A "vampire skeleton" with an iron bar in his chest discovered in Bulgaria may provide the country with an unexpected tourist boon as visitors flock to take in the macabre sight.

11:07AM BST 08 Jun 2012


Archaeologist Bozhidar Dimitrov said the victim had been stabbed a number of times in the chest and stomach with a metal stake

Travel agencies have reported a surge in interest in "vampire vacations" since news of the discovery of the remains in the Black Sea town of Sozopol broke in the international press earlier in the week, according to Bulgarian newspaper The Standard.

Agencies said interest from Britain and Germany was especially high, but they had also received enquiries from Russia and the United States.

The site of the dig has also been inundated with visitors curious to see the last resting of the vampire.

Bozhidar Dimitrov, the archaeologist who discovered the skeleton, which dates back 700 years, said the victim had been stabbed a number of times in the chest and stomach with the metal stake to prevent him from rising from the dead and attacking the living.

The archaeologist explained that the "vampire" was a probably a legendary pirate called Krivich Crooked and speculated that his pirating skills may have led to rumours that he practised witchcraft, and that accounted for the stake.

To cope with an expected clamour to see the skeleton historians plan to put it on display in the national museum in Sophia. A glass case has been prepared and the remains will become part of a special display.

Stabbing in the chest was a practice widespread in Bulgaria up until the beginning of the last century, and around 100 skeletons with stakes through the chest have now been discovered in the Balkan country.

The latest discovery has prompted other towns home to "vampire skeletons" to invest in marketing their unusual attractions in order to profit from vampire tourists.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/bulgaria/9318992/Vampire-skeleton-proves-unexpected-tourist-boon-for-Bulgaria.html