Darie Maria AlexandraNedelcu Oana

Grupa 8218, IMAPA

Romania may not be as well-known as other European countries, but that doesn't mean it is an insignificant part of the world.

Main Attractions• Black Sea Resorts• Castles & Fortresses• Danube Delta• Medieval Towns• The Carpathian Mountains• The Painted Monasteries• Medical Spas• Traditional Villages• World Heritage Sites

Black Sea ResortsBlack Sea ResortsWarm climate, miles of sand beaches, ancient monuments, vineyards and modern resorts invite travelers to seriously consider Romania's Black Sea Coast as their summer vacation destination.Beaches, stretching from Mangalia to Mamaia, are dotted with fine resorts and hotels, and countless sports and entertainment facilities.

Remnants of ancient Greek culture as far back as the 7th Century, BC, when seafarers established trading colonies along the coast, are still being discovered.

Romania's main sea resorts are centred on 45 miles of fine sand beaches and include Mamaia, Eforie, Neptun, Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Mangalia.

The Black Sea coast has long been known for cures of arthritic, rheumatic, internal and nervous disorders. Eforie Nord and Mangalia Spas specialize in mud baths (the mud is taken from the area's salty lake waters) as well as in world famous "Gerovital" and "Aslavital" original rejuvenation treatments.

Vacationers at Romania's Black Sea Coast can also join organized trips from the seaside to a number of locations in the country, including the Danube Delta, the painted monasteries of Bucovina, to the nation's capital city, Bucharest, or to nearby Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

Castles & Fortresses of Romania• Biertan Fortified Church• Bran Castle• Calnic Fortified Church• Cetatea de Balta• Cisnadie Fortified Church• Corvinilor Castle in Hunedoara• Cristian Fortified Church• Darjiu Fortified Church• Fagaras Fortress• Harman Fortified Church• Peles Castle in Sinaia• Prejmer Fortified Church• Rasnov Fortress• Saschiz Fortified Church• Valea Viilor Fortified Church• Viscri Fortified Church

Romania's collection of castles and fortresses perhaps best illustrates the rich medieval heritage of the country. While castles built from the 14th to the 18th centuries are strong and austere fortresses built mainly for defense against invaders, those erected beginning in the late 1800s are imposing and luxurious. The most popular include the 14th century Corvinilor Castle, built on the site of a former Roman camp, the elegant 19th century Peles Castle with its 160 rooms filled with priceless European art and, of course, the Bran Castle, built in the mid-1300s and legendary home to Bram Stoker's Count Dracula. 

As a result of almost nine centuries of Saxon presence, Transylvania, located in central Romania, claims a cultural and architectural heritage unique in Europe. This region is home to nearly 200 Saxon villages, churches and fortifications built between the 13th and 15th centuries. Seven of the fortified Saxon churches (in Biertan, Calnic, Darjiu, Prejmer, Saschiz, Valea Viilor, and Viscri) were designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites. A visit to these quaint villages, placed amidst lush farmland and green rolling hills, will give you a taste of the long-gone medieval times.

The Danube Delta (Delta Dunarii)Danube Delta - Highlights 

The mighty Danube River flows 1,788 miles from its springs in Germany’s Black Forest to the Black Sea. Just before reaching the sea it forms the second largest and best preserved of Europe's deltas: 2,200 square miles of rivers, canals, marshes, tree-fringed lakes and reed islands.

The Danube Delta is a wildlife enthusiast’s (especially a bird watcher’s) paradise. The maze of canals bordered by thatch, willows and oaks entangled in lianas, offers the perfect breeding ground for countless species of birds, some of them from as far away as China and Africa. Millions of Egyptian white pelicans arrive here every spring to raise their young, while equal numbers of Arctic geese come here to escape the harsh winters of Northern Europe.

Some 300 species of birds make Danube’s Delta their home, including cormorants, white tailed eagles and glossy ibises.  The bird watching season lasts from early spring to late summer. Birds are not the only inhabitants of the Delta. There is also a rich community of fish and animals; from wildcats, foxes and wolves, to even an occasional boar or deer. Altogether, 3,450 animal species can be seen here, as well as 1,700 plant species.

Access

The Delta can be explored as part of a Danube River Cruise, or on day trips and boat excursions from Tulcea which has good hotels, restaurants specializing in fish dishes and the Museum of the Danube Delta.

For more information about Tulcea please visitwww.romaniatourism.com/tulcea.html

Places to explore

The Danube Delta is comprised of an intricate network of waterways and lakes divided between the three main estuary channels of the Danube. This area of floating reed islands, forests, pastures and sand dunes covers 3,000 square miles and is home to a fascinating mix of cultures and people as well as a vast array of wildlife. Located at the tip of the three channels, Tulcea makes a great starting point for exploring the Danube Delta.

» The Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve has the third largest biodiversity in the world (over 5,500 flora and fauna species), exceeded only by the Great Barrier Reef in Australia and the Galapagos Archipelago in Ecuador.» The Danube Delta is home to over 60% of the world’s population of pygmy cormorants (phalacrocorax pygmeus), 50% of red-breasted geese (branta ruficollis) and the largest number of white pelicans (pelecanus onocrotalus) and Dalmatian pelicans (pelecanus crispus) in Europe.» It also is home to the world’s largest reed bed expanse– 625, 000 acres / 240,000 ha.» Some 15,000 people inhabit the Delta area, living in 28 villages and one city (Sulina).» The area was first attested by Herodot of Halicarnas (484 – 425 B.C.).» More then half of the Delta Biosphere Reserve is virtually intact.

Interesting Facts

» The Danube River is the most international river on the planet - its course runs across — or forms a part of the borders of  several countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Ukraine, and four capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrade.» Formed over a period of more than 10,000 years, the Danube Delta continues to grow due to the 67 million tons of alluvia deposited every year by the Danube River.» The Delta is formed around the three main channels of the Danube, named after their respective ports: Chilia (in the north), Sulina (in the middle), and Sfantu Gheorghe (in the south).

Activities

Visit historic sites, explore the waterways in a canoe or traditional fisherman boat, catch a sunset you’ll never forget, sample wine from vineyards dating back to the Roman Empire and savor some of the finest caviar in the world, the beluga sturgeon from the Black Sea!

» Bird Watching A bird-watchers’ paradise, the Danube Delta offers the opportunity to spot more than 300 species of migratory and resident birds, including eagles, egrets, vultures, geese, cranes, ibises, cormorants, swans and pelicans. Located on the 45th parallel, the Danube Delta makes for a perfect stopping-off point between the Equator and the North Pole for millions of migratory birds.

» FishingThe Delta’s waters teem with some 160 species of fresh- and salt-water fish.

Medieval TownsCentral Romania encompasses what is popularly known as Transylvania

– a place that immediately brings to mind the legend of Count Dracula. While the legend is certainly intriguing and a genuine tourist attraction, the region has much more to offer. Some of Europe’s best-preserved medieval towns, most notably Sighisoara, Brasov and Sibiu, are located here.

Visitors can marvel at Transylvania’s unique architectural treasures, such as castles, fortified churches and centuries-old houses, while exploring sites where more than 900 years ago Saxon craftsmen and merchants established powerful and rich citadels.

During the middle of the 12th century Saxons came to the area from the Luxembourg, Lorraine, Moselle, Rhine and Wallonia regions of northwestern Europe. They called their new home ‘Siebenburgen’ (Seven Fortresses - in LatinSeptem Castra) after the seven major walled towns they built here:Bistrita (Bistritz)Brasov (Kronstadt)Cluj Napoca (Klausenburg)Medias (Mediasch)Sebes (Mühlbach)Sibiu (Hermannstadt)Sighisoara (Schassburg)

The Carpathian Mountains

Romania’s national and natural parks, displaying a unique variety of landscapes, vegetation and wildlife, protect some of the largest remaining areas of pristine forest in Europe. Grasslands, gorges, subterranean caves, volcanic lakes, and extensive river network add to the richness of the park system that also includes the Danube Delta, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve and Europe’s largest wetland.

Romania’s diverse natural landscapes offer numerous choices for exciting outdoor experiences. Travelers can walk through serene alpine meadows covered with scores of wildflowers, trek around glacial lakes, take in the lush-green scenery while horse riding or mountain biking, climb curious rock formations, photograph fossil traces of 15,000-year old cave-bear species, track gold eagles or other rare birds, study endangered flora, wander in the countryside, picnic in the fields, try your hand at traditional crafts, - or just relax in the home of a village family and sample wholesome, country fare with home made wine and plum brandy.

Adventurers and wildlife enthusiasts who hear the call of the wild can add these unique experiences to the top of their activities list:» Spotting wild egrets, Dalmatian pelicans, glossy ibises or some other 300 species of birds in the Danube Delta» Rock climbing the unusual-shaped rocks Pietrele Doamnei in the Rarau Mountains» Visiting the Scarisoara ice cave in the Apuseni Nature Park – the 153.6 ft. deep entrance shaft leads to some impressive ice structures, including spectacular six meters high ice stalagmites.» Exploring the Berca mud volcanoes near Buzau – a stark lunar landscape of erupting mud.» Taking the Sky Highway challenge — a trek around the Capra glacier lake in the Fagaras Mountains.» Paddling through the frothy waves of the Crisul Repede and Bistrita rivers.» Trekking Retezat, the rockiest mountain massif of the country, home to more than 80 glacial lakes and over three hundred flower species.» Watching wolves at play in the natural park of Vanatori-Neamt in the Stanisoara Mountains, once the hunting ground of Stephen the Great. » Horse riding in the Calimani National Park, renown for its volcanic bizarre shapes, traces of old craters, and the largest volcanic caldera in Carpathians.» Completing an exciting multi-day hike along the main ridge of the Fagaras Mountains - one of the longest continuous high mountain traverses in Europe, taking you over three of Romania's highest peaks (Moldoveanu - 8,346 ft.; Negoiu - 8,317 ft.; and Vistea Mare - 8,291 ft.).

National parks encompass extensive areas of particular geographical interest or outstanding natural beauty. They have an important conservation role and offer protection to many rare species of animals and plants. In addition to nature conservation, Romania’s natural parks also play an important role in preserving local customs, traditional crafts, historical settlement patterns, and regional architecture. 

Most of Romania’s national parks have arrangements for outdoor activities with a network of marked paths and trails and overnight accommodation in either staffed lodges or local guesthouses. In vulnerable areas where it is desirable to limit the impact of visitors, paths and accommodation are minimal. •The Oas – Harghita range in the Carpathian Mountains is the longest volcanic mountain chain in Europe.

•The 3500-year old Scarisoara glacier, located in the Bihor Mountains – 90 miles southwest of Cluj Napoca - has a volume of 2,649,000 cubic feet (75,000 cubic metres), making it the second largest European underground glacier, after the Eisriesenwelt ice cave in Austria.

•The Carpathian Mountains are home to one of the largest undisturbed forests in Europe.

•400 unique species of mammals, including the Carpathian chamois, call the Carpathian Mountains home.

•60% of European brown bear population lives in the Carpathian Mountains.

•The Carpathian Mountains are forming a semi-circle around Transylvania, which one of Romania's nine historical provinces.

•The Western Carpathian Mountains are also called the Mountains of the Sunset (Muntii Apuseni).

National ParksCheile Bicazului (Bicazului Gorges) – HasmasCalimaniCeahlauCoziaDomogled – Valea Cernei (Cerna Valley)Muntii Macin (Macin Mountains)Cheile Nerei (Nerei Gorges) – BeusnitaPiatra CraiuluiRetezatMuntii Rodnei (Rodnei Mountains)Cheile Semenic - Carasului (Semenic – Carasului Gorges)Buila-VanturaritaNature ParksApuseniBalta Mica a Brailei (Small Moor of Braila)BucegiComanaGradistea Muncelului-CioclovinaLunca MuresuluiMuntii Maramuresului (Maramures Mountains)Portile de Fier (Iron Gates)Vanatori Neamt

Romania's natural areas captured scientific attention early in the 20th century. The first law on environment protection was passed in 1930; the first forest reservation (Domogled-Baile Herculane) was set up in 1932, the first National Park (Retezat) in 1935 and the first geological reservation (Detunata Goala - Apuseni Mountains) was recognized in 1938.

The Painted Monasteries of Bucovina

The Painted Monasteries Highlights Among the most picturesque treasures of Romania are the Painted Monasteries of Bucovina (in northeastern Romania). Their painted exterior walls are decorated with elaborate 15th and 16th century frescoes featuring portraits of saints and prophets, scenes from the life of Jesus, images of angels and demons, and heaven and hell. 

Deemed masterpieces of Byzantine art, these churches are one-of-a-kind architectural sites in Europe. Far from being merely wall decorations, the murals represent complete cycles of religious murals. The purpose of the frescoes was to make the story of the Bible and the lives of the most important Orthodox saints known to villagers by the use of images. Their outstanding composition, elegant outline and harmonious colors blend perfectly with the surrounding landscape.

Whether you are interested in religion, history, art or architecture, you will be intrigued by the construction and decor — exterior and interior — of these edifices.

The best-preserved are the monasteries in Humor, Moldovita, Patrauti, Probota, Suceava, Sucevita, and Voronet. Another, a small church, is located in the village of Arbore. Seven of the churches were placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage list in 1993. The eighth, Sucevita, is awaiting sanction to be added on the list.

Visitors to the Painted Monasteries will often witness a nun or a monk beating a long beam with a mallet, tapping out a call to prayer. The tradition started during the siege of Moldova by the Ottoman Empire when the Turks forbade the ringing of bells. The striking of wooden or metal bars, known as "toaca", replaced the ringing of bells and thus, became a tradition, reinforced by the fact that in times of war, bells were often melted down to make cannons.

Medical SpasStarted by Romans and unique in

Europe. Today Romania's 70 natural spas provide relief for many medical disorders and illnesses including rheumatism, endocrine, kidney, liver, respiratory, heart, stomach and nervous diseases as well as nutrition, metabolism and gynecological disorders.

Romania is home to more than one third of Europe's mineral and thermal springs. Natural factors are complemented — under attentive medical care — by physiotherapy, acupuncture, electrotherapy and medicines produced from plants.Romania's main spas include: Mangalia, Neptun, Eforie Nord, Covasna, Slanic Moldova, Vatra Dornei, Borsec, Herculane, Buzias, Sovata, Bazna, Ocna Sibiului,Baile Felix, Tusnad, Calimanesti and Govora.

Traditional VillagesThe golden glow of the sun against the

soft pastel houses; residents going about their business, tending the chickens, their vegetable gardens or sitting on the front porch can make an unforgettable scene. In villages and in the countryside, on lands dominated by ancestral castles, old fortresses and peaceful monasteries, life moves a little slower and follows ancient rhythms of tradition and culture. It’s not unusual to see a farmer bringing his fruits to the marketplace in a horse drawn wagon or to encounter a village festival where the locals perform ancient rites of planting and harvest dressed in colorful traditional costumes. Cold, pure well water beckons the thirsty traveler from the roadside. Men kiss women’s hands in a courtly greeting unchanged for hundreds of years.  Lush vineyards, first planted by Dacians – ancient inhabitants of Romania, yield fine wines. 

In Transylvania, you will find villages clustered around ancient Saxon citadels, edifices that often enclose exquisite churches built by German settlers from the 12th to the 16th centuries.

A lovely half-hour drive south of the medieval city of Sibiu takes you into the pastoral landscapes of Marginimea Sibiului, one of Transylvania’s best-preserved ethnographic areas. Located at the foothills of the Cindrel Mountains, Marginimea Sibiului (meaning Boundaries of Sibiu) encompasses a string of 18 traditional Romanian villages *, rich in architecture, history and heritage. Age-old traditions, customs and celebrations, as well as the traditional occupation of sheepherding, have been carefully passed down from generation to generation in the villages of this area. Rasinari, dating to 1204, is the oldest, followed by Talmaciu (1318), Orlat (1322) and Saliste (1354). Saliste claims the oldest church, housing beautiful interior frescoes (1674), while Poiana Sibiului’s wooden church was built in 1771. Painting on glass has been a tradition for 200 years in these villages. The Museum of Painted Glass Icons in Sibiel exhibits the largest collection of painted glass icons in Europe - more than 700, as well as furniture and ceramics.

Villages in the Apuseni Mountains are even more remote and lost in time. If you wish to discover local life and preserved traditions, one of the main points of interest is the Aries Valley, where the beautiful villages of Albac,Garda, and Arieseni are located. Skilled artisans, the Motzi people, carve musical instruments, hope chests and houses from the local wood, the spruce. In Patrahaitesti, a little mountain village, you may hear the famous Bucium ("Alps horns"), which are used for generations in the Apuseni Mountains.

The road from Bistrita to thePainted Monasteries of Bucovina runs east through the Bargau Valley and across the Tihuta Pass which peaks at 3,840 feet. The Bargau Valleyencompasses some of the most beautiful unspoiled mountain scenery in the Carpathians with picturesque traditional villages located in valleys and on hillsides, ideal bases for hiking, riding or discovering their vivid tapestry of old customs, handicrafts and folklore. Explore the traditional villages in the Bargau Valley: Livazele (5 miles northeast of Bistrita)with its small folk museum called the Saxon House (Casa Saseasca) displaying Saxon ceramics, woodcarvings and folk dresses; Josenii Bargaului (10 miles northeast of Bistrita), a traditional center for black and colored pottery, and Prundu Bargaului(15 miles northeast of Bistrita), the site of the first paper mill in Romania, opened here in 1768. 

Some of Romania’s most beautiful countryside is found in Bucovina, whose rolling green hills nestle villages and monasteries in their valleys. Horses, decked with red-tasseled bridles, travel country lanes, as villagers crows churchyards in traditional folk dress on Sundays and holidays. Bucovina remains the heart of craft mastery in Moldova. A felt mill in Vama serves the villages women, who bring their homespun wool cloth to be thickened for heavy coats against the harsh winters. The village of Marginea, located just 7 miles northeast of Sucevita Monastery, is renowned for the black clay pottery crafted here, said to preserve a centuries-old Gaeto-Dacian technique, passed on from generation to generation. Winter festivals abound, with caroling bands of merrymakers dressed in handmade masks and costumes celebrating the New Year. 

Maramures is an area of the country known for its timeless tranquility. In late afternoon, old women sit outside their gates coaxing coarse wool onto spindles. Many still favor traditional dress, meaning white frounced blouses, striped woven panels covering full black skirts, headscarves and opinci, a sort of leather ballet slipper from which heavy yarn criss-crosses over thick socks. On Sunday, such dress is practically “de rigueur”, even for little girls.

Baia Mare is a good starting point for visiting some of the area's traditional villages:Iza, Viseu, Mara and Cosau.  The villages of this remote Northern region are known for masterpieces of elaborately carved wooden roadside gates leading to family homes.  The knots and sun designs of these traditional gates come from ancient pagan motifs. Popular motifs include grapevines, acorns, twisted rope, sun symbols, crosses and forest animals. The villages of Barsana and Oncesti have, perhaps, the greatest number of impressive wooden gates. Ciocanesti (in Bucovina region) is known for its houses covered with painted flowers and geometric paterns.Behind most of the traditional carved wooden gates of Maramures, old orchards' ripe plums become homemade tuica, a strong, potent brandy offered to all guests in thimbleful glasses as a traditional welcome.

Also unique to this region are the local village churches, made of wood and dominated by magnificent Gothic spires.  Hardly a village lacks its own small wooden church dating to the 17th and 18th centuries. These are exquisite, high-steepled jewels with multiple gabled roofs, all of a pattern yet each distinctly unique. Seeing at least a few interiors is a must as many frescoes remain in good condition. If time is limited, the interiors at Ieud, Bogdan Voda and Poenile Izeiare recommended. The latter depicts some highly original torments for such sins as sleeping in church. Although churches are usually locked, ask any passerby for the key-keeper by pointing at the door and saying cheia (pronounced kay-ya), meaning the key.

The spiritual philosophy of the people of Maramures is perhaps nowhere more apparent than in Sapanta – a 20-minute drive from Sighet. The town folks’ ancestors considered death as a beginning, not the end, and this faith is reflected in the carvings in the town’s unique Merry Cemetery. Blue wooden crosses feature a carved scene and humorous verses that endeavor to capture essential elements - both the good and the imperfections - of the deceased’s life. Even without benefit of translation, visitors can appreciate the handiwork of sculptor Stan Ion Patras, who began carving these epitaphs in 1935, and his successors. Patras’ house in the village is now a fascinating museum. Sapanta is also home to several wooden gates and one of the region’s tallest wooden churches. 

Village experiences are made even more authentic by staying in a private home, a monastery or a guesthouse.  Most accommodations in Romanian villages offer comfortable rooms, running cold and hot water and western-style toilets.  They are often also remarkably low in cost.If journeying out to rural Romania is not on your itinerary, you can also get a taste of this vibrant and exotic culture by visiting one of Romania’s museums dedicated to rural life: the Village Museum and the Museum of the Romanian Peasant in Bucharest and the ASTRA Museum of Rural Civilization in Sibiu.  Real landmarks of rural architecture –homes, churches, schools—are set in tranquil parklands just beyond the city center. 

Romania’s UNESCO World Heritage Sites:Monastery of HorezuMedieval fortified churches of TransylvaniaHistoric centre of SighisoaraPainted Monasteries of BucovinaWooden Churches of MaramuresDacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains (Sarmisegetusa Regia)

World Heritage Sites in Romania

Medieval towns, fortified churches, painted monasteries, wooden masterpieces and ancient Dacian ruins are just some of the attractions that make up Romania’s exceptional cultural heritage. 25 of its beautifully preserved architectural gems have been included by UNESCO in the World Cultural Heritage in acknowledgement of their natural, scenic and monumental appeal. A tour of these sites is a good way to discover Romania’s history, artistic wealth and popular traditions.  Each and every stop on this route will reveal a unique and stunning location.

The western half of Walachia (Southern Romania) is endowed with spectacular monasteries, thermal-spring spas, and charming villages set at the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains. Continue your trip along the Olt River Valley and discover Transylvania’s forest-covered slopes, unspoiled landscapes, quaint villages, and fortified churches. In northeastern Romania, make time for Bucovina’s painted monasteries, with their magnificent 15th-century frescoes, which are unique in the world. Cross the Prislop Pass into Maramures, famous for its hand-hewn wooden architecture and its unique tall-spire churches with double roofs.