Ottomar Rodolphe Vlad Dracula Prince Kretzulesco
Encyclopedia
Ottomar Rodolphe Vlad Dracula Prinz Kretzulesco, born Ottomar Berbig (October 10, 1940 – November 2007) was a flamboyant German
socialite
who achieved fame through a claim of adopted lineage from Vlad Dracula
, the inspiration for Count Dracula
.
Berbig was an antiques
dealer in West Berlin
in 1978 when an elderly woman entered his store wanting to sell heirlooms. The woman was Romania
n princess Catherine Caradja
(also known as Princess Caradja-Kretzulesco), who claimed to be a blood relative of Vlad Dracula. The two became friends, and the princess was keen to adopt Berbig as her family had no male heirs to carry the family name.
Once formally adopted, the newly renamed 'Prince Kretzulesco' proved adroit at exploiting his 'Dracula lineage'. From his 46-room palace located in the town of Schenkendorf (Brandenburg
), he organized so-called "blood-sucking parties" in conjunction with the German Red Cross
at which guests were invited to donate blood. Likewise he entertained numerous other charity events including medieval festivals and ghost story
-telling evenings.
He also set up a wine business, marketing under the Castle of Dracula
label, and became a local councillor, at one time proclaiming the town of Schenkendorf 'Dracula's Principality'.
Kretzulesco died in Königs Wusterhausen
of a brain tumor
during the weekend of November 17-18, 2007. His son and heir, Ottomar Dracula Junior or 'Otti', celebrated his first birthday in December 2007.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
socialite
Socialite
A socialite is a person who participates in social activities and spends a significant amount of time entertaining and being entertained at fashionable upper-class events....
who achieved fame through a claim of adopted lineage from Vlad Dracula
Vlad III the Impaler
Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia , also known by his patronymic Dracula , and posthumously dubbed Vlad the Impaler , was a three-time Voivode of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462, the period of the incipient Ottoman conquest of the Balkans...
, the inspiration for Count Dracula
Count Dracula
Count Dracula is a fictional character, the titular antagonist of Bram Stoker's 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula and archetypal vampire. Some aspects of his character have been inspired by the 15th century Romanian general and Wallachian Prince Vlad III the Impaler...
.
Berbig was an antiques
Antiques
An antique is an old collectible item. It is collected or desirable because of its age , beauty, rarity, condition, utility, personal emotional connection, and/or other unique features...
dealer in West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
in 1978 when an elderly woman entered his store wanting to sell heirlooms. The woman was Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n princess Catherine Caradja
Catherine Caradja
Princess Catherine Olympia Caradja was a celebrated Romanian aristocrat and philanthropist. Born in Bucharest, she grew up in England and France, and lived in Romania from 1908 to 1952, when she escaped from the communist regime on a Danube boat...
(also known as Princess Caradja-Kretzulesco), who claimed to be a blood relative of Vlad Dracula. The two became friends, and the princess was keen to adopt Berbig as her family had no male heirs to carry the family name.
Once formally adopted, the newly renamed 'Prince Kretzulesco' proved adroit at exploiting his 'Dracula lineage'. From his 46-room palace located in the town of Schenkendorf (Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
), he organized so-called "blood-sucking parties" in conjunction with the German Red Cross
German Red Cross
The German Red Cross , or the DRK, is the national Red Cross Society in Germany.With over 4.5 million members, it is the third largest Red Cross society in the world. The German Red Cross offers a wide range of services within and outside Germany...
at which guests were invited to donate blood. Likewise he entertained numerous other charity events including medieval festivals and ghost story
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
-telling evenings.
He also set up a wine business, marketing under the Castle of Dracula
Dracula's Castle
Dracula's Castle may refer to:* Bran Castle, a tourist attraction in Transylvania* Poenari Castle, a castle of Vlad III Dracula, who was an inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula character* Hunyad Castle, a castle which was Vlad III Dracula's prison...
label, and became a local councillor, at one time proclaiming the town of Schenkendorf 'Dracula's Principality'.
Kretzulesco died in Königs Wusterhausen
Königs Wusterhausen
Königs Wusterhausen is a town in the Dahme-Spreewald district of the state of Brandenburg in Germany.-Geographical location:Königs Wusterhausen – or "KW" as it is often called locally – lies on the Notte Canal and the river Dahme southeast of Berlin...
of a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
during the weekend of November 17-18, 2007. His son and heir, Ottomar Dracula Junior or 'Otti', celebrated his first birthday in December 2007.
External links
- Castle of Dracula Kretzulesco’s wine company