Poenari Citadel

Argeș (Transfăgărășan) · Romania · Fortress

The boyars whom Vlad the Impaler forced to build his eyrie fortress are said to howl for help on full-moon nights.

High above the Argeș valley, up 1,480 steps, Poenari clings to the mountainside – Vlad the Impaler's true fortress, far more than Bran ever was. Legend tells that Vlad uncovered a boyar conspiracy against him, marched the guilty on foot from Târgoviște and forced them to build the citadel until the clothes rotted off their backs; those who collapsed were impaled on stakes along the cliffs. No priest ever said a mass for their souls, and guards at the nearby Vidraru dam have reported blood-chilling howls and voices crying for help on full-moon nights. Here too Vlad's wife is said to have thrown herself into the river – still called Râul Doamnei, the Lady's River.

FAQ

Where is Poenari Citadel located?

Poenari Citadel is in Argeș (Transfăgărășan), Romania.

Image: V.A. Zerva / CC0 — Wikimedia Commons