UPDATE ON THE DRACULA PARK

(UPDATE: November 20, 2003)

The news out of Romania today is that the Park project is going ahead, and that work will begin in March 2004. Recently there had been mixed signals about the proposed Dracula theme park. The previous Minister of Tourism who was spearheading the project is now longer in that position. His successor, Miron Mitrea, stated in June that the park was no longer a priority for the government. But this remark was quickly followed by assurances from Romania's prime minister has reassured that the government plans to back the building of the Dracula Park. The government has pledged to provide the land needed to build the park, which is to include a gothic castle with spooky effects, golf courses and a hotel.

The planned location is Snagov, a lake resort near Bucharest, is close to the presumed burial site of Vlad the Impaler. (I say "presumed" as some contemporary historians dispute that he is buried there.)

NEWS REPORT - October 2003

Romania Dracula park to suck in vampire tourists

(Reuters, 10.10.2003)

BUCHAREST - Vampire lovers with a thirst for a thrill could soon be Romania-bound after investors said on Thursday a Disneyland-style Dracula theme park was back on track.

Under pressure from UNESCO and other activists, Romania changed its plans to build the horror tourist draw near the historic birthplace in Transylvania of Vlad the Impaler -- said to have been the inspiration for the fictional Dracula. UNESCO, the culture arm of the United Nations, and others said building the park near Sighisoara would have ruined the 13th century town, a World Heritage Site.

"All I can say is that the Dracula project is going ahead. We're drafting a detailed plan, subject to shareholder approval by the end of this year," Sorin Marica, the chairman of the Dracula Park SA firm which oversees the project told Reuters.

The theme park will now be sited in the Snagov Lake area, north of the capital, and not in Transylvania, which is a region of Romania. Consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers said Snagov, 17 km from Bucharest airport and 40 km from the centre of the capital of 2.5 million people was the most appropriate site.

Marica said horror rides, labyrinths and catacombs were still part of the plan for the park, due to be built on 100 hectares of state land with private funds to try to lure more tourists to the poor ex-communist country.

"We also aim to create a separate area (in the park) to promote the historic truth for Vlad Tepes," Marica said.

The headless body of Vlad Tepes, the real life 15th century Wallachian hero prince who fought off Ottoman invaders and defended Christendom, is believed to be buried at a monastery in the middle of Snagov Lake. Vlad is believed to have been born in Sighisoara around 1431 to Vlad Dracul or Dragon. The young Vlad was named Dracula -- meaning son of Dracul -- by his father. But in Romanian, the word also means the devil.

The government had trumpeted the plan saying it would draw about one million tourists annually by 2006 - 20 per cent from abroad but appeared to lose interest.

But government spokeswoman Despina Neagoe said on Thursday: "I don't have any information on the Dracula park project."

EARLIER COVERAGE

What follows are earlier reports and news items about the Dracula Park. Much of it is, of course, outdated and is provided here for archival purposes only.

(UPDATE: March 28, 2003)

The latest information states that the Dracula Park will now be built near Bucharest, on the shores of Snagov Lake. I will post a full update on this page after I return from Romania in May.

(January 18, 2003)

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Western consultants have driven a stake through the heart of Romania's plan to build a grisly Dracula theme park near Vlad the Impaler's birthplace, a government official said on Thursday.

A feasibility study by consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers discourages the government from building it in the medieval city of Sighisoara, birthplace of 15th century Count Vlad Tepes, though to have inspired author Bram Stoker's Gothic novel "Dracula."

It means victory for conservationist groups and UNESCO, the United Nations cultural arm, which have fought the plan for two years, arguing that it would ruin the 13th century town, listed as a World Heritage Site.

"Indications from consultants PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) clearly show that Sighisoara is not seen as a viable site," a Tourism Ministry official told Reuters.

The ministry official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the consultants were likely to propose other park locations, more accessible and with better infrastructure, such as Bucharest and a tourist resort on the Black Sea coast.

"We've heard some rumors...it's clearly good news, a great relief," Sighisoara Lutheran priest Hans Frolich, an opponent of the plan, told Reuters.

Authorities are hoping the $30 million theme park, which capitalizes on Westerners' fascination with the bloodsucking count, will create 3,000 jobs and breath life into Romania's tourism industry.

"The park will be built either in the mountains or in the plains or on the coast...anywhere where it could bring in more money," Tourism Minister Matei Agathon told reporters this week.

Update - December 22, 2002

As the end of the year approaches, there is still no definitive word on plan for the Dracula Park. The PWC report is still awaited, and opposition to the Sighisoara location continues. Many are leaning towards the Brasov area or even Bucharest as alternatives. Or maybe the Park will be scrapped altogether - who knows!

Updates will be added here as they become available. Stay tuned!

Update - July 20, 2002

The Transylvanian Society of Dracula in Romania reports as follows:

The Ministry of Tourism has engaged the services of Pricewaterhouse Cooper to re-assess the profit parameters of the Sighisoara location in comparison with other possible locations. The results of this study will be released in September. In the meantime, supporters of the Sighisoara site have intensified their lobby, while the hopes of former bidders (Targoviste, Poenari, Bran/Brasov) have been revived.

For progress reports on construction, design etc. visit the Park's official website at Dracula Park

For an article in the May 26 edition of the New York Times, see NY Times

For press coverage, visit Press coverage

For an article on the economic and cultural issues raised by this proposed site, check Rose George

I have some personal reservations about this project, especially the decision to locate it near the historic site of Sighisoara. Given that it will (at least in part) be a Gothic/vampire theme park, its presence near the supposed birthplace of Vlad Tepes will only serve to exacerbate further the existing confusion of the two Draculas (based on the shaky claim that Vlad was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's vampire novel Dracula). I have consistently expressed my reservations about this project, including comments I made at a symposium on Vlad Tepes, held in Sighisoara in May 2001. Now that the decision has been made, the best I can hope for is that those who are planning the Park will attempt somehow to separate Romanian history and culture from fiction and Hollywood movies.

Elizabeth Miller

The DRACULA-PARK Project: General Information

More Questions than Answers? The Press Release that follows claims that the Romanian Minister of Tourism has agreed to move the location of the Park from Sighisoara to an as yet undisclosed site. BUT a story from Reuters, reported on yahoo.com news (July 1) contradicts this. The article quotes the Tourism Minister as saying that any rumors to the effect that the site is to be moved are "simple fabrications." At this point, I am not certain as to which report is "accurate"! Stay tuned...

Press Release from Mihai Eminescu Trust

Dracula Park will not be built next to Sighisoara

Budapest, June 26, 2002 - Threat to ancient cultural and natural heritage of Sighisoara and the neighbouring Saxon villages constituted by the planned Dracula Park removed. The Romanian Minister of Tourism and the Romanian Government are agreeing to change proposed site to a place more suited for mass tourism.

Dracula Park is a tourism investment project intending to create a giant "Disneyland-type" park to attract mass tourism next to a world heritage site has created international opposition. The Romanian government has been planning to establish an entertainment park exploiting the Dracula legend created by English writer Bram Stokes. The proposed site of the park is the forest close to the historic centre of Sighisoara. The Mihai Eminescu Trust (MET) under the high patronage of HRH The Prince of Wales and other organisations including the World Heritage Committee of UNESCO have also expressed their concern to protect the unspoilt beauty of Transylvania and in particular Sighisoara and the villages with fortified churches of Transylvania.

MET suggested relocating the project to an area more suited for mass tourism and ensuring economic viability for Dracula Park thus respecting environmental and cultural heritage. UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting is being held these days in Budapest. Today the issue of Dracula Park is also discussed. >On 24th June the Mihai Eminescu Trust and Mr. Agathon Dan, Romanian Minister of Tourism had a constructive meeting in London proposing alternative locations for the Dracula initiative. As a result of negotiations Minister Agathon Dan supports the relocation of the project and agrees to endorse the strategy program devised by MET for the development of Sighisoara and the Saxon villages. MET will also suggest appropriate alternative leisure use for the Breite Plateau.

"MET welcomes the flexibility and broadmindedness shown by Mr. Agathon and the Romanian Government. The European Union will certainly welcome this sensitivity to ecological and cultural heritage at a time when Romania is approaching membership, and it will do good when the European Commissions makes its environmental assessment", -said Mrs. Douglas-Home, Chairwoman of MET. The first ever study on the economic feasibility of Dracula Park conducted by Price Waterhouse will be ready during this summer. MET will await the suggestions as well as the recommendation of the World Heritage Committee Meeting in Budapest.

April 4, 2002, excerpts from Associated Press

A Dracula theme park in the heart of Transylvania has attracted enough investment for the project to go ahead, the Romanian government said Monday.

Tourism Minister Dan Matei Agaton said that by Monday investors had bought $2.9 million worth of stock, more than the 60 percent needed by law for the project to start...

The Romanian unit of Greece's Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Co. SA has agreed to invest in the park, as has Austrian brewer Brau Union AG in exchange for exclusive rights for the sale of drinks...

November 5, 2001

The Minister of Tourism informed the media about the contents of the "Dracula-Park" ("Dracula-land" has already been trade-marked by someone else, who demanded $500,000 to give it up).

Anticipating the press conference, the influential daily "Romania Libera" of Nov 5 published a full page of anti-"Dracula-park" articles, headed by a letter of "Mihai Eminescu Trust" - under the patronage of the Prince of Wales, signed by Jessica Douglas-Home (president of the Trust), H.C. Habermann, Steffen Mildner, Bonnie Burnham (president of the World Monuments Fund), Lois de Meril, Lord Dacre of Glanton (historian), Patrick Leigh-Fermour (writer), Lord Norwich (historian), Dr. Noel Malcolm (writer).

The letter was addressed to H.E. Iliescu, president of Romania, on Oct.29, 2001, and expresses "profound concern about the rumours concerning approval given to a Dracula-land theme park, 1 km. away from Sighisoara. This project would involve mass-tourism in an area of cultural protection, threatening the whole structure of an important, perfectly conserved mediaeval town, - on the list of UNESCO's World Heritage. The destruction brought about by this project cannot be justified by dubious estimations of arrivals or by the creation of new jobs"..."The Dracula-land Park will turn the history of Romania into a cartoon. Far from a reason to be proud of, it will ridicule Romania."

The letter suggests other locations for the project (Bran, Bestride, Targoviste, Poienari) - as if the arguments against locating the park near Sighisoara would cease to be valid elsewhere.

Under this letter, and under a heading "Kitsch-tourism threatens the old burg", Saxon and Romanian personalities from Sighisoara (the chief priest of the Evangelic Church, rev. Hans Bruno Frohlich; Prof. Christa Richter; Dr. Alexandru Gota - ecologist) reject the project on various grounds - one of which mentioning that the house presumed to have sheltered prince Vlad Dracul (1431 - 35) was actually built 200 years later, and that no documents confirm his son's birth in Sighisoara.

November 6

All national dailies carried the news on the "Dracula-park" project. Here is a summary of the contents:

• "The National Liberal Party joined hands with the Great Romania Party to form an anti Dracula-park axis", said Matei Agaton Dan, minister of Tourism, at the press conference.
• 130 hectares on the Breite tableland (a secular oak-wood reservation), 5 km. away from Sighisoara - are the dowry brought by the mayor, Dorin Danesan (worth 21 million US$) in the marriage with the project.
• "We are not sentimental, we are pragmatic", continued the minister. "We are no longer afraid of historians, architects, ethnographers or journalists."
• Investments amount to 31,5 million US$.
• Estimated annual revenues: 27 million $ out of which 12,5 million go to the municipality of Sighisoara for the conservation of the mediaeval town.
• Estimated visitors: year 1 - 400,000; year 2 - 650,000; year 3 - 860,000; year 4 and on - 1,100,000.
• Entrance fee: $5; it is not clear if the fee covers any other admissions.
• Estimated expenditure per day, per visitor: $24,5.
• "We are talking about an entertainment park not a horror one", said the minister. "People will mock at Dracula, will pull his leg."
• "We shall avoid the image of Dracula as purported by American film-studios", warned the minister, without disclosing Dracula's new attire.
• "The park will have two main sections: Dracula and a general-entertainment area (to be developed if the turn-over is satisfactory).
• "We are not making a Chernobyl at Sighisoara, we are making an entertainment park which abides by the ecological norms" (Matei Agathon Dan).
• No cars will be allowed inside the park. Pedestrian trails, horse-caleches (black) and a vintage train will cater for transport inside the park.
• The first constructions will be a Castle Dracula - inspired by a 15-century Transylvanian castle, with 4 wings, inner courtyard, towers, mout. Inside - a collection of weapons, the torture room, the judge's hall, alchemy lab, the room of the vampires, the prison tower, the initiation hall where the young vampires will be invested knights. Some catacombs are planned between the castle and the Institute of Vampirology. Another building will be that of the Institute of Vampirology - containing conference rooms, the library of vampires, theatres for the hundreds of vampire films. (after "National", Nov.6).
• The concept of the park belongs to Westernstadt Pullman City, a German company specialized in entertainment parks.
• Accommodation: from camping to villas and a 700-bed hotel.
• One main street will offer shops with specific souvenirs.
• Other attractions: a labyrinth-garden; lake, boating; disco-clubs; bars, beer-hall, restaurants, tournament site, horse riding, an open-air concert/play amphitheatre, cabaret, horror-house, mirror-house, the jet-stake(?) - having to do with impalement, montagne russe, ball-room for 2000 dancers, swimming pool.
• The traditional Festival of Mediaeval Arts in Sighisoara will be roomed by the Dracula park.
• The architect of the project is named Dan Covali.
• "Ora" daily, Nov.6, writes - under the signature of Eliade Balan: "I do not believe that the project at Sighisoara is a happy choice. My conviction is that we import a macabre project, which has nothing Romanian in it. "Dracula-land" may stir the curiosity of the foreign visitors, but not that of the Romanian citizen. The more so that prince Vlad Tepes has no proven connection with Sighisoara - the place chosen by Mr. Agathon to invest. My opinion is that the Romanian tourism merits something else, autochthonous, not imported. If such kitsch is believed to boost tourism, then minister Agathon should better find another job."
• The infrastructure of the park will be started in March 2002. By August, the castle and the institute of vampirology should be ready. By 2003, the whole park will be completed, offering some 3000 new jobs.
• The producer of the "Dracula" opera, Michael Buttler, will be glad to perform his creation in the park, in Sept-Oct. 2002; among his guests - Tom Cruise, described as a "friend" ("National", Nov.6).
• "The Wall Street Journal", quoted by the Romanian weekly "Bursa" (Nov.2, 2001) wrote: "Romania has officially admitted that it is the land of the vampires". The Journal goes on: "The new project of the Romanian government will exploit the most abject facet of the human imagination".
• According to the daily "Ora" (Nov.7, 2001) a commission of $250,000 was offered to build the park near Sighisoara. The location "Bran" would have produced a commission 5 times smaller. The newspaper wonders if the size of the commission could be a valid reason to emplace the park in Sighisoara rather than somewhere else.

It does not take great insight to see that the Dracula park IS a horror park (horror house, catacombs, the castle, the institute, etc.) in spite of reassurances to the contrary.

But the main concern is cultural - the blend between the vampire lore and the Romanian history which vampirizes everything it touches - Vlad, his ancestors, his followers, Sighisoara itself (Saxon and Romanian alike), the whole of Romania (the castle is a 15 century reproduction, the jet-stake, etc). It all does look like a cultural Chernobyl.

The issue lies in the economic versus the cultural aspects of the project. It is obvious that the Ministry of Tourism masters the economics, but it is equally obvious that the Ministry is culturally ignorant. (It reminds of the story of the child who demolishes the house to build a tiny dam across the creek in the back of the garden, to play paper boats on, with friends).

What could one do when a ministry of the government has the official decree in its pocket to start the construction of a cultural Chernobyl in the midst of its country? ("We are no longer afraid of historians, architects, ethnographers or journalists" - Matei-Agathon Dan, decree in hand).

Nothing at all?

The task of this society is to cooly record and monitor dracularian developments. When asked, TSD offered its opinion (emplace the park in the Borgo Pass, where Bram Stoker located the castle of the vampire-count; the area is neutral from a historic or cultural point of view, practically uninhabited, allowing the visitor to cross sites associated with both Draculas, therefore form an opinion of his/her own).

For reasons obscure, the choice was different. It seems to be too late to change the location, and too late to change the contents of the park. Or is it?

As we predicted, the Dracula offer has started to split, with peripheral sites like Poienari or Bestride or the Borgo castle afraid of the competition posed by the park, feverishly designing their own mini-Dracula parks.

There is a major question yet unanswered: what chances has the cardboard castle in the park near Sighisoara in comparison with the historical fortress Dracula, Poienari, or the castle of the vampire-count in the Borgo Pass (or even castle Bran, of recent associations with Dracula)?

The public itself is going to split - between meaningful Dracula tours and the Dracula park.

On November the 9-th, the County Council of Brasov adopted a decision offering 500 ha for the construction of an alternative Dracula Park provisory entitled "Dracula - Rasnov - Brasov - Transylvania - Park" (Rasnov is a mediaeval village with a powerful fortress on a hill above the locality, half-way between Brasov and Castle Bran).

The project was made public by two senators of the National Liberal Party (in opposition). The estimated cost is 20 million Euros, 10 million less than the Sighisoara project.

The Ministry of Tourism called it "an immense stupidity". Matei Aghaton Dan, the minister, accused the liberals of having bought land in the Bran area prior to the election of Sighisoara as the site for the project.

The liberals were warned not to use the word "Dracula", but the liberal senator Vlad Popa replied that the name Dracula was left by Bram Stoker, not by Matei Aghaton Dan.

(After "Evenimentul Zilei", Nov.14)

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According to "Adevarul" of Nov.14, the Sighisoara citizens plan to incorporate a "Pro Dracula Park Foundation".

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The Count must be relieved with so many obstacles in the way of the innocent tourists, as he values his solitude in the heights of the Borgo Pass ("I like the shade and the shadow, and I would be alone with my thoughts when I may").

Yet, it seems we are far from the end of this tragi-comedy of the correct location of the Dracula Park. What if Poienari or Targoviste announce their own plans of a Dracula Park? Worse, what if the Borgo Pass decides to capitalize on it?

Where would the Count run???