The territory which is now Romania has been home to several peoples, nations, cultures; some of which still live here as minorities, while others do not exist anymore or have been restricted to far-away corners of Eastern or Central Europe.
Bucharest (Bucuresti)
The capital of the country and the largest locality lies in the southeastern area and it offers a variety of sites to any visitor. Made up of eight districts, and looking back to a history of over six hundred years, Bucharest serves as a meeting place of a series of architectural periods, styles, and bears the marks of different stages of development and fashion. The most characteristic images of the capital, however, are the long lines of blocks of flats built toward the end of the communist dictatorship of Ceausescu.
This period is also when works began on the city's most imposing building, known as the Palace of the Parliament, and frequently referred to as The People's House (Casa Poporului). This structure ranks high among the heaviest, as well as the largest (in terms of usable surface) and most expensive administrative buildings in the world.
Further noteworthy sites in the capital are the Cismigiu Park and Garden and the Herastrau Park, and the Arch of Triumph, which is a rough imitation of the one in Paris. In fact, Bucharest is often called Little Paris by the locals who take pride in the cultural affiliation between the French and the Romanians.
Brasov
Situated at the former border of Transylvania and Valahia (the old Romanian Kingdom), at the feet of the Southern Carpathians, Brasov is a living instance of the cultural diversity, which Transylvania has produced along the centuries. Even though the overwhelming majority of the population is now Romanian, the streets and buildings bear the testimony of the different groups of people who have contributed to the building of this city, among which the main two are the Hungarians and the Germans. The place has its own name in these languages: Brassó/Kronstadt.
The city center includes most of the must-see sites: the Council Square (Piata Sfatului) with buildings dating back several hundred years, and its surroundings, which include the Black Church, a beautiful, Gothic style church, and one of the narrowest streets in the world, the Rope Street (strada Sforii).
Near the city, we can find the Bran Castle, which was (mistakenly) assumed to have been home to Vlad the Impaler (the Romanian leader frequently associated with the Dracula figure).
Sibiu
Another living witness of the Germanic (Saxon) and Hungarian cultural heritage, Sibiu (or Hermannstadt or Nagyszeben) is located smack in the middle of the country, in Southern Transylvania. Its most recent great achievement is that of bearing the title of European Capital of Culture in 2007, which brought a great number of very high standard cultural events to the streets of the town. Streets which had already been strewn with cultural heritage.
The old town center comprises the two main squares (Piata Mare and Piata Mica, meaning Large Square and Small Square) and their surroundings, which include only a few of the many historical churches, the town hall, as well as one of the biggest museums in Romania, the Brukenthal Museum.
If looking for outdoor r&r, the Dumbrava natural park and reservation is the place to see.
Tirgu-Jiu
Just south of the Carpathians, on the river Jiu, we can find this town which is worthy of a short stop in a traveler's itinerary because it hosts three works of the great sculptor Constantin Brancusi: The Table of Silence, The Kiss Gate (both in the park in center of the town), and the Endless Column (about a 20-minute walk from the park).
Oradea
This marvelous town lies in the northwest, very close to the current Hungarian border. Up to the post-WW I treaties it used to be part of the Austro-Hungarian Monarchy, and the long centuries of being the hub of Hungarian cultural (especially literary) activity have left a serious mark on the way the city looks today. It bears the Hungarian name of Nagyvárad.
As one of the representative figures of local literary activity, we can mention the poet Endre Ady, who spent only a few years here, but the café where he met one of his muses still functions today. Obviously, this encounter, along with the cultural life already going on in the city, had a great effect on his later work.
Along the centuries, a great number of artists, politicians and other famous people were either born here or spent time here, studying or working.
Just like in many other Transylvanian towns, the old city center is worth a stroll to view the old buildings, among which a fair number of old churches, the most famous of these being the St László (Ladislaus) catholic church.
Not far off, we can find the thermal bath and spa resort, Felix.
Wherever your Romanian journey takes you, remember that these are only a few of the noteworthy places. Furthermore, the country has a wide range of sites of natural beauty as well, for those looking for relaxation rather than culturally loaded hubs.
Noemi Csiki - Noemi Csiki teaches English and writes non-fiction and short fiction. She has experience in proofreading and an interest in language ...
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