Showing posts with label vlad the impaler. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vlad the impaler. Show all posts
If you were Vlad the Impaler (more commonly known as Dracula) of 15th century Romania, you took revenge on people by simply impaling your victims by forcing them to sit on a sharp and thick pole. The pole was then raised upright and the victim was left to slide further down the pole by his or her own weight.
Often, the pole would emerge through the sternum so that its tip could be placed under the chin to prevent further sliding. It could take the victim three days to die. Vlad did this to between 20,000 and 300,000. It is said he enjoyed having a meal while watching impalements.
Labels:
vlad the impaler,
vladimir tepes
A theme park dedicated to Dracula will be built near the Romanian capital rather than in Transylvania.A feasibility study carried out by PriceWaterhouseCoopers claims the park would attract more than a million tourists a year if it were located near the Romanian capital.
They add just 600,000 visitors would come if it was built in the area where the vampire is said to have come from.
Sighisoara was initially chosen because it gave birth to the 15th century prince Vlad the Impaler.
According to legend, the bloodthirsty prince captured invading Turks and common criminals and impaled them on stakes in public market places. That legend inspired Bram Stoker's 1897 novel of the bloodsucking count.
However, residents and officials in Sighisoara are angry at the results of the study, as they had hoped the park would help revive the struggling local economy.
PriceWaterhouseCoopers is to identify the best location for the park near the capital by March, said Tone.
Bucharest also has alleged ties to the prince. Vlad's body is believed to be buried in a monastery he built on an island of Snagov lake, just north of the capital.
Building the park near the capital would also appease conservationists, who have claimed that intensive tourism and construction would damage a medieval citadel in Sighisoara and a protected oak forest.
Romania hopes the park will bring hundreds of thousands of Western tourists.
The village of Snagov is a short jog north of Bucharest, and may be a worthwhile trip for any Dracula enthusiasts. The most notable feature is the lake, in the center of which is located an island. On this island is a 16th century monastery . . . and in the monastery—you guessed it—is the tomb of Vlad the Impaler. What setting could be more perfect for the grave of one of history’s spookiest personalities?
The Legend of Snagov: In one version of the story, Vlad the Impaler was murdered in a nearby forest, and the monks of the monastery took it upon themselves to inter the villain. Perhaps the monks felt indebted to Vlad for the additions he insisted be added to their abode—most bizarrely, a prison and a torture chamber. Whatever the reasons, the monks dressed the body richly and put it to rest in front of the church alter.
The Mystery of Snagov Monastery: Less romantically, there are some arguments against the body in the tomb being that of the real Vlad. While Vlad did request to be buried at the monastery, some say that it was another nobleman who was placed in this tomb.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
