Ro·ma·ni·a - /rōˈmānēə/
Meaning land of the Romans [Greek suffix ia = land of 🔍] named in turn for Rome's (likely mythical) founder and first king, Romulus. (which, in an annoyingly circuitous fashion, is now considered to just mean man of Rome, with no hint to the original meaning of his name before the existence of the city named for him.)
Romania was part of the Byzantine Empire (our modern term for the Eastern branch of the Roman Empire after the split in 395 BC) which did not actually end/ 'fall' until 1453 and at the time of the collapse the people of the area still considered themselves Roman, so named their newly independent land accordingly.
A combination of Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Russian, Romania enchants with diverse landscapes, the medieval castles, painted monasteries and the Carpathian Mountains.
@ a glance essentials:
.
Language:
Romanian
-
Romanian Leu
Water safety
Generally Safe to Drink - but pipe age/quality inconsistent. If Sensitive Go Bottled.
Many Locals can speak English.
Currency:
RON
Local Transport
Metro, Bus, Tram & Trains are sufficient for the cities. Remote areas require a car
Be prepared for longer than usual travel times between cities if traveling by train, the rail system is notoriously slow with train speeds as low as 30 mph.
Hot Tip:
Modern Romania was first settled in the Paleolithic period. In the Bronze Age it was inhabited by an Indo-European group of Thracians later becoming the Dacian Kingdom🔍 in the 1c BC. When the Romans conquered the region in the 1 & 2c AD Dacia became a province of the Roman Empire with a new Daco-Roman culture becoming the ancestors of Romanians (& Moldavians.) After being invaded by Goths, Huns and Slavs etc. in the 13c three autonomous feudal states🔍 emerged in the territory; Wallachia, Moldova and Transylvania, (which was under the control of Hungary.)
a bit of background...
........................... Despite the legends, Brans castle in Transylvania has almost nothing to do with the supposed real life Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, sometimes known as Vlad Dracul, (Dracul in Romanian means the Dragon) though he may have been held prisoner there once. Bran got the reputation of being Dracula's castle because Bram Stocker used a literary description of the castle as inspiration for his book, (Vlad's castle was at Poenari, and is now in ruins.)
FUN FACT:
In the late 15c the region came under the influence of the Ottoman Empire and in 1594 the provinces joined the Holy Alliance against the Ottomans with the Wallachian prince temporarily united the provinces for the 1st time in 1600. In the 18 c. the region was hotly contested and split between Phanariot princes from Istanbul, the Hapsburg Monarchy and the Russian Empire until the provinces reunified as new state, a greater Romania, in 1859, gaining independence from the Ottomans in 1877 and becoming a kingdom in 1881.
In 1878 Russian rule was restored over the eastern Moldavian region, (called Bessarabia,) and despite a brief reunification, (after Bessarabia declared independent as the Moldavian Democratic Republic🔍 in 1918,) Romania was compelled to officially cede the eastern🔍 territory back to the Soviet Union (as the Moldavian SSR) in 1940.
Originally pressured to be part of the Axis powers in WWII, Romania staged a coup d'état, and joined the Allies. Under Soviet occupation after the war, Romania became the socialist People's Republic of Romania, until the 1989 revolution, when it transition to a democracy.
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Sarmale/ Sărmăluțe - fermented cabbage rolls stuffed w/ spiced meats served w/ sour cream & Mămăligă (polenta)
Mici (small ones) - grilled minced meat rolls ∞ Beef Tripe Soup† w/ hot chili peppers
Pomana Porcului - fried pork stew w/ pickles & Jumări - a crunchy, salty friedbits of bacon w/ raw onions††
Drob de Miel - loaf of lamb haggis w/ boiled eggs inside ∞ Salata De Boeuf - beef salad
Cozonac - sweet bread filled w/ walnut paste, poppy seed paste, or Turkish delight & raisins
Papanasi - fried donut shaped cottage cheese & semolina mixture covered in sour cream & blueberry jam
Tuică - traditional Romanian plum brandy, drunk as a digestive
➿➰➿
† Considered a hangover cure †† From an old rural tradition where pigs are sacrificed for Christmas dinner - the holiday dishes are prepared same day as the slaughter
I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit
Romania
(but it's on the list!) - So I don't have any personal
(If you get there first send me your best finds !)
recommendations yet, but you can start with the most popular spots
below, and I'll update with my favorites, hopefully soon!
Most Known For:
♦️ Bucharest - whose palace is the 2nd largest admin bld. in the world (after the Pentagon)
🔸 Painted 15/ 16c Monasteries @ Voronet, Humor, Moldovita, Probota, & Sucevita
♦️ Black Sea🔍 Beaches - like resort (party) town Mamaia or the more relaxed Vama Veche,
🔸 Transylvania - fortified churches🔍 (13 - 16c) in 7 Saxon villages and colorful 12c
Sighisoara; birthplace of Vlad Dracul (the Impaler) & Bran Castle (aka Dracula’s Castle)
♦️ Horezu Ceramic Pottery - particularly @ Horezu Monastery where it was created
🔸 Nature sites like Danube Delta’s river canals - 2nd largest in Europe, & National Parks
Piatra Craiului w/ the 7 Stairs Canyon, Bucegi w/ the Romanian Sphinx, the Vulcanii
Noroioși (Muddy Volcanoes) & Carpathian Mountains (known as Transylvanian Alps🔍)
♦️ Medieval Brasov - with Biserica Neagră (Black Church,) White & Black Tower, and cable car up Tampa Hill. Nearby
Sinaia - with Peleș Castle & Sibiu - with the bridge of Lies & distinctive roof windows that look like squinting eyes
🔸 Salina Turda Salt Mine - one of the oldest mines in the world (outside vibrant city of Cluj-Napoca,)
♦️ Centuries-old tradition of intricate Painted Eggs - found at the Egg Museum | Vama, Bukovina or the village of
Ciocanesti nearby with it's own egg museum & the whole town painted (by law) to look like the quirky eggs
👀 NOTABLE ROMANIANS:
📜 Tacitus | Historian ⚔️ Vlad the Impaler 🎭 Sebastian Stan | Actor [Bucky Barnes | Marvel]
(Count & 🦇 Inspiration for Dracula)
✏️ Ovid | Poet
👣
🌀 Târgul de Fete de pe Muntele Găina, or Maiden Fair on the Gaina Mountain in the Avram Iancu village - the
oldest & biggest traditional celebration in Romania. Originally a matchmaking festival. Today the festival is
dedicated to Romania’s national hero Avram Iancu and begins with Apuseni women playing the shepherd's
instrument, the tulnic. There's a local artisans’ market with photo exhibition of locals and folk shows.
🌀 Sus pe Muntele din Jina - pastoral festival of the Marginimea region (late July)
🌀 Festivalul Ouălelor Încondeiate/ National Easter Eggs Festival in Ciocanesti
🌀 Junii Brasovului (first Sunday after Easter) marking the beginning of spring and traditional new year of the
Dacians, Romania’s ancestors. It has roots with the first inhabitants who settled in the Schei neighborhood
in the 14c, with some historians believing it traces to the Dacian period and a military initiation for
unmarried young men, (called juni from the Roman word for young men) preparing them to defend the land.
The modern parade re-enacts the juni descending on horseback from the mountains with sceptres & flags.
🌀 Sheep 🐑 related festivals like Festivalul Răscolul Stânii, the sheep’s distribution festival in the village of
Ciocanesti, with locals in traditional costume and folk artist singing traditional songs marking the moment
when the shepherd returns each sheep to its owner, or the centuries-old practice of shepherds descending
from the mountains with their sheep in the fall, celebrated all over the country with dance, music & shows.
🌀 Hora de la Prislop (end of August) in the Prislop Pass of the Carpathian Mountains. Participants attend the
service in the Monastery then parade in traditional costumes followed by dances, folk music and local dishes.
🌀 Haferland Week or Transylvanian Saxons Festival (early August), celebrating the traditions of the Saxons
held in Saxon villages: Crit, Rupea, Mesendorf, Saschiz, Bunesti, Viscri, Homorod, Roades, Archita & Cloasterf
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
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