Exclusive Interview with the Man behind Dracula Village

I spoke to Radu Oprea, the brains behind the exciting new project "Dracula Village," to be built in Bran, Transylvania. Set to appeal to both historians and Stoker fans as a shining example of "Responsible Dracula Tourism" (that respects and separates fact from fiction), the village is currently in the design-and-fund-finding phase. I asked Radu for more details...

Radu Oprea, Founder, Dracula Village

What is #DraculaVillage?

Dracula Village is the project of a thematic vacation resort in Bran Village, Transylvania, overlooking #Bran Castle and the Bucegi Mountains. It contains 8 thematic buildings that are designed by architect Gabriel Henegar in the old Bran architectural style. Actually, each building is a piece of art in itself! The project is also supported by Dacre Stoker, author of Dracula the Un-Dead!

How did you come up with the idea?

#Romania is perceived everywhere in the world as the Land of Dracula. #BramStoker put our country on the world’s list of thematic touristic destinations. Count Dracula might have been that “Voievode (War Lord) Dracula” Bram was making a reference to- Vlad the Impaler, our medieval ruler who fought the Ottoman Empire. With Dracula Village, we want to be the promoters of “Responsible Dracula Tourism,” as Dacre Stoker nicely put it. We want to become the base for thematic Dracula tours where visitors can learn about the fictitious story of Dracula and the real facts about Vlad the Impaler. The idea of Dracula Village came when we discovered the property in 2015. Once on the site, you realize you can do no other project but this.

How will you start?

Building a small village from scratch is a daring journey. We will first use crowdfunding for the first round of funding. Of course, we might try to get hold of some European Union funding but this comes with many strings attached. We’ve made the best start by buying the property in Bran.

How big do you envisage the project becoming?

The project can become anything from something small, where we would have only a few houses available for our tourists, to something really big. Crowdfunding has shown that everything is possible. If we raise more than we hope, we can buy more land and extend the village.

Architect Gabriel Henegar

How 'vampiric' or Dracula themed will the village be?

It is planned to be “responsibly vampiric.” Of course, we don’t want to scare children away, but at the same time we want to honor “Dracula legends.” For example, the village contains houses like Stoker’s Retreat as a tribute to Bram Stoker. Also, we have Bela’s Cottage. Bela Lugosi was the first actor to play Count Dracula and he was also born in Romania. The other houses that we want to build are Mina & Lucy Villas, Prince Vlad Mansion, Van Helsing Duplex, Whitby Hall, Harker Café, and a Crafts House. However, our village is Dracula Village because it is located in Bran, where Bran Castle is. Few people know that Bram Stoker saw a sketch of the castle during his research and used it as a model to design the fictitious castle of Count Dracula. So, we have the perfect location for this project and, with the help of interior designs of the buildings, we will create the perfect atmosphere for a memorable Dracula Vacation.

Whitby Hall, named by Blood Omen author, Katie Ruth Davies

Have you been working with Dacre or any non-Transylvanians on the implementation of this project?

Dacre Stoker is an inspiration to us and we are really honoured to be developing this project together. He is the promoter of “Responsible Dracula Tourism” in Romania and this project is aimed at contributing to that. Actually, we had the pleasure of hosting him and a group of American tourists visiting Romania on a Dracula Tour recently. We had a nice picnic together on the property of Dracula Village and had a very good time together by the camp fire, eating “bulz” and trying on traditional shepherd’s outfits. Aside from the architect and the interior designer, all members of our team are non-Transylvanian, born in Galati, a city that was crossed by Dracula when he was running away from Abraham van Helsing and his friends. They used the route London – Varna in Bulgaria, then took the train to Galati, while Dracula used the ship to enter the Danube to Galati, then followed the Siret river north.

From the left: Radu Oprea, Dacre Stoker and friends on the site of the future Dracula Village

Will you host special Halloween and Dracula events?

The 2016 IVFAF

We would really like that. Also, we would like to help organize major Dracula events in Romania like the International Vampire Film and Arts Festival (IVFAF) that had its first edition in Sighisoara this year, or the World Dracula Day in May. We also want to organize Dracula Tours for our guests to Sighisoara, the birth place of Vlad the Impaler, Poenari, the real castle of Vlad, or the location of the fictitious Dracula Castle in the Calimani Mountains.

Have you had any issues with/objections from the local community?

Not at all. Romania has good legislation as a European Union country. Also, the local community in Bran is used to vampire activities.

How will you handle the sensitivities of the local people?

Romania has so much more to offer than just Dracula legends

I have to admit there are Romanians who don’t like our country to be associated with Dracula. That’s because we have so much more to offer like UNESCO monasteries, the Danube Delta, nice mountains, and the Black Sea coast. I believe the key to bringing everybody together is “Responsible Dracula Tourism.” While following the footsteps of Dracula and learning about our history, tourists will be able to discover other beautiful places as well. Also, there is a misconception that the folks attracted to the legend of Dracula are “weird.” I can tell you they are very beautiful! In fact at IVFAF this year, there were students doing their PhD in vampire literature. Romanians don’t know that and it is our duty to change this perception.

"There are Romanians who don’t like our country to be associated with Dracula. I believe the key to bringing everybody together is 'Responsible Dracula Tourism'.”

What are Romanian employees like and what policy will you have for training them?

The services in hospitality still have a ways to develop in Romania. So please, bear with us. We have the problem of our best employees leaving the country for better jobs in the West. However, we believe anybody can do a good job if the owner of the business acts as a partner and not as a “boss.” Our employees will be our friends first and employees second. Also, my team and I will be involved in taking care of our tourists because we are talking about a family business.

Why do you think the vampire genre is so popular?

Like Facebook, Bram Stoker did not anticipate how big Dracula would become! The vampire genre is so popular because of the movies and the literature that followed, the actors that are role models to many folks, the real story of Vlad the Impaler and its “Draculesti” family, the tales about “strigoi,” and the many people that are passionate to keep the genre popular on websites, Facebook pages, groups, or communities. Actually, one of the cool activities we want to organize in Dracula Village is “story telling.”

Who or what is Dracula to you personally (childhood views and now)?

I didn’t know anything about Dracula during communism. Now, Dracula is a community of great friends to me.

Have you read Blood Omen yet? 

Aaaaaaaa, I have the English version and I promise I will, this Fall. :)

Like the Dracula Village Facebook page to keep updated on their progress: www.fb.com/draculavillage