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The coin at the centre of the story was among a small hoard discovered in 1713. It was thought to have been a genuine Roman coin until the mid-19th century... The final blow came in 1863 when Henry Cohen, the leading coin expert of the time at the Bibliotheque Nationale de France, considered the problem for his great catalogue of Roman coins. He said that they were not only 'modern' fakes, but poorly made and "ridiculously imagined". Other specialists agreed and to this day Sponsian has been dismissed in scholarly catalogues...A chemical analysis also showed that the coins had been...

Willing victims are flocking to get puncture wounds at Romania's Bran Castle as the site - widely believed to be the inspiration for Count Dracula's lair - opens as a vaccination centre. A poster showed vampire fangs replaced with syringes during a coronavirus vaccination drive at the castle this weekend. Health workers with blood-soaked vampire fangs on their scrubs gave out Pfizer jabs to visitors, who can turn up without an appointment every weekend in May. Those who get the jab are handed a certificate hailing their 'boldness and responsibility' and promising they will be welcome at the castle 'for...

History of the real Vlad the Impaler.

Romanian royal home draws vampire tourists; heir wants ‘a happy place’When he lived as a boy in Bran Castle, Dominic Habsburg, now 79 years old, recalls it was “a happy place of light and flowers” that had been a residence to his grandparents, Queen Marie and King Ferdinand I, who once reigned over this

Archaeologists still aren't entirely sure where a secret passageway beneath a castle in Turkey leads, but visitors can now explore it for themselves. Not far from where Vlad the Impaler—the inspiration for Dracula—was reportedly held in one of two dungeons inside Tokat Castle, the tunnel stretches for about 100 feet before the path is blocked, reports Hurriyet Daily News. "We have made progress. Since it has an angle of 45 degrees, it is hard to remove stones and earth," culture and tourism director Abdurrahman Akyuz says of the tunnel, found during restoration efforts in 2009. "We think that this tunnel...

An archaeologist who has been part of the restoration and excavation effort at Turkey's Tokat Castle believes he has uncovered the dungeons where Vlad the Impaler was once held. Ibrahim Cetin tells the Hurriyet Daily News that the two dungeons that were found were "built like a prison." And while he deems it "hard to estimate" which room the man who served as Dracula's inspiration was held in, "he was around here," he says.

Dracula's castle on sale for 60 mln euros Bucharest (ANTARA News) - Bran Castle, better known as Dracula's Castle, has been put up for sale for 60 million euros (75.6 million dollars) and local authorities in Romania are considering buying it, officials said Wednesday. "Bran Castle is very important for our province's tourism industry. We have set up a commission with five members of the council that will examine the possibility of buying it," Aristotel Cancescu, president of Brasov province's council, was quoted by AFP as saying. The castle was returned in December 2006 to Dominic Habsburg, the grandson of...

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania returned a picturesque castle in the Carpathian mountains to its former king, who was chased out by the communist regime 60 years ago. The Peles castle, now hosting a museum and an art collection, has become a popular tourist attraction since opening to the public after the execution of Stalinist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989. According to a memorandum signed by the representatives of the former monarch King Michael, the castle will be sold back to Romania if authorities agree to keep it as a museum. "This is a historical moment, a symbolic one that marks...

BUCHAREST, Romania - More than 60 years after it was seized by communists, the Romanian government is to hand back one of the country's most popular tourist sites, the fabled Dracula Castle, to its former owner, the culture minister said Tuesday. The castle, worth an estimated $25 million, was owned by the late Queen Marie and bequeathed to her daughter Princess Ileana in 1938. It was confiscated by communists in 1948 and fell into disrepair. It will be transferred on Friday to Dominic van Hapsburg, a New York architect who inherited the castle from Princess Ileana decades after the communists...

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - You might think the owners of Dracula's castle are out for blood. The family that owns the Transylvanian castle wants $78 million dollars for it. The castle was home to the 15th century medieval ruler who inspired the novel about the blood- sucking Count Dracula. Dominic Habsburg is a member of the castle-owning family and an architect in upstate, New York. He insists his family is being reasonable. He says the family wants the castle preserved and selling it to local authorities is the best way to do it. The Transylvanian castle is now a tourist...

by Ron Kersten Charges were filed against the election judge in Allentown’s 3rd ward on Monday. "Transgender" Judge Everett “Erika” Bickford was charged with two election code violations including prying into ballots. The Morning Call reports the following: Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin on Monday announced charges against an elections judge in Allentown’s 3rd Ward who was accused of tampering with ballots during the Democratic primary race for state representative between Enid Santiago and Peter Schweyer. Everett “Erika” Bickford was charged with two election code violations: insertion and alteration of entries in documents, and prying into ballots, both misdemeanors. Allentown,...

The exchange began after a left-wing activist wished that Transylvania University, the small Kentucky college that the former Covington Catholic student is now attending, would discriminate against Sandmann because of his conservative beliefs. “Does anyone else think it’s a bit of a stain on Transylvania University for accepting Nick Sandman? I’m sure it’s a “both sides” defense, but it’s pretty counter to their mission and another instance of there not actually being equal sides to an issue. I think TU should accept anyone willing to have an open mind and engage in debate, regardless of their views. That’s how we...

Students over the age of 2 will be required to wear face coverings for nearly the entire school day under Pennsylvania’s universal mask order, according to a Department of Education memo released this week. There will be a limited number of instances in which students will be allowed to remove their face coverings, according to the memo. These include while eating or drinking, or during an activity that makes mask-wearing unsafe. Students can also take their masks off during 10-minute “face-covering breaks.” “For the safety of students, staff and families and to avoid community spread of COVID-19, students and staff...

<p>WASHINGTON — A historic Transylvanian castle that may have once imprisoned Vlad the Impaler — likely inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula — still stands today. But what lies beneath it?</p> <p>Because of centuries of rebuilding and additions, archaeologists weren't sure where the castle's original foundation lay.</p>

From the 2007 musical "Young Frankenstein", based on the 1974 movie. This is a favorite of mine for Halloween.

Happy Halloween! I thought you might enjoy this number from the 2007 musical "Young Frankenstein" (based on the 1974 movie.)

(Monster roars) Igor: Forget about the foxtrot, and roll away the waltz, take away the two step and all that other shmalz (Monster roars) Are you ready for what's been going on (Monster roars) It's a doozie makes you woozie it's the new phenomenon Igor: Have you heard about the mania If not then let me explain t'ya Yes sir, It's the transylvania mania. Whether you're in ruritania Or a dance hall in albania Yes sir, It's the transylvania mania. Everybody who's been viewing it can't resist it's appeal. Everybody's out there doing it, millionaire and schlemiel. So join the...

Two large stashes of bronze weapons and jewelry, from the eighth century B.C., have been discovered in southern Transylvania, in Romania. The hoards date back to a time before minted currency had been invented or writing had spread to this part of Europe. Within the collections, which held 300 and 50 objects, respectively, the researchers discovered double axes, short swords and spears. They also found brooches, foot and arm bracelets, pendants, torques (a kind of neck ring), beads, and hairpins. (All the jewelry was made of bronze.) The researchers found parts of horse harnesses, as well. [See Photos of the...

Estonian researchers believe they may have finally discovered the whereabouts of “Dracula’s” grave, which is in Italy and not the Romanian Transylvanian Alps as first thought. The inspiration behind Bram Stoker’s 1897 gothic novel “Dracula” is thought to be Vlad III, the 15th century Prince of Wallachia in Eastern Europe. Known posthumously as Vlad the Impaler, the ruler was known for his brand of cruelty across Europe, which included impaling his enemies. Vlad’s ultimate enemy were the Ottomans. Depictions of his endless cruelty made history books, securing his reputation as one of the biggest villains in Turkey’s collective consciousness, as...

Now you can own Dracula’s castle Transylvania's Bran Castle, long connected with Bram Stoker's indelible creation, is for sale. Count Dracula never lived in Bran Castle, in the Transylvania region of Romania, because he was a fictional character. But look, it’s a Gothic-looking castle in Transylvania — plus, Vlad the Impaler, the historical figure who inspired Bram Stoker’s indelible creation, was reportedly imprisoned here. So it’s no surprise that it’s commonly called “Dracula’s Castle,” and that (like Transylvania’s Hunyad Castle and Poenari Castle in Wallachia) it’s often linked with the vampire legend. And now, you can own it. If you...