Romania sightseeing. Travel guide - attractions, sights, nature and touristic places

A popular European resort destination, Romania never ceases to attract tourists with its beautiful beaches, picturesque nature and wide choice of excursion programs. Bucharest remains the starting point of vast majority of excursion routes. This city is both administrative and culture capital of the country. When it comes to mentioning the most important landmarks of Bucharest, we should start with Palatul Cotroceni, an amazing example of architecture of the 17th century. The palace was built on a high hill that had been previously the site of an ancient monastery. A part of the palace has been transformed into the Museum of History, while the other part is used as the president's residence.

The Palace of the Parliament is no less beautiful place. The total area of the palace is 350 thousand sq. m. The palace is also known as the largest administrative building in the world. The height of the building is 92 metres (12 floors), and there are 1100 guestrooms in the palace, every of which is decorated with marble and crystal wares, giant mirrors and bronze statues, elegant furniture and fabrics. Curtea Veche is a famous landmark of the historic part of the city. The complex consists of three medieval buildings - Annunciation Church of Saint Anthony, the Curtea Veche Church and Hanu' lui Manuc.

The most unusual religious landmark was built in the city of Brasov and is called Biserica Neagră or Black Church. The construction of this grandiose gothic building was finished in 1358. The facade of the church is decorated with beautiful paintings, and the church's bell, which is installed in the bell tower, weights 6 tons. The sanctuary got such a name because of a fire that happened here in 1689. Despite the fact that the church was completely renovated after that disastrous event, its name has remained till our days. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

There are several dozen fortresses and castles in the territory of modern Romania. Bran Castle is worth closest attention because numerous legends about Count Dracula are connected with this castle. In the beginning of the 15th century the castle was an important strategic facility. Bran Castle was built exclusively with the money got as donations from locals. To thank for the donations, the locals were exempt from taxes. Nowadays, halls of the castle are decorated with beautiful old furniture and other items that are considered precious museum artifacts. Several halls were dedicated for the exhibition of the Museum of History and Medieval Art. Here visitors are able to see collections of wonderful paintings, tapestries and sculptures. Several villages, which are located not far away from Bran, are also an interesting place worth visiting as travellers can buy traditional Romanian cheese and beautiful items made of wool there.

History and Entertainment

The territory of modern Romania is very interesting from an archeological point of view. In the course of researches, some of the ancient Cro-Magnon remains were found here. Archeological finds are over 40 000 years, which lets consider this place as a birthplace of the modern civilization. At the dawn of our era, the territory of modern Romania was occupied by the country of Dacia that was consequently conquered by the Roman Empire. The territory of the ancient country is notable for rich deposits of gold, which attracted a lot of conquerors here.

In the Middle Ages, there were three autonomous princedoms at the site of the present country. At the beginning of the 16th century, they all became a part of the Ottoman Empire. This fact did not prevent princedoms from maintaining the internal autonomy. In the second half of the 19th century, the unified Romanian State started to be formed. In 1878, the unified Princedom of Wallachia and Moldavia that gained independence from the Ottoman Empire. In 1881, the Kingdom of Romania was formed on the basis of this unified princedom.

One of the most popular districts of the country from a tourist point of view is Transylvania. It is world-famous due to scary stories about Count Dracula. Now, thousands of travelers come here to see real vampires.

Fans of beach recreation visit the district of Dobrogea. There are amazing beaches on the Black Sea coast. Local resorts are distinguished by quite a calm and peaceful atmosphere. In the beach region of Romania, there is a unique nature attraction of global significance. This is a delta of the Danube that is now located on the territory of the national park. For unique landscapes, these places have been called one of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

Hiking fans and admirers of historical attractions are recommended to visit the district of Maramures. This is a northern district of Romania. Here in the submontane area, there are decades of hiking routes where you can admire marvelous landscapes, see old ancient churches and visit enchanting tiny villages. Local residents preserve their historical traditions. In small villages, special apple tinctures that are popular in all regions of the world are still cooked in accordance with olds recipes.