Poenari CitadelCetatea Poenari

History

Unlike Bran, which only borrows Dracula's name, Poenari was a real stronghold of Vlad the Impaler: in 1459 he rebuilt an existing ruin on this precipice into one of his main fortresses, reportedly using boyars condemned to forced labor for the work. It sits above the Argeș gorge on a rock spur that made it nearly impregnable, and it's where Vlad is said to have made his final stand before the throne passed from him for good. Today reaching it means climbing 1,480 concrete steps cut into the mountainside, a genuinely demanding hike that keeps it far quieter than Bran despite its stronger historical claim to the legend.