European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 27, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Transylvanian Holiday Dracula fact of legend movie image a far cry from reality Sas Marian Hamilton Castle bran in Central Romania is hyped As Dracula s Castle even though the real Dracula never stayed there above. Be a Lugosi right became famous playing the count. A sign above right Marks Dracula s Birthplace. By Marian Hamilton Mediterranean Bureau what better Way to spend halloween than in the land that fathered the Mother of All monsters a group of 35 americans and friends recently spent four Days in Transylvania the Region that produced Dracula. The trip jointly organized by . In Naples Italy and the transylvanian society of Dracula in Bucharest costs $475. The Price included round trip airfare hotels and most meals. More trips Are planned including halloween weekend. But of course americans think they know All about count Dracula. He s the Guy with the White makeup and the Long Teeth who frequents late night horror movies on television. He s also on Cereal boxes As count chock la children s television programming sesame Street s compulsive counter and reruns of Scobie Doo cartoons.  Atco lae Pacuraru president and founder of the transylvanian society of Dracula served As the group s guide. Pacuraru notes that there Are other sides to the sexy neck biter that was first introduced to the world in 1897 by Irish novelist Bram Stoker. The popular gothic novel became even More successful when it was made into a play in 1927 and a film in 1931 the film made actor Bela Lugosi an International Star. The count s most recent reincarnation was in the 1992 movie Bram Stoker s Dracula directed by Francis Ford Coppola. According to popular legend count Dracula is an unclear villian and can be recognized by his inability to cast a Shadow or to be reflected in a Mirror. It is thought vampires can be repelled by displaying a Crucifix or sleeping with a Wreath of garlic around the neck. Legend says vampires can Only be killed by a stake driven in Trie heart or by destroying their daytime hiding places. Historical evidence documented in in search of Dracula by Boston College professors Radu r. Florescu and Raymond t. Mcnally shows the real Dracula was not a count not commonly known As Dracula and not thought to have Ever tasted a single drop of blood. As far As the general romanian population goes he s known mainly to historians interested in obscure 15th Century rulers. In the romanian province of Transylvania he s a hero. But in the opinions of turks germans and some of the local Nobles of Dracula s time he was the worst mass murderer Ever to walk the face of the Earth. Prince Vlad Dracula Tepes the irn paler was born in. The Village of sight Sara in 1430 or 1431, the son of Vlad Dracula ruler of Transylvania. I he spent much of his Early life As a political prisoner of the turks in constantinople now known As Istanbul. Then Heads of state in Small countries were kept in line by being forced to Send family members to be guests of larger nations. After Vlad Dracula was murdered in 1448, the younger Vlad was allowed to return Home. But he was forced off the throne by his former captors after Only two months of  regained the throne from 1458 to 1464 before once again being removed by the turks. He spent the next 12 years As a political prisoner this Tims Jafee was imprisoned in Czechoslovakia after being betrayed by a relative. His final reign was in 1476, but he was killed in a Battle with the turks after Only a few months on the throne. ,. Stories Good and bad abound about the real Dracula. He gave 16 mountains to the villagers of Aref who helped him escape the turks in 1464. The original copy of this proclamation is in a museum in Bucharest and  is in Force. He killed thousands of German immigrants who were taking local jobs away from native transylvanian. According to villagers Dracula Only killed locals if they did something immoral or wrong. For instance he killed a wife who tej her husband leave their House wearing too Short a shirt. She was killed As an example to other wives not to be Lazy. He also killed Boyars local noblemen who were disrespectful and laughed about How Many princes had been of the transylvanian throne in their lifetimes. Dracula supposedly gave a banquet for All the poor and sick people in a Village near his Castle. He fed them and got them drunk then boarded up the banquet Hall and set fire to it. Anyone trying to escape was killed. His reason was so that they would t suffer any  another account says he held a feast at a Village near where he wanted to build his personal Castle. He encouraged All the villagers to Wear their Best clothes. Those who showed up in the finery of the nobility were stripped marched 20 Miles to the Castle site and forced to build his new Castle. Dracula killed thousands of turks in Battle but was not much easier on them in peacetime. He supposedly nailed the hats of some turkish envoys to their Heads when they refused to remove their headgear in his presence. He was thought to have murdered almost 1,000 12 stripes Magazine october 27, 1994