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Dracula's TERRIFYING Castle Uncovered | Cities of the Underworld 2 Hour Marathon

HISTORY・96 minutes read

Romania's eerie castles, jagged mountains, and dark past, including Vlad the Impaler's brutal reign of terror, are intertwined with secrets of underground cities in Cappadocia and Portland's hidden underworld of vice, crime, and illicit activities, reflecting the darker side of history beneath modern facades. Vlad Dracula's murderous rule, hidden burial site, and mysterious death, along with Portland's Shanghai Tunnels and bootlegging operations, shed light on the sinister pasts lurking beneath the surface of these seemingly ordinary locations.

Insights

Romania, known for its eerie castles and vampire tales, was once ruled by Vlad the Impaler, who terrorized his enemies through brutal punishments and held captives in dark dungeons, showcasing a dark and bloody past.
The underground cities in Romania and Cappadocia served various purposes throughout history, from defensive systems against invaders to hiding places for persecuted Christians, highlighting the architectural ingenuity and strategic planning of ancient civilizations.
Portland's underground tunnels reveal a history of human trafficking, bootlegging, and illegal activities, with hidden speakeasies, opium dens, and fight clubs showcasing a darker side of the city's past that contrasts with its modern image.
From the notorious bootlegging operations in Portland to the mysterious burial site of Vlad Dracula in Romania, the hidden underground worlds in these locations provide a glimpse into the historical secrets and illicit activities that shaped these regions, offering a unique perspective on their complex histories.

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What is Romania known for?
Eerie castles and jagged mountains.

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Summary

00:00

Romania: Land of Dracula and Dark Secrets

Romania is known for its eerie castles and jagged mountains, setting the stage for vampire tales.
The real Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, had victims awaiting death in creepy prisons.
Vlad himself was held hostage in a cell where he impaled mice to pass the time.
Romania's underground is rich with secrets, including cities of the underworld.
Romania is the largest country in Southeastern Europe with a long and bloody past.
Vlad Dracula, a 15th-century prince, united vakia using brutal punishment.
A massive bat cave near Bucharest is among Romania's largest, home to thousands of bats.
The cave system descends over 300 ft below the surface, part of a 25 km network.
Vlad the Impaler's reign of terror included impaling 10,000 people at his fortress.
Dracula's underground prison beneath Turova Castle was a dark complex of dungeons and torture rooms.

18:56

Vlad Dracula: Revenge, Impalement, and Escape

Vlad sought revenge for his father and brother's deaths, taking over a decade to execute his plan.
On Easter Sunday, Vlad served a feast to his subjects, including those who had helped murder his family.
Vlad impaled the old and weak, while forcing able-bodied men to march 40 miles to expand his fortress.
After months of slave labor, no survivors remained, with nobles worked to death or impaled.
A dungeon was built beneath the fortress, now in ruins, where Vlad's captives were held.
Vlad's brother Radu led the Turks to besiege Panari, leading to Dracula's disappearance.
Dracula vanished into escape tunnels, fleeing to Transylvania in Hungary, seeking protection.
Dracula was imprisoned for five years, continuing his bloodlust in the dark dungeons.
Dracula spent 12 years in prison, impaling pests and fixating on their death twitches.
Dracula was freed in 1475, reclaiming the throne after his brother's death from syphilis.

36:33

Vlad Dracula: Legacy of Blood and Mystery

Vlad's Palace and Marketplace later became the basement for subsequent rulers, expanding Vlad's Palace to a structure larger than his 10,000 ft complex.
The expanded structure contained a private garden in the middle, with administration buildings and living quarters above.
In the late 18th century, a new castle was built nearby, eventually falling into disrepair and being surrounded by homes during the Communist era.
The area was covered with buildings during the Communist era, effectively paving over Romania's dark past.
Vlad Dracula built Ctia at the height of his power, but his final reign ended shortly after.
Vlad's burial site is shrouded in mystery, with various rumors about his remains and burial location.
Snagov Island, just 25 miles north of Bucharest, is believed to be Vlad's burial site, with a deserted appearance and an 11th-century church.
Vlad's death and burial remain mysterious, with conflicting accounts of his demise and burial location.
In 1935, archaeologists found rich clothes and a special ring with Dracula's coat of arms, but his bones were never found.
Vlad Dracula ruled for nearly 7 years, during which he is said to have killed between 40,000 and 100,000 people.

54:13

Ancient Underground Cities: Defense, Refuge, Innovation

The underground city had remnants of an ancient defensive system with millstones weighing up to a ton used to block access.
The Hittites, an advanced Pagan Empire, created lethal military forts in Capid Doia around 1200 BC.
Christians later utilized the underground cities to escape persecution, with Osano being the third largest in Capid Doia.
The underground city in Osano had multiple levels for animals and villagers, accommodating over 3,000 people for months.
The narrow, winding tunnels in the underground cities served for air circulation and disarming enemies.
Defensive traps included spears and millstones to trap and kill invading armies.
A Byzantine system in the underground cities involved pouring hot oil over enemies in a last line of defense.
The underground cities maintained a telecommunication system for strategic communication.
Food storage in the underground cities was crucial, with the temperature always at 15-16° for preservation.
Chalk paint was used on walls for hygiene in food storage areas to prevent contamination.

01:11:48

Cappadocia's Hidden Underground World

The church in Cappadocia resembles the layout of Eastern Roman Empire churches, with an apse symbolizing the kingdom of God, a central prayer area supported by columns, and smaller prayer areas.
Carved entirely by hand into the ground in Cappadocia's G Valley, a massive Monastery was created, featuring Christian classrooms, basilicas, and hidden caves.
Cappadocia's underground world was shaped by the Hittites, early Christians, Romans, and Mongols, with every house, shop, or road potentially concealing entrances to these lost worlds.
A town in Cappadocia sits atop a five-level Subterranean City extending nearly 4 miles, showcasing 1900-year-old architecture inspired by the underground engineering feats.
Mimar Sinan, born in 1489, built impressive monuments like the Suleymaniye Mosque, utilizing a triple arch system that maximized load-bearing capacity.
The underground city in Cappadocia, inhabited since the 2nd century, features triple arches to support the weight of the modern town above, showcasing the architectural ingenuity of the Romans.
Cappadocia's underground spaces, once used for storage, were transformed into a vast Subterranean Factory during Sinan's time, producing iron utensils and gunpowder from pigeon droppings.
The underground city beneath Gazir, discovered recently, is believed to be the largest and most sophisticated in Turkey, featuring a Caravan Saray from the Silk Road era.
The Caravan Saray beneath Gazir served as a rest stop on the Silk Road, offering travelers stables, storage rooms, baths, wineries, and areas for business, providing a temporary escape from the outside world.
Portland, Oregon, once a dangerous vice city, harbors an underworld with trap doors, opium dens, bootlegging stashes, and illegal fight clubs, preserving its dark past beneath its modern facade.

01:29:24

Portland's Shanghai Tunnels: Dark History Unveiled

Gold rush sailors heading to Shanghai faced long trips with low pay and terrible living conditions.
Ship owners used local thugs to drug or kidnap men and force them into slave labor or risk being thrown overboard.
Michael Jones, an expert on Portland Shanghai Tunnels, guided a journey into the city's sailor slave trade underworld.
Access to the tunnels is through an inconspicuous opening in a modern-day street, leading to a network of tunnels.
The tunnels, stretching 5 miles, were constructed with brick archways and wood support beams to transport goods.
Initially built in 1850 for transporting goods, the tunnels were later used for human trafficking for nearly 50 years.
Saloons like Lazo's were popular spots where men were drugged and brought into the tunnels for Shanghaiing.
Holding cells with unique bars were used to keep kidnapped men captive until they were shipped out.
The tunnels also housed sex slave cells and opium dens, revealing the dark underbelly of Portland's history.
Prohibition in the 1920s led to the rise of bootlegging, with Huber's restaurant operating a secret speakeasy underground.

01:46:00

Portland's Underground Bootlegging and Drug Trafficking

Mother ships had machine guns on their decks, while land trucks were guarded by armed men with knives, pistols, and tommy guns.
In Portland, a queen ruled over the Bootleggers, not a king, reigning supreme over the city's underground.
Dave Campa discovered that beneath his modern graphics business was the secret sanctuary of one of America's wildest Bootleggers.
10 feet below the ground floor was the nerve center of Portland's notorious bootlegging operations.
The underground space was originally a retail marketplace, specifically an Italian market, with a full-service meat market.
The dungeon, known as the old Boiler Room, was where whiskey was stored during the Prohibition era.
Rose, a prohibition-era bootlegger, operated a dangerous den of crime, coordinating transportation and distribution of alcohol.
Rose's whiskey was made in a large continuous still, resulting in a high alcohol concentration.
Portland's criminal activity continues underground, with evidence of illegal drug trafficking in the city's sewer system.
Drug trafficking, particularly of crystal meth, is a significant issue in Portland's sewers, posing dangers from toxic gases and contaminants.

02:02:42

Portland's Dark Underground Fight Club History

The Kenton Hotel, now an apartment complex, used to house an underground fight club in the early 1900s, where bare-knuckle fighting and illegal boxing matches took place in a large basement speakeasy.
The fights, often brutal and bloody, were held in secret to entertain important cattle buyers staying in the hotel, with mysterious Billy Smith being a notorious boxer known for his dirty tactics, such as elbowing and gouging opponents.
The underground fight club may have been connected to a network of tunnels leading to other speakeasies, brothels, and gambling dens in the area, reflecting a darker side of Portland's past as a city overrun by shanghaiers, opium dens, and bootleggers.
Portland has since transformed from a vice city to a modern metropolis, with efforts to clean up its image, but the history of its underground world and illicit activities remains a reminder of its past beneath the surface.

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