This Halloween season, we're excited to offer four specimens in our haunted history collection: Cetatea Poenari Brick, Dracula Soil Vial, the Sterling Silver Dracula Necklace, and the Gothic Dracula Castle Brick Locket Pendant.

These new Dracula Castle specimens are limited-time items—we only have so much material so the specimens will only be available in the month of October.

All four of these items were collected from the foot of the ruins at Cetatea Poenari, one of Vlad III's favorite haunts. You can see all the specimens, learn more about the history of the castle, and even see the story behind our trip below!

Don't forget to check out the Dracula bundle to get Soil and Brick display case specimens for $19 off!

Vhat are you vaiting for? 🧛 Celebrate Halloween with these authentic collector's items!

Vlad III is best known today for two things: impalement and Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Vlad was born in the early 15th century and would reign as the voivode of Wallachia three times during his life. 

His father, Vlad II, gained the nickname Dracul (Dragon) due to his membership in the Order of the Dragon, a society of western Catholic monarchs. Vlad III’s reign was marked with a solidification of his line against rivals to the throne, and a war against the Ottoman Empire. When he had captured a group of Saxons who were loyal to an opponent of his throne, Vlad impaled them all. This is likely where his moniker Țepeș (Impaler) came from.

While his acts of torture are clearly documented, there is contention as to whether Vlad III was truly cruel for his time, or whether he was just one of many equally violent rulers. Folktales about the bloodthirsty voivode of Wallachia were circulated by his enemies, though some scholars believe such tales were exaggerated for political effect. 

Cetatea Poenari, or Poenari Castle, was the cliffside stronghold that Vlad III made into one of his main strongholds during his reign. The structure was originally built in the 13th century by Wallachians, but control of the castle moved from group to group until it was abandoned.

Despite its disrepair, Poenari was in a very advantageous position. The craggy hilltop it stood on was easily defensible against invaders and it was placed near the important border of Wallachia and Transylvania. Vlad III saw the strategic possibilities of this ruin and ordered the reconstruction of the fort in the 15th century. After its completion, Poenari was used by Vlad III for the rest of his life and beyond until its abandonment over 100 years later.

In the 20th century, several earthquakes occured in the region which caused damage to the original site and brought pieces of the castle to the ground around the cliff. However, after slight repairs, the castle still stands today as imposing as ever.

One myth that has very little real connection to Vlad III is the vampire. His most common modern association, that of being the namesake of the fictitious Count Dracula, may actually be sheer coincidence. Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula, published in 1897, follows a contemporary vampire’s attempt to move from his ancient home of Transylvania to the modern London metropolis.

Early notes on the novel show that Stoker originally intended for his vampire to be named “Count Wampyr” and to have been from Styria, the setting of Sheridan Le Fanu’s 1872 vampire novella Carmilla. It would not be until at least two years after the first written notes on the novel that Stoker would settle on the name Dracula.

Stoker never visited Transylvania himself, and the extent of his research on Vlad III comes from a single book which mentions the voivode in passing. It is quite likely that Stoker had never known of Vlad III’s tendency towards impalement. Rather than being based on a true historical figure, Stoker’s Dracula acts more as a personification of antiquity manifest in the modern world.

As noted above, these specimens come from the grounds of Cetatea Poenari, the citadel of Prince Vlad’s ancestors. Perched high on a steep precipice of rock, the fortress was one of Tepes's favorite haunts. As for the castle's defensive capabilities, it's something we experienced first hand when Hans went to visit. Here's the story behind this specimen's collection.

"When I checked into the hotel, I met a few Romanian tourists. They warned me not to walk the stairs to the fortress at night. I thought they were joking. I had secured permission already, but they said, 'No, you misunderstand. There are wolves and bears. Also, many wild dogs roaming out there at night.'

"After eating supper, I opened my guide book and learned that sure enough, this region has the highest concentration of wolves, bears and feral dogs in all of Europe. However, I could hear a storm brewing (yes, really) and suddenly I was worried the ground would be soaking wet the next day. I only had a few days in Romania and this would ruin my opportunity to collect this specimen. So, I decided to climb the cliff below the castle where nothing could reach me.

"In retrospect, I suppose I am lucky to be alive, but I did learn though that while very difficult the fortress is not impossible to reach in this manner... Even when one forgets their headlamp.

"The next day I used the stairs, but of course, it was beautiful and everything was dry by the afternoon."