Bucharest -The
Capital of RomaniaSome important landmarks: The National Bank, Foisorul de Foc, The Romanian Academy, The Palace of Justice, The Palace of Parliament, The Metropolitan Church, The Triumph Arch, The Romanian Athenaeum, The Old Court (former Princely Court of Vlad Tepes), Manuc's Inn. Museums: The Museum of the Romanian Literature, The Village Museum, The National Art Museum, The Museum of Art Collections, Cotroceni National Museum and the National History Museum.
Sibiu and Luxembourg European Capitals of Culture 2007
The theme chosen by Sibiu/Hermannstadt "e;City of Cultures"e; matches very well the ones of Luxembourg "e;Europe of the Future"e; and "e;Discovering Yourself - Discovering Others"e;. The City of Sibiu, known in German as Hermannstadt is an important Romanian industrial, commercial, cultural and tourist center and preserves even today the mark of a medieval town. Sibiu is an attractive and lively town. The old town is centered around three squares: The -Piata Mare- - designed by a Viennese architect in a refined Late Baroque Style, the -Piata Mica- with Iron bridge, the Liars bridge, and the -Piata Huet- with the Evangelical Cathedral. The first documentary mentions date from 1192 - 1196, under the name of Cibinum (from the Cibin river, on the banks of which the city lies). Points of tourist attractions: Medieval Defense Walls; Old Town Hall (15th century); Brukenthal Museum - oldest museum in Romania and among the first in Europe (open for public in 1817).
Sinaia
Sinaia, 130 km far from Bucharest has been called " The
Pearl of the
Carpathians " for its magnificent mountain scenery and Royal Castle.
Peles Castle - former Royal residence, it is today a museum; set in a
large park, the Castle was built between 1875 and 1883 for Romania-s
monarch, Carol I, and largely decorated by his eccentric wife Elisabeta
(better known as a popular novelist Carmen Sylva). The Castle combines
various architectural styles, dominant being those of the German Renaissance
and the Gothic style.
Brasov
Brasov is called "The Romanian Salzburg" due to its admirable geographical location - at foot of the Tampa Mountain (967 m high) and bordering the depression of "Tara Barsei". Tourists are offered during the winter time, skating ring , ski slopes; enjoyable holiday throughout the year. The medieval Saxons with an eye for trade and the other on invasion routes, sited their largest settlements within a day-s journey of the Carpathians passes. For many centuries the Saxons constituted an elite whose economic power long outlasted its feudal privileges. The "Piata Sfatului ", the heart of Brasov, it is a Baroque townscape, quintessentially Germanic.
Sighisoara
The City of Sighisoara - authentic -museum city-, unique fortress actually inhabited , which amazes the tourist with its image and tranquility, seemingly frozen into the Middle Age. Sighisoara, the Schaessburg to the Saxons and later known as Castrum Sex it was the birthplace of Vlad Tepes "e;The Impeller"e; - the man known to so many as Dracula. The Clock Tower is the most beautiful of the medieval towers, an authentic symbol of the city. The Vlad Dracul House - the oldest stone civilian building of the city. It was here that between 1431 - 1435 Prince Vlad Dracul, father of the Vlad the Impaler, lived.