A True Fact from The Quarter

Romanian Minister for Tourism Matei Dan has announced that a Dracula Land theme park will be built near the medieval Transylvanian city of Sighisoara. The privately-financed tourist attraction will celebrate the 15th century ruler Vlad Tepes, or Vlad the Impaler, the model for Bram Stoker's fictional Count Dracula. Vlad Tepes was born in Sighisoara in 1431, and gained his bloodthirsty reputation from his habit of impaling Turkish prisoners alive on wooden stakes. "Dracula's myth exists. We want to package it nicely and sell it to tourists," said Mr. Dan. There are also plans for a Dracula Institute, consisting of several conference rooms and a library.