The Fagaras mountains, in the centre of Romania, form part of the Carpathians and stretch for some 75Km(46.5 mi) south of the main Brasov-Sibiu road. The mountains are peppered with more than 40 glacial lakes, the highest of which is Lake Mioarele at 2282m (7484 ft). The famed Trans-Fagarasan highway cuts through the Balea valley across the mountains from north to south, a mountain pass which is said to be the highest road in Europe. The Balea tunnel, cutting between Romania's highest mountains - Mount Negoiu (2535m; 8314 ft) and Mount Moldoveanu (2543m; 8341 ft) - is 845m (52.3 mi) long. The Fagaras mountains offer the most spectacular hiking in the country, with well marked trails and an abundance of wildlife. The main access point to the trails is Victoria, which you reach by getting off at the train
at Ucea halt. If you have a car, follow the Trans-Fagarasan Highway to Poienari Castle, just over the border in Wallachia. This was built for Vlad Tepes, and is regarded by Dracula buffs
as the real McCoy. You climb 1480 steps to reach it from the side of an hydroelectric power plant below. Back to the top of the page
In Spain it's Benidorm, in Australia it's the Gold Coast - and in Romania the sun-sea-sand-and-sex brigade head for the Black Sea Coast. Constanta, Romania's largest port and second largest city, is the main transport hub for the Black Sea Coast, and the gateway to other resorts. International soccer fans may feel
compelled to pay a visit, as this is Gheorghe Hagi's home town. The beaches are large and crowded, and the town itself is picturesque and has some excellent museums. Mamaia, an 8km (4.96 mi) strip of beach north of Constanta, is Romania's version of Palm Beach, with 61 hotels containing a total of 27,000 beds
that fill up between mid-June and August. If you like lying on overcrowded beaches listening to pop music, head 17km (10.54 mi) south of Constanta to Eforie Nord. Other beaches and blaring music resorts are Neptun-Olimp and Constinesti. In summer, Constanta is accessible by charter flight from European destinations, and by ferry from Istanbul. Buses connect Constanta with other Black Sea towns. Constanta is well serviced by bus and train. Back to the top of the page
The 5800 sq km (92262 sq mi) Danube Delta, just south of the Ukrainian border, is Europe's youngest land geologically, and a magnet for birds and birdwatchers. Amid this wetland of reed beds and waterways, lily-covered lakes and shifting sand dunes, the Danube River completes its journey from Germany's Black
Forest. Just over 14,500 people live on the Delta. Traditional wooden kayaks and rowing boats are the primary means of accessing the Delta's 57 fishing villages. Today the Danube
Delta is protected, and 273,300 hectares (675,051 acres) of it are strictly protected zones, off limits to tourists and fishermen. If you want to see wildlife, your best bet is to explore smaller waterways in a kayak or rowing boat or with a local fisherman. There are not to many shops, so take supplies with you. The gateway to the Delta is Tulcea, with good bus and train connections. From there you can hire rowing boats and kayaks, or arrange trips with fishermen. You'll need a permit to visit the Delta, which you can get at travel agencies in Tulcea. Back to the top of the page
Bucovina's painted monasteries were the first in the world to be adorned with frescoes on the outside. Painted in the 16th century, these frescoes also went beyond the confines of religious art, conveying political as well as religious messages. Painting on glass and wood, a traditional peasant art, has been widespread in Romania since the 17th century and remains popular today. Romanian literature draws heavily on the country's rich folklore heritage coupled with its turbulent history as an occupied country inhabited by a persecuted people. In the 15th century an oral epic folk literature emerged, and writings in the Romanian language took shape in around 1420 Back to the top of the page
Romania's capital - named after its legendary founder, a sheppard called Bucur - lies on the Wallachian plains, between the Carpathian foothills and the Danube river. In the 1930s it was known as `the Paris of the East'. Since then, earthquakes, WWII bombing and Ceausescu have combined to destroy much of its prewar beauty.In the 1980s Ceausescu bulldozed 7000 homes and 15 churches in historic southern Bucharest to build a Civic Centre. The focal point of what locals dubbed 'Ceausima' is the ginormous 12-storey House of the People, intended to be the largest building in the world - it's actually the second, after the Pentagon. Ceausescu - who was executed just as it neared completion - intended it to house the president's office, central committee and all the state ministries. The Iliescu government did not know what to do with this white elephant - many people wanted it demolished - but in 1994 decided to use it to house the Parliament and to host international conferences. There are guided tours, so you'll get a chance to gawp at the ornate 1000-room interior as well as the mesmerising exterior.
For a taste of the old, head for central Bucharest, where the 16th century Old Court Church contains beautifully preserved frescoes. The George Enescu Museum displays the musician's manuscripts and
personal belongings. Also here is Romania's very own Raffles, the Athenee Palace Hotel, centre of early 20th century decadence, and the meeting place of Olivia Manning's characters in The Balkan Trilogy. It has just had a US$50 million facelift and is the city's classiest and most expensive hotel. Bucharest offers a wide range of accommodation options, including private rooms, university campuses,hostels and hotels. The main places are in the centre or around the main train station (Gara de Nord). Bucharest has seen a rapid influx of flashy, upmarket, expensive restaurants offering international cuisine, but it is still easy to track down traditional Romanian cooking in central Bucharest. This area is also the focal point for nightlife: you'll find plenty of entertainment here, including bars, nightclubs, theatres and cinemas. Back to the top of the page
Brasov, a medieval Saxon town surrounded by Transylvanian hills, is one of Romania's most
visited places. It was in Brasov that the first public opposition to the Ceausescu regime occurred - in 1987
thousands of disgruntled workers, angered by wage cuts, long hours, and rationing, took to the streets
demanding basic foodstuffs. Ceausescu's response was to call in the troops (three people were killed) and
cut rations even further.
Brasov's main attraction is the Black Church, said to be the largest Gothic church between Vienna and
Istanbul. The church's name comes from its blackened appearance following a fire in 1689. Many people
use Brasov as a base for visiting nearby attractions. The main magnet for tourists is Bran Castle,
commonly known outside Romania as 'Dracula's Castle', 30km (18.6 mi) south of Brasov. Despite popular myth, the
castle has no links with Vlad Tepes, and, with its fairytale turrets and whitewashed walls, it's not exactly
menacing. Less touristy and more dramatic is Rasnov Castle, en route to Bran Castle from Brasov.
The ski resorts of Poiana Brasov and Sinaia are also within easy reach by bus or train from Brasov.
Plenty of local and international buses and trains stop at Brasov. So, don't waste your time. If you really want to see something nice, GO THERE
Back to the top of the page
Like Brasov, Sighisoara is a Saxon medieval town surrounded by hills in Transylvania. But it is more
beautiful and less hyped than Brasov, and has a greater amount of perfectly preserved medieval buildings.
For many, its great drawcard is the Dracula connection - within the walls of the medieval citadel you'll
find the house in which Vlad Tepes was born in 1431 and reputedly lived until the age of four. It is now a bar and restaurant. Sighisoara's other main sights are also inside the citadel walls, with its nine surviving towers. The clock
tower, a history museum and the Church of the Dominican Monastery, which became the
Saxons' main Lutheran church in 1566, are all worth seeing. And don't miss climbing the 172 steps of
the covered stairway to the Gothic Church on the Hill. Just 4km (2.48 mi) north-east of Sighisoara
is the village of Albesti, home to the Petofi Sandor Museum, which commemorates the Hungarian
poet who died in battle here in 1848. Sighisoara is well serviced by both local and international bus and
train services. Back to the top of the page
Timisoara, in the Banat region close to the Hungarian border, is world-famous as the place where the
1989 revolution began. Numerous memorial slabs to those people who died in the fighting are
encrusted in walls on streets around the town. Most are still honoured with fresh flowers and lavish
bouquets. The Tokes Reformed Church, the flashpoint of the revolution, is south of the town centre.
Other main sights include the Roman Catholic Cathedral and the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral,
which are in the town centre on opposite sides of Piata Unirii, Timisoara's most picturesque square.
Timisoara is serviced by international buses, though there are few bus connections to other Romanian
towns. The city is serviced by plenty of international and domestic trains. Some international flights go to Timisoara. Back to the top of the page
Ancient Romania was inhabited by Thracian tribes. In the first century BC, Greece established the state of Dacia there to counter the threat from Rome. Dacia fell to Rome in 106 AD, becoming a province of the Roman Empire. Faced with Goth attacks in 271 AD, Emperor Aurelian decided to withdraw the Roman legions south of the Danube, but the Romanised Vlach peasants remained in Dacia, forming a Romanian people. By the 10th century, small Romanian states emerged, and their consolidation led to the formation of the principalities of Moldavia, Wallachia and Transylvania. From the 10th century the Magyars spread into Transylvania and by the 13th century it was an autonomous principality under the Hungarian crown. In the 14th century Hungarian forces tried and failed to capture Wallachia and Moldavia.
Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries Wallachia and Moldavia offered strong resistance to Ottoman Empire expansion. During this struggle the prince of Wallachia, Vlad Tepes (known as the Impaler, because he rarely ate a meal without a Turk writheing on a stake in front of him), became a hero; he later became associated with Dracula. Another heroic figure at this time was Moldavian prince Stefan cel Mare, whose name now appears on countless street signs in Romania and Moldova. Transylvania fell to Ottoman control in the 16th century, and after this Wallachia and Moldavia paid tribute to the Turks but retained their autonomy. In 1600 the three Romanian states were briefly united under Mihai Viteazul, prince of Wallachia, after he joined forces with the ruling princes of Moldavia and Transylvania against the Turks. Unity lasted only one year, after which he was defeated by a joint Habsburg-Transylvanian force, and then captured and beheaded. Transylvania came under Habsburg rule, while Turkish suzerainty continued in Wallachia and Moldavia until well into the 19th century. In 1775 the northern part of Moldavia, Bucovina, was annexed by Austria-Hungary. This was followed in 1812 by the loss of its eastern territory, Bessarabia, to Russia. After the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-29, Ottoman domination over the principalities finally came to an end.
After 1848 Transylvania fell under the direct rule of Austria-Hungary from Budapest, and ruthless Magyarisation followed. In 1859 Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected to the thrones of Moldavia and Wallachia, creating a national state, which was named Romania in 1862. Carol I succeeded him in 1866, and in 1877 Dobrogea became part of Romania. Romania was declared a kingdom in 1881, with Carol I as king. He died at the start of WWI and was succeeded by his nephew Ferdinand I who, in 1916, entered the war on the side of the Triple Entente. His objective was to liberate Transylvania from Austria-Hungary. In 1918, Bessarabia, Bucovina and Transylvania became part of Romania.
After WWI, numerous political parties emerged in Romania, including the Legion of the Archangel Michael, better known as the fascist Iron Guard. Led by Corneliu Codreanu, this party dominated the political scene by 1935. Carol II, who had succeeded his father Ferdinand I to the throne, declared a royal dictatorship in 1938, and all political parties were dissolved. In 1939 he destroid the Iron Guard (which he had previously actively supported) and had Codreanu and other legionaries assassinated. In 1940 the USSR occupied Bessarabia, and Romania was forced to cede northern Transylvania to Hungary by order of Germany and Italy. Southern Dobrogea was also given to Bulgaria. These setbacks sparked off widespread demonstrations, and the king called in General Marshall Ion Antonescu to help squash the rising mass hysteria. Antonescu forced Carol to abdicate in favour of his 19-year-old son Michael, and then imposed a fascist dictatorship with himself as conducator (leader). In 1941 he joined Hitler's anti-Soviet war. In 1944 with the Soviet Union approaching Romania's border, Romania switched sides.
Three years later King Michael was forced to abdicate, and a Romanian People's Republic was proclaimed. In the late 1950s Romania began to distance itself from Moscow, pursuing an independent foreign policy under Gheorghe Gheorgiu-Dej (1952-65) and Nicolae Ceausescu (1965-89). Ceausescu condemned Soviet 'intervention' in Czechoslovakia in 1968, earning him praise and economic aid from the west. If his foreign policy was skilful, his domestic policy was inept and megalomanical. Most of his grandiose projects (the construction of the Danube-Black Sea 'Death' Canal and the House of the People in Bucharest, and systemisation) were expensive failures. His Securitate (secret police) kept the populace in check, recruiting a vast network of informers. The advent of Mikhail Gorbachev in the late 1980s meant that the USA no longer needed Romania, and withdrew its 'most favoured nation' status. Ceausescu decided to export Romania's food to pay off the country's mounting debt. In 1987 protest riots in Brasov were crushed. On 15 December 1989, as one communist regime after another collapsed in eastern Europe, Father Laszlo Tokes spoke out against Ceausescu from his Timisoara church. That evening a crowd gathered outside his home to protest at the decision of the Reformed Church of Romania to remove him from his post. Clashes between the protesters and the Securitate and army troops continued for the next four days. On 19 December the army joined the protesters. On 21 December Bucharest workers booed Ceausescu during a mass rally and street battles between army troops and Securitate and the people began in the capital. The following day Ceausescu tried to live Romania, but he was arrested. The Ceausescus were tried by an anonymous court, and executed by firing squad on Christmas Day.
Initially a caretaker government, it was elected to power in 1990, led by Ion Iliescu. Student protests against its ex-communist leadership were crushed when 20,000 coal miners from the Jiu Valley were brought in Bucharest. The miners were drafted to Bucharest again a year later to force the resignation of reform-minded prime minister Petre Roman. Iliescu and the National Salvation Front were reelected in 1992, but rampant inflation, unemployment, and allegations of government corruption, meant that in 1996 Iliescu was voted out in favour of Emil Constantinescu, leader of the reform-minded Democratic Convention of Romania. Since his election, inflation has fallen and steps have been made to improve social benefits. However, his main achievement to date is giving the Romanians hope. Back to the top of the page
Romanian is closer to classical Latin than it is to other Romance languages, and the grammatical structure and basic word stock of the mother tongue are well preserved. Speakers of French, Italian and Spanish won't be able to understand much spoken Romanian but will find written Romanian more or less comprehensible. Romanian is spelt phonetically so once you learn a few simple rules you should have no trouble with pronunciation. Romania is the only country with a Romance language that does not have a Roman Catholic background. It is 86% Romanian Orthodox, 5% Roman Catholic, 3.5% Protestant, 1% Greco-Catholic, 0.3% Muslim and 0.2% Jewish. Unlike other ex-communist countries where the church was a leading opposition voice to the regime, the Romanian Orthodox Church was subservient to and a tool of the government. Today it is hierarchical, dogmatic and wealthy. Romanians are extremely hospitable. They will welcome you into their modest homes, feed you until you burst, and expect nothing in return other than friendship. Don't rebuff it.
Those who live to eat will find life pretty dull in Romania. Restaurants tend to offer the same things with very consistent food: grilled pork, pork liver, grilled chicken, tripe soup and greasy potatoes. Romania's most novel dish is MAMALIGA, a hard or soft cornmeal mush which is boiled, baked or fried. In many Romanian households, it's served as the main dish. The other mainstay of the Romanian diet is ciorba (soup) and sarmalele (cabbage rolls with ground meat). You can also have typical desserts include placinta (turnovers), clatite (crepes) and saraille (almond cake soaked in syrup). Romanian wines are cheap and good. Tuica (plum brandy) and palinca (distilled three times as much as tuica) are mind-blowing liqueurs taken at the beginning of a meal. NOROC! (Cheers!)
Economic Profile
GDP: US$33 billion
GDP per head: US$1473
Annual growth: -2%
Inflation: 54.9%
Major industries: Agriculture, manufacturing
Major trading partners: Germany, Italy, France
|
Full country name: Romania
Area: 237,500 sq km (91,700 sq mi)
Location: Eastern Europe
Population: 23 million
Capital city: Bucharest (pop 2 million)
People: Romanians (89%), Hungarians (6.9%), Gypsies (1.8%), Germans, Ukrainians
Language: Romanian, Hungarian
Religion: Romanian Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Government: Republic
President: Ion Iliescu
Prime Minister: Adrian Nastase
|
Check out some pictures from Romania
| Back to the top of the page
| Back to the main page
| Back to main menu
