DraculaLand: From 83 Land Parcels to a €1 Billion Resort

The public launch of DraculaLand on 3 December 2025 introduced far more than a new theme park. It revealed a 160-hectare destination intended to combine entertainment, accommodation, events, retail and technology around a figure recognised throughout the world: Dracula. Led by Romanian entrepreneur Dragoș Dobrescu and, according to its developers, financed without public funding, the project carries a private investment of more than €1 billion. Its ambition therefore extends well beyond a collection of rides: the plan is to build a resort near Bucharest capable of attracting international visitors for multi-day stays.

An Idea Born During a Family Visit

Dragoș Dobrescu says the idea took shape during a visit to a theme park with his children. Comparing the experience with memories of his own childhood, he felt that technology had changed dramatically while many of the basic principles of a park visit remained similar. That observation led him to study several international destinations and search for a feature that could distinguish a Romanian project in a European market already filled with established parks. The chosen answer was Dracula: a global legend immediately associated with Romania but frequently commercialised elsewhere. The project therefore aims to bring that image home and connect it with Romanian culture, landscapes and stories.

Eight Years to Assemble 160 Hectares

Practical preparation began in 2017 with the gradual purchase of agricultural land at Gherghița in Prahova County. The process ultimately brought together 83 parcels into one compact 160-hectare site. Accessibility shaped the location choice: it is close to Bucharest and Henri Coandă International Airport, connected to the A3 motorway and within reach of the main road network around the capital. The land is also large enough to place the different resort components within one destination. By December 2025, the land purchase was described as complete, while the planning conversion of the site and the necessary approvals still had to progress.

A Resort Designed as an Ecosystem

The theme park is the centrepiece, but it represents only one part of the programme. The announced masterplan also includes a 22,500-seat multifunctional arena, three hotels with around 1,200 rooms, a 50,000-square-metre water park and thermal spa, a fashion and home-design outlet, a 4.5-kilometre motor circuit and a 15,000-square-metre technology hub aimed at gaming, artificial intelligence and creative industries. This mix is intended to spread activity across different seasons and audiences: families, event visitors, business guests, hotel customers and users of the digital services. These figures describe the announced programme rather than facilities that have already been built.

The Theme Park at the Narrative Heart of DraculaLand

The announced theme park would cover around 780,000 square metres and be divided into six lands. Moonlit District would provide an entrance inspired by historic Bucharest. Family Kingdom would offer a younger, family-oriented interpretation of fantasy creatures. Transylvania would combine traditional villages, Carpathian scenery and Romanian folklore. Dracula’s Castle would form the central landmark with its attractions and lake. Port of New Orleans would shift the story towards bayous, jazz and werewolves, while London Town would recreate a Victorian city associated with vampire hunting. More than forty experiences appear in the programme, including roller coasters, dark rides, water rides, shows and interactive adventures. Creative Studio Berlin is named as an attraction design partner.

A Physical Destination Extended Through Digital Experiences

Technology is presented as one of the project’s main differentiators. The programme proposes a digital twin of the resort developed in Unreal Engine 5, allowing remote users to explore the destination and join events synchronised with the physical site. DraculaCoin is announced as a token for transactions and digital assets, while artificial intelligence would be used to personalise parts of the experience and analyse visitor flow. These elements still belong to the project’s commercial and technical vision. They nevertheless show that DraculaLand is not defined only as a park inspired by an old legend, but as an attempt to combine popular heritage, physical entertainment and digital services.

International Partners and an Early Design Award

The masterplan brings together several international specialists. Creative Studio Berlin and TDAC are involved in themed entertainment; Piuarch and The Mall Firenze team in retail; RB+P and Optim Engineers in architecture and engineering; further partners are announced for content, digital development and esports. Financial structuring is attributed to Florin Cîțu through his advisory company. Even before the public launch, Răzvan Bârsan Partners had presented the Dracula Land Arena as a 22,500-seat concept. In December 2025 it appeared among the winners of the 52nd World Architecture Community Awards in the Architecture/Designed category. The award recognises the architectural design; it does not mean that the arena has been built.

An Ambitious Timetable Still Dependent on Approvals

At the time of the launch, DraculaLand had not entered construction. The local authority was still working on the planning process needed to change the land designation and proceed towards construction permits. Communications published in late 2025 estimated planning approval around mid-2026 and a construction start in September, with a first operational phase roughly eighteen months after work begins. An opening as early as 2027 was also mentioned. These dates are development targets rather than secured deadlines. The transition from an announced project to a park under construction will depend on effective approvals and physical work actually beginning on the site.

DraculaLand is therefore the story of an ambition developed long before its public announcement: a family idea, eight years of land assembly, several years of studies and a network of partners brought together around a masterplan on an unusual scale for Romania. The project already has an identity, a site, architectural concepts and a detailed programme of experiences. Its decisive challenge still lies ahead: turning those visualisations and schedules into approvals, construction work and, eventually, a destination that visitors can actually enter.