ROMANIA
ROMANIA BRIEFINGS
One of the main attractions in Romania is the Black Sea resorts. Among the endless list of things these resorts have to offer some of there are an excellent warm climate, stretches of sand beaches, and an awesome collection of ancient monuments, vineyards and modern resorts tempting tourists form all over the world to choose Romania's Black Sea Coast as their summer vacation destination.
Beaches, stretching all the way from Mangalia to Mamaia, are covered with fine resorts and hotels, and countless sports and entertainment facilities.
Bits and pieces of ancient Greek culture as far back as the 7th Century, BC, when seafarers recognized trading colonies along the coast, are still being discovered.
PLACES TO VISIT
Romania's collection of castles and fortresses perhaps best exemplify the rich medieval heritage of the country. While castles built from the 14th to the 18th centuries are sturdy and severe fortresses built mainly for defense against invaders, those built beginning in the late 1800s are impressive and luxurious. The most well-liked include the 14th century Corvinesti Castle, built on the location 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 renowned home to Bram Stoker's Count Dracula.
As a consequence of almost nine centuries of Saxon presence, Transylvania, located in central Romania, claims a cultural and architectural heritage unique in Europe. This district is home to nearly 200 Saxon villages, churches and fortifications built between the 13th and 15th centuries. Seven of the equipped Saxon churches.
Couples in quest of divorce were locked in the Prison Tower for two weeks. Using one set of dishes and one bed, the couple had to make their final decision. In 400 years, only one couple resolute afterwards to go through with the divorce!
Visitors can also admire the towers neighboring the church, like the Clock Tower, the Gate Tower, the Bell Tower, and the Bacon Tower. Within the grounds are more than a few other interesting buildings, including the Prison Tower - which once served marital counseling purposes.
From 1572 to 1867, Biertan was the bench of the Saxon Evangelical bishops of Transylvania; their fine gravestones can be seen inside the Bishops' Tower.
Surrounded by an atmosphere of mystery and legend and balanced high atop a 200-foot-high rock, Bran Castle owes its prominence to its impressive towers and turrets as well as to the myth created around Bram Stocker's Dracula.
Constructed on the site of a Teutonic Knights stronghold dating from 1212, the castle was first documented in an act issued by Louis I of Hungary on November 19, 1377, giving the Saxons of Kronstadt (Brasov) the privilege to build the Citadel.
Nearby attractions are Rasnov Fortress, Brasov, Peles Castle in Sinaia, the ski resorts in Poiana Brasov and Predeal; the medieval cities of Sighisoara and Sibiu; Bucharest.
Built in the 13th century by Count Chyl de Kelling, the Fortified Church at Calnic is one of the most imposing defensive structures in Transylvania. Enclosed by one and a half rings of high walls equipped with a defensive tower to the south and a gate tower to the north, the fortress withstood several Ottoman sieges. The five-story-high Siegfried Tower, the landmark of the fortress, is gifted with defensive corridors and firing windows. An on-site medieval art museum displays a variety of artifacts.
The utmost Gothic-style castle in Romania, Corvinesti was built by the Anjou family on the site of a former Roman camp. The beautifully preserved structure features a sumptuous Knights' Hall, an impressive drawbridge, high buttresses, inner courtyards, a chapel and some 50 rooms resplendent with medieval art. The courtyard has a 100 ft. fine dug into stone.
The gothic-style Evangelical Church (1495) in the village of Christian stands on the site of a 13th century Roman basilica. Built in the 16th century, the church is enclosed by two rows of walls protected by towers. Two underground tunnels permitted villagers to flee from the fortress to the forest or to an old monastery in times of siege. Inhabitants still keep their grain in barns inside the fortress, whereas bacon and ham are kept in the fortress towers. Grain may be picked up every morning, but bacon only one time a week.
Built in 1310 on the location of a former 12th century wooden fortress Fagaras was enlarged between the 15th and 17th centuries and was considered one of the strongest defenses in Transylvania. The fortress was bounded by a deep moat which, in times of war or social unrest, could easily be filled with water from a nearby mountain brook. A bridge above the moat provided the only access point. The fortress boasts 3 floors and 5 towers. Records show that the interior must have been comfortable in the 17th century; unfortunately, little of its former grandeur has been preserved. The castle was dispossessed of its decorations and fancy furniture when it was turned into a military garrison in the 18th century.
Snuggled at the foot of the Bucegi Mountains in the charming town of Sinaia, Peles Castle is a masterpiece of German new-Renaissance architecture, considered by many one of the most stunning castles in Europe. Peles Castle was the initial European castle entirely lit by electrical current. The electricity was produced by the castle's own plant. The castle draws its name from bordering Peles Creek, which passes right through the courtyard.
Also an appealing place in town is Sinaia Monastery, founded by Prince Mihai Cantacuzino in 1695, and named after the great Sinai Monastery on Mount Sinai. The monastery served as the home of the royal family until Peles Castle was built, and now is home to a monastic establishment. Nearby attractions include Rasnov Fortress; Bran Castle; Brasov; the ski resorts in Predeal and Poiana Brasov; Bucharest; the medieval cities of Sighisoara and Sibiu.
Saschiz is renowned not only as home to one of Transylvania's finest fortified churches but also as a carpentry and wood-painting center. It was here that Saschiz blue pottery was intuitive in 1702.
The Evangelical Church of Saschiz was constructed between 1493 and 1496 by Saxon colonists. The monument is very inspiring due to its sheer size and the way the fortifying elements have been adapted to the shape of a church building. From the outside, the church appears to be a bulwark, but its self-protective role is surpassed by the beauty of its gothic elements: huge arches, massive buttresses and decorative stone and brick aspects. Due to the important distance between the center of the village and the hill on which a Saxon fortress was built in 1496, the fortified Evangelical church became the main refuge for the inhabitants of Saschiz during invading raids.
Valea Viilor Fortified Church Vala Viilor Fortified Church is located in the Vineyards Valley and this fortified church was built in 1263 in gothic style and was enlarged and fortified in the 15th and 16th centuries by adding a range of 26-foot-tall and five-foot- wide walls. An exclusive element is the well in the center of the church choir that provided water for the locals during sieges.
One of the most attractive Saxon fortified churches is located in the village of Viscri (Weisskirch in German). The name is derived from the German Weisse Khirche, meaning white church.
Travelers can spend three or more days exploring its passages, teaming with the highest absorption of bird colonies in all of Europe. The network 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 come here every spring to raise their young, while equal numbers of Arctic geese come here to escape the unkind 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 starts from early spring to late summer. Birds are not the only residents of the Delta. There is also a rich population of fish and animals, from wildcats, foxes and wolves, to even an occasional boar or deer. In total, 3,450 animal species can be seen here, as well as 1,700 plant species.
The Delta can be explored as part of a Danube River Cruise, or on day trips and boat tours from Tulcea which has good hotels, restaurants specializing in fish dishes and the Museum of the Danube Delta.
ACCOMMODATION AND TRANSPORT
Romania has a well-developed railway system that covers virtually the whole country. Trains are the most well-liked means of getting around Romania. They are amazingly inexpensive and usually on time. The cheapest and slowest service is the Local Train. The next service that is the fastest and more expensive is the Express Trains that require a seat reservation along with the ticket. The fastest and the most expensive is the Inter-City Train. The last two kinds of trains have dining cars and sleepers (overnight or long distance trains only).
Taxis are accessible in every city and larger towns in Romania. They can be called by telephone or hailed on the street.
Car is the best way to visit Romania as this lets visitors admire the unique scenery and take advantage of the innumerable photo opportunities that they will encounter even during short drives. A hired car will save a visitor a lot of time when visiting some remote attractions as the Painted Monasteries in Bucovina and the traditional villages in Maramures.
Most cities offer well-organized and very inexpensive bus, trolleybus or tram transportation. There are numerous bus companies that offer fast and inexpensive connections between Romania's main cities. Inter-City bus stations are generally next to the train station and most buses have a stop in the centre of the city. Bus or taxi may be the only choice when choosing to explore some remote areas.
The country is very hospitable and the people are very friendly. The country has a variety of accommodation facilities to offer and going around the country can be very easy because of the variety of transportation the place has to offer.
This gives a reason for all tourists to definitely put Romania on their agenda of places to visit.
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