The Complete History of Poenari Castle ( Before and after Vlad)

Previously

…The archaeological record paints a clear picture: Poenari was never a colossal, Dracula-esque palace. It was something far more impressive: a small, extraordinarily defensible mountain citadel. Its history, from its 14th-century origins to Vlad’s 15th-century expansion and its eventual abandonment in the latter half of the 16th century, is a testament to its enduring strategic importance. Beneath those ruined walls once lay wooden floors, guarded passages, storage areas, working spaces, soldiers, servants, a young prince named Mihnea, and a royal family living high above the mist-shrouded Carpathian valley.