungarian-speakers.  German-speakers started leaving the town during the war.  This trend was accelerated by impending defeat of the German forces by the Soviets whose border advanced to close to the town as a result of the Potsdam Treaty.  Some expulsions by the Romanian Government followed this voluntary ‘repatriation’. 

- to be continued with more on Vlad the Impaler and Bistrita-

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Dracula - the legend