Dracula sculpture to be placed in his 'Turkish dungeon'

TOKAT

Christopher Lee as Dracula.

A sculpture of Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler, also known as Count Dracula, will be made and placed in a dungeon at the castle where he was claimed to have been kept in captivity in the central Anatolian province of Tokat, according to the Tokat City Council President Abdullah Gürbüz.

Speaking to press members about tourism projects in the city, Gürbüz said 2015 has been declared the year of tourism in Tokat, adding the dungeon, where Dracula was kept in captivity, had been made a current issue by the former head of the City Council Promotion and Tourism Group, Cemal İncesoylular, daily Milliyet has reported.

“The Tokat Castle is undergoing restoration at the moment and Dracula’s dungeon will be reorganized. We have decided to make a beeswax sculpture of Dracula and put it in this dungeon. This is very important for the promotion of the city,” he said.

Gürbüz said they had received a number of reactions about whether they would promote Tokat by using Dracula, and continued, “If we turn Tokat into a tourism city, we cannot do it by bringing people from Istanbul, Edirne or Kars only. We have to think of foreign visitors. This is why we need to use such arguments. Dracula is the most correct argument for Tokat. Tokat is also home to important places such as the ancient cities of Sebastapolis and Komana, as well as the Horoz Hill. Dracula is a known brand and I think we can begin taking advantage of it.”

Previously, two dungeons were discovered in the castle, where Dracula, who lived between 1431 and 1476, is said to have been held captive in the early 15th century.