it is a legend or just a story, it was partially based on fact. During the 14 century there lived a Romanian leader named Vlad Tepes, who was born and resided in the Carpathian Mountains. Vlad lead the Romanian people in a series of battles against the Turks and is thus seen as a great hero. While he did not drink the blood of his victims, he did have a horrible way of fighting. He impaled thousands of his enemies on stakes. The name Tepes, given to him by the Romanians, means " The Impaler". The name Dracula, from a Turkish word for Vlad, Dracul, which meant " The Devil". Bram Stoker, when writing the novel Dracula, used some of this as a basis for his story. In reality, Stoker never visited Romania and Vlad did not have a castle at Borgu Pass. A hotel built during the Communist era to resemble a castle, stands near the spot where Stoker set his tale.
             Romania is a land of vast cultural diversity. The Romanians are descended from two very old peoples, the Romans and the Dacs. The Dacs, called Dacians by their Roman conquerors, were the original inhabitants of this region. Due to the legendary richness of the land, it was a great temptation to the Roman emperors. The Romans found the land not so easy to conquer. Finally in 106 AD, Emperor Traianus, conquered the land and by the mixing of the two people, the Romanians emerged. Romania, as proof of the powerful influence of the Romans, adopted the name Romania and its language evolved from Latin. There are also several minorities with the Hungarians being the largest group. They have a very strong community and have tried to preserve the Hungarian traditions and culture. Transylvanian Germans also have a unique history. They came to the country in the 12th century and built a powerful community around the cities of Brasov, Sighisoara, and Sibiu. Of the tens of thousands who did come to Romania, only a few remain today. Most of them fled the Communist rule or went ...