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Castle Poenari in Romania - one of the oldest in the country. The fortress was built in the 13th century, and then in the 15th century it was seriously converted by Vlad Tepes, who lived here for several years. This fact explains the popularity of the Poenari among fans of the Dracula Story

It is well known that Vlad Tepes (that is, Dracula!) Has lived in this residence for a long time.

Despite his condition (Poeneri now actually is a ruin) , the castle is constantly visited by tourists. He necessarily enters into all "Dracula-tours". Poenari is considered a counterbalance to the center of admirers of the book of Bram Stoker - Bran Castle. Some believe that it is the Poenari - the castle of Dracula, because it is reliably known that Vlad Tepes lived in this residence for a long time. A ruin adds a place of mysticism. Therefore, the Poenari are called Real Dracula Castle ("the real fortress of Dracula").

There are Poenari among the Carpathian Mountains. From the fortress a gorgeous view opens up to the gorge of the Arges River.

To climb into the fortress, you need to overcome a long and steep staircase. We will have to go through more than 1,500 steps carved into the rock.

The walls of the fortress are thicker than 3 m, along the perimeter there were observation platforms. According to legend, Vlad Tepesh was executed by boyars. And with one of the sites thrown into the abyss by his wife Elena, when she learned of his imaginary death - and again the trace of Dracula! It is said that the river's water in the place of the fall of the woman is still red.

Poenari is generally surrounded by a large number of legends. According to one of them, somewhere in the fortress there is an entrance to the underground tunnel, which ends in Turkey. No one saw this tunnel, but for some reason there is no doubt about it.

In the Middle Ages, Poenari served as an excellent defensive fortress that protected the gorge of the Arges River and was part of the complex of the Romanian defenses from the north. Beginning with the 16th century, Poenari gradually began to decline. The last large-scale reconstruction took place in 1972, when the walls were strengthened and stairs were made for the ascent of tourists. Now Poeneri is in a state of "unhurried reconstruction" - this means that, having arrived there, one can find scaffolding, but not see a single worker.


Ascent to the fortress of Poenari

Practical information

Find Poenari can be: along the gorge of the Arges River, the Transfagarash Highway runs, which connects two areas - Wallachia and Transylvania. The fortress is at a height of 50 m from the Vidraru dam, which you should orient yourself on.

The trip to Poeneri can be combined with a visit to Lake Vidraru, swim and sunbathe. Near the fortress there is a center for ecological agro-tourism, for lovers of natural products - this paradise.

Address: Romania, Arges County, Arefu commune, Capatanenii Pamanteni village.