Destination Guide - Regions           Cities


Alba Iulia
  |   Bacau   |   Baia Mare  |   Bistrita   |  Brasov   |   Bucharest   |   Buzau   |   Cluj   |   Curtea de Arges   |  Horezu  |   Iasi   |   Piatra Neamt   |   Pitesti   |   Ramnicu Valcea   |   Satu Mare    |   Sibiu   |   Sighetu Marmatiei   |   Sighisoara   |   Suceava   |   Targoviste   |   Targu Mures  |   Timisoara 

 

Alba Iulia -    Restaurants&Bars    |   Museums    |    Photos    |   Accomodation

During the Medial Ages but also in the modern perioad, Alba Iulia was known as an eventful town, having an important role in the social and political life of Transylvania. In 1559, the town is conquered by Michael The Brave and in 1600 he united Moldova with the rest of the country. Nowadays Alba Iulia is distinguished as one of the most beautiful Romanian towns.

From a tourist point of view the county town holds pride of place. There are many places of interest but the Citadel, built between 1715 and 1738 on the site of previous fortifications: the Roman Castrum of the 13th Legion Gemina (the 2nd and the 3rd centuries) and the Balgrad Citadel (the 8th and the 13th centuries) is undoubtedly the most important one. The Citadel hosts the National Union Museum with its tow buildings: the Union Hall and the Babylon building (a monument of architecture). The documentary library "Batthyanaeum" with 60,000 books, set up in 1794, is a cultural institution of world repute. The Roman Catholic Cathedral (the 13th century) can be found here also. It is the oldest and most valuable monument of architecture of Transylvania. The Cathedral of Reunion stands next to it. It was built between 1921 and 1922 symbolizing the Romanian people's idea of unity.

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Bacau -   Accomodation

The Bacau county is situated in the Eastern part of Romania, it is 2,8 per cent of Romania's surface. The Municipality of Bacau is the capital city of this county.
The land of Bacau county which has a varied and picturesque relief with the Eastern Carpathians and hilly regions washed by the Bistrita, Trotus, Siret, Tazlau, Casin and Slanic Rivers with their wonderful valleys and rich flora, is an important point of tourist attraction consisting in watering places, different natural landscapes, historic and art monuments, memorial houses. On its surface, forests cover ha 26,700. The cultivated fields are the other part. At the end of 1995 the population was of 753,479 inhabitants
.

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Baia Mare -    Restaurants&Bars    |   Museums    |     Accomodation

Situated at the foot of Gutai Mountains, on the banks of river Sasar, Baia Mare has been certified since 1329 and it was called "the town of the Ladies' River". The eventful history also reveal the relationship between the Romanian people with those who wanted to occupy the territory.

Baia Mare, the county town, boasts architectural monuments dating back to the 15th century: Stephen's Tower, the butchers' bastion or the Elisabeta House. The Ethnography, Fine Arts of archaeology Museums are illustrative of the local specific character. Pride of place is held by the Mineralogy Museum, probably the most visited museum, unique in the world due to the minerals it displays.

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Buzau -    Accomodation

The name Buzau comes from the Greek Mousaios, the town lying at the junction of the four Romanian provinces: Wallachia, Moldavia, Transylvania and Dobrogea.

An important industrial centre, with modern branches, which emerged between 1970-1990, the town has two representative architectural objectives: the Bishop Palace, going back to the 15th century and restored by Matei Basarab in the 16th century, and the Communal Palace built at the beginning of this century, nowadays the headquarters of the Town Council.

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Horezu

The name of this town is connected to the Horezu ceramics, which is known and appreciated in the 25 countries. The skill of inhabitants in the art of clay molding is recognized through a traditional event-taking place in Horezu every year. This event is called "The Hurez Cock" ("Cocosul de Hurez") where masters in ceramics come from all over the country and from abroad. That is why the town is also called "the capital of ceramics".

Horezu is not remarkable only for its ceramics. There is an outdoor museum here, which is unique in Europe: the Museum of Found Stones. In 1994, a group of archaeologists discovered near Costesti century-old blocks of stone. Nature twit its unlimited powers shaped them into different forms of a Dacian, horse or spear. The Museum of Found Stones, situated on the national road DN67, only 10km from Horezu has been included among the UNESCO sights.

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Piatra Neamt

The county town is situated at an altitude of 345 m in the central zone of Moldavia at the junction of rivers Bistrita and Cuejdi.

It was mentioned for the first time in a document in 1387.

Archaeological findings at Izvoare, Valeni and Batca Doamnei attest that there had been an intense Neolithic life (the 6th -2nd centuries BC). Important vestiges belong to the Geto-Dacian civilization proving that there had been a powerfully developed settlement-Petrodava-in the area.

Among the major attractions of the town that are worth seeing are:

  • The Neamt County Museum - archaeological and coin collections, exhibits attesting to the modern and contemporary history of the place, ethnography, fine arts.
  • The Fine Art Museum - Romanian fine art works, tapestry
  • The Ethnography Museum - folk costumes, traditional peasant implements;
  • The natural Science Museum - cases displaying elements of the flora and fauna of the county, collections of minerals, botanical and geological collections.
  • The Princely Court - cellars, inner walls and old foundations.

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Pitesti

The county town was mentioned for the first time in a written document on 20 May 1388, signed by Prince Mircea the Old. The continuity of life on these lands is attested by archaeological findings.

With its more than 200,000 inhabitants, Pitesti is 120 km far from Bucharest and only 20 km south of parallel 45, being crossed by the rivers Arges and Doamnei While strolling through the town, the visitors are tempted to spend some quiet moments in one of its many parks and gardens (strand, expo-park, Public Gardens, the Trivale forest and park), which render it a specific charm. In spring the town is crowded with the tourists who come for the annual feast of flowers called the "Tulip Symphony", Pitesti being now known as the "Town of Tulips". Art lovers can visit the County and Fine Arts Museums, the Naive Art Gallery, monuments of mediaeval architecture, memorial houses, art galleries.

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Ramnicu Valcea

Ramnicu Valcea stands the place on which thousands years ago there were permanent and regular human settlements. Archaeological vestiges discovered up-to-now put the early history of the settlements nearby to some Neolithic and Bronze Ages. Dacian-Roman building vestiges proving the continuity of an urban life from the early history to present times can also be found everywhere. Since early Middle Age, Ramnicu Valcea is formed as an important fortified town, taking full advantage of its geographical location on a very important trade road.

Ramnicu Valcea has become an important cultural center under the rules of Matei Basarab and Constantin Brancoveanu: after having built the first paper mill in Valachia and setting up the printing machine to Govora in 1705, the scholar Antim Ivireanul brought to Ramnicu Valcea a new printing machine which will render "the book of Ramnic" very famous to all the Romanian Countries. Due to this fact, the great historian Nicolae Iorga used to call Ramnicu Valcea as 'the capital of the Romanian printing".

On 29th July 1848, the Romania's actual anthem 'Awake you up, Romanian!' was firstly and officially sang by the Ramnic's inhabitants who had gathered on the site of the actual Park Zavoi in a large public Assembly, similar to that of the Islaz Assembly.

Nowadays, Ramnicu Valcea is a town of 125,000 inhabitants, in full progress, trying to join both the modern development and the preservation of the historical monuments and sites together.

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Sighetu Marmatiei

The second largest town of the county, Sighetu Marmatiei is an important tourist and cultural center. Worth mentioning is the Ethnography and Folk Art Museum, with an outdoor section. Sighet hosts an already famous Festival of Winter Folk Customs and Traditions every year at the end of December. Also here one may visit the former prison now called "Memorial to Arrested Thought" and arranged as museum.

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Sighisoara - Photos    |   Accomodation

Sighisoara, situated in Romania center-in Transylvania province, is renewed by its architecture dating from 14th century. You have to walk up from the city to the medieval citadel and enter through the 60-meter-tall clock tower (built in 1360).

The ocher-colored house named "Casa Vlad Dracul", where the father of Vlad Tepes, better known as Dracula, once lived, now is a cozy restaurant. You can find inside Gothic-style furniture and serve good soups and traditional Romanian dishes. The covered stairway with 176 steps was made in 17th century. Museums, the Church on trop of the Hill (14th century) and the Monastery Church (15th century) both built in the Gothic style are attractions for numerous tourists.

If you came in Romania in August don't miss the "Medieval Art and Theatre Festival" that took place one week every year in the "Pearl of Transylvania" (Sighisoara). Actors wearing medieval clothes play drama in the citadel and music bands play on an installed stage in the centre of the city. Beer and "mici" (traditional prepared meat) are provided by all the brand name beer factories from Romania during the festival.

Targu Mures -    Restaurants&Bars    |   Museums    |    Photos    |   Accomodation

Tg-Mures is situated in the heart of Transylvania in picturesque surroundings. The river Mures flows through the city and its surrounding hills are covered in ash and oak forests. Romanians and Hungarians both make up the population of some 160,000 inhabitants. It is the cultural and industrial centre of the region and also this judicial and administrative seat

Documents show that the history of the city goes back more than six centuries. Traces of commercial activity carried out by the Romans have been found outside the city, at Cristesti.

Although its architecture does not reflect that of a typical medieval town, it has many fine old buildings of interest. The oldest building is the Protestant church, which was built in the 15th century by voivode Iancu de Hunedoara, who was also known for his participation in the Last Crusade. The church has the characteristic features of the Gothic style and is situated in the town's fortress. The fortress itself, with its towers and brick walls, is the only one of its kind to have remained intact.

The cultural history of the town boasts of many important personalities. Today the cultural activity is reflected in both the Romanian and Hungarian theatre performed at the National Theatre, the Philharmonic Orchestra, the History Museum, (which includes a Natural Science section), the public libraries and art galleries. Among its academic institutions there are the three universities: "Petru Maior" University, the University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Academy of Dramatic Art. There is also a Social and Humanities Research Institute within the Romanian Academy.

The town is well served by communications and can be reached by road, rail and air. The airport caters for both national and international flights.

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