Sighișoara's medieval festival has been on my radar for years, but somehow I've never been able to visit, when the festival was held. With the pandemic and restriction, the festival was out of the question but this year there are no restrictions and I happened to be at the right place at the right time, so I was bale to attend the event.
Dracula is known by many foreigners, when you say Romania or Transylvania, all they know is Dracula. However, only a few know who Dracula really was. I'm not going to repeat what's on the internet, you can read about it here.
Today I'm going to show you Vlad Dracul's house. The place is located in the medieval city center of Sighișoara, inside the medieval walls. Sighi
Vlad II (Romanian: Vlad al II-lea), also known as Vlad Dracul (Vlad al II-lea Dracul) or Vlad the Dragon (before 1395 – November 1447), was Voivode of Wallachia from 1436 to 1442, and again from 1443 to 1447. He is internationally known as the father of Vlad the Impaler, or Dracula. Born an illegitimate son of Mircea I of Wallachia, he spent his youth at the court of Sigismund of Luxembourg, who made him a member of the Order of the Dragon in 1431 (hence his sobriquet). Sigismund also recognized him as the lawful voivode of Wallachia, allowing him to settle in nearby Transylvania. Vlad could not assert his claim during the life of his half-brother, Alexander I Aldea, who acknowledged the suzerainty of the Ottoman Sultan, Murad II. source
At the entrance there was this banner which supposed t attract as many visitors as possible. There's a 10 lei entrance fee, which is approximately 2 euro. We didn't visit the room as I don't think it worth it. It's not the money that stopped me though.
We went there to have a drink as they have a beautiful terrace and the place inside is even more beautiful.
The terrace has two levels, we were sitting on the upper level and this is what you see from there. Most of the tables were already reserved, which is not surprising at all, so we were happy to find a free table.
There was a short history on the menu, for those who wanted to know more, so I took a photo for you :)
The menu is impressive, there are photos of the place and Vlad Dracul in it, as well as dishes named after Dracula.
The most surprising dish on the menu for me was the Hungarian potatoes. I've never heard of it, had no idea such thing exists, but now I know.
We got there before noon and were not hungry, so we only had soft drinks, tea and coffee.
What seemed strange at first was the music on the terrace. Given the thematic of the place, I wasn't expecting pop music there, but that's what was aired. Seemed strange, but what can you do.
Inside however the atmosphere was very different. The minute you step in, you are surrounded by the medieval feeling, helped by the appropriate music.
Chairs were like back in those times and there were candles on the tables.
Once you exit the main room, towards the restroom, in the hall there was this armor displayed.
Next to the armor, there was this cupboard full or coffee, luxury coffee I'd say, judging by the price. They are betting on people buying souvenirs, but as long as I was there, no one bought anything.
The souvenir offer did not stop at the coffee cupboard. There was this cabinet, full other souvenirs, like magnets, key chains, cups all featuring the city or Vlad Dracul.
This is the hall between the restaurant and the restroom, where you can sit down and admire the armor and the drawing on the wall.
Or you could admire these medieval weapons and think about how difficult it must have been to fight with that heavy armor on you,using a weapon like these ones.
The head of Vlad Dracul on display.
This is not the only place to offer a little piece of history, with what you order. How much is true of what they say no one knows, but I'm usually not the type to question everything and believe nothing. When I visit a place like this one, I like to enjoy what is being offered to me. For me this place was great as you don't see this kind of medieval beauty at every corner. It really fits into the picture. What better place to enjoy a coffee or a soft drink in a medieval fortress, than this.
