As a living part of history, the Romanian city of Sighisoara may be the most well-preserved medieval village in all of Europe and the lack of over development in this area has kept the city as close to its origins as possible. From this perspective, taking a trip to Sighisoara can be like stepping back in time, with several iconic buildings and the remnants of the original six-sided fortress that was once used to protect the city from attack. The Dracula connection; The history of the city is not only limited to its role of craft supplier to many neighboring areas. The real claim to Sighisoara’s fame is that it was the birthplace of Romanian ruler Vlad Tepes, who also spent time in the city later in his life. For those unaware, Tepes is thought to be the figure that Bram Stoker’s Dracula was supposedly based upon, with several stories of barbarianism and his penchant for impaling enemies. While this connection is very loose, Tepes is seen as a national hero of the country as he was able to repel Ottoman and Hungarian invasions on a number of occasions and the use of his likeness in relation to the Dracula story brings mixed emotions to many native Romanians.
