A trip to Romania offers both culture and exercise. The forests and deciduous trees are clad in golden brown autumn colors and the silence is broken by scattered sounds of branches breaking under the hiking boots, an energetic rod and the hikers’ heavy breathing. On the other side of the dark corridor of the jungle of trees, a lush and lush green hillside spreads out and far away on the horizon, the soaring tower of a medieval castle can be sensed.
See travel to Romania
Population: 22 mill.
Capital: Bucharest
Language: Romanian
The oldest remains of homo sapiens so far in Europe have been found in a cave in Romania. It was in 2002 that the 42,000-year-old finds were found.
There is a significant German minority in Transylvania. The Trans-Sylvian Saxons immigrated in the 12th and 13th centuries.
Romania’s natural sights
According to top-medical-schools, the dramatic rock formations of the Carpathian Mountains turn into sloping grasslands. A magical mix of brutal and idyllic nature scenes. Wolf, red deer, mountain goat, wild boar, roe deer, lynx, forest cat and brown bear hide in the thickets. These are coveted hunting grounds. The magnificent nature and wildlife extend to Piatra Craiului National Park and the Bucegi-Fagaras Mountains with Moldoveanu – Romania’s highest point stretching 2,453 meters above sea level.
Transylvania
Of course, Transylvania is also known for the legend of Count Dracula, which was marketed through the British horror writer Bram Stoker’s nerve-wracking story of the bestial bloodsucker. The Count of Reality, Dracula, was actually named Vlad Teper, but also used his father’s name – Dracul. Tepes was not known for sticking his teeth into living people, but he was happy to use terrifying methods to kill his enemies – and scare the lives out of those who could be. The count was above all a stubborn opponent of the Ottoman Turks, whom he fought by cruelly sharpening his prisoners of war on wooden poles to the great horror of the public. In the small village of Bran in Transylvania is a castle that over time has begun to be called Dracula’s castle – but in reality the bloodthirsty count has only made a short stop here. However, this does not change the fact that the building, which was built in the second half of the 14th century, is one of Romania’s biggest tourist attractions.
Brasov
Bran is located about 30 kilometers from Brasov, Romania’s second largest city with 600,000 inhabitants. Here, too, you will find many beautiful buildings and picturesque cobbled squares with bustling café life. The city’s great pride is The Black Church – a Lutheran medieval church with walls that are still black with soot after a large fire in the late 17th century. There are not only good opportunities for hiking around Brasov, there are also several of Romania’s ski resorts, including Poiana Brasov. Nearby is also the city of Sighisoara where the legendary Vlad Tepes alias Count Dracula was born. His little yellow family house is located on top of a hill in the charming medieval town.
The Danube
A trip to Romania can include a trip to the Danube Delta where golden tulips cling to the mountain walls that slope down to Europe ‘s second longest river, and whose banks are lined with watermelon groves and beautiful small villages. The Danube flows into the Black Sea via the Danube Canal. The port city of Constanta is an excellent starting point for a sun holiday by the sea. Just north of Constanta is Mamaia, which with its white sandy beaches is one of Romania’s most popular seaside resorts.
Metropolitan pulse in Romania
Also experience Banat with Romania’s fourth largest city Timisoara with its bustling student life. Feel free to extend your trip to Romania with a city break in the capital Bucharest, which with its two million inhabitants is Romania’s largest city. Bucharest is located in the southeastern part of Romania on the Dâmboviţa River and was called “Paris of the East” during the period between the two world wars. Many of the elegant buildings that helped give the city its flattering nickname have since been damaged or completely ruined as a result of Romania’s longtime dictator Nicolae Caecescu’s harsh policies. Caecescu ruled Romania for over twenty years until he was convicted by a military court in 1989 and executed.
Caecescu is the architect behind the pompous, ten kilometer long and 120 meter wide “Boulevard for the Victory of Socialism” which has since been renamed Bulevardul Unirii. In one part of this is the Palatul Parlamenttului, the president’s huge palace that today houses Romania’s democratic parliament. The palace is the world’s second largest building after the Pentagon and holds 1,000 rooms, the largest of which is as large as a football field.
Just outside Bucharest are the two major museums, the Farmers’ Museum and the Open-Air Museum, with buildings coming from different parts of Romania. The museums are located next to Herastrau Park, the city’s green lung. Here it is nice to go on a rowing trip on the big lake, sunbathe on the lawns or go romantic walks. Just next door is also the large triumphal arch, reminiscent of its more famous model in Paris.
