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NATURE: Dracula's Hidden Kingdom

Bran Castle is often called the lair of Vlad Dracul (Vlad the Impaler), a 15th Century warlord widely regarded as the inspiration for Dracula. However, Vlad barely visited the castle, if at all. Transylvania, Romania.
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Bran Castle is often called the lair of Vlad Dracul (Vlad the Impaler), a 15th Century warlord widely regarded as the inspiration for Dracula. However, Vlad barely visited the castle, if at all. Transylvania, Romania.

Premieres Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2025 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV / Stream with KPBS+ / Encores Sunday, Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. on KPBS 2 + Thursday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. on KPBS 2

Discover Transylvania, one of Europe’s last true wildernesses in central Romania. It is a land of folklore and mythology shielded by the majestic Carpathian Mountains, where some of the biggest wolf packs on the continent roam.

NATURE: Preview of Dracula’s Hidden Kingdom

A sanctuary to vast ancient forests, the region is the realm of magnificent lynxes and brown bears. White storks, a symbol of good luck and fertility, nest in medieval village farms. Bats, winged creatures of the night, hunt and shelter in a 500-year-old church.

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A Grey wolf (Canis lupus) in the snow. Transylvania has some of Europe’s largest wolf packs.
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A Grey wolf (Canis lupus) in the snow. Transylvania has some of Europe’s largest wolf packs.

"Dracula's Hidden Kingdom" is narrated by Jeremy Irons.

A European brown bear (Ursus arctos) mother and her two cubs silhouetted in the sun. Transylvania is home to almost half of Europe’s brown bears.
Peter Strøiman / Dreamstime
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PBS
A European brown bear (Ursus arctos) mother and her two cubs silhouetted in the sun. Transylvania is home to almost half of Europe’s brown bears.

Watch On Your Schedule: This episode is available to stream with KPBS+, a new free streaming video app designed for ease and enjoyment everywhere you watch including Roku, smart TVs and mobile devices. It’s locally curated for San Diego by the KPBS programming team. With a clean and intuitive design, discovering and enjoying KPBS and PBS content on-demand has never been easier.

You can also tune in live to watch our four TV channels in real time: KPBS, KPBS 2, Create, KPBS Kids 24/7. We also added a new channel - FNX (First Nation Experience).

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NATURE: Meet the Bats of Dracula's Home

NATURE brings the beauty and wonder of the natural world into your home, becoming in the process the benchmark for natural history programs. NATURE on Facebook / Instagram / TikTok

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A Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) standing in the snow.
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A Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) standing in the snow.
A Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) returns to the nest with a caterpillar to feed her chicks.
WildMedia/ Shutterstock
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Shutterstock
A Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops) returns to the nest with a caterpillar to feed her chicks.

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