Romania
Bucharest and Brașov
May 1st - 4th, 2024
After two interesting days in Moldova, Mark and I continued our trip in Romania. We had three days here, and began our first day in the vibrant capital of Bucharest with a free walking tour. The city's origins go back to the 15th century during the reign of Vlad the Impaler. We started the tour in the Old Town with its narrow cobbled streets, medieval churches and centuries-old inns.
Bucharest is the capital and largest city of Romania, with a population of just under 2 million. Due to its many diverse influences ranging from Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian, French to Soviet communists, the city's architecture is a contrasting blend of Byzantine, Gothic, and neo-Classical styles as well as huge soviet era concrete buildings. In the early 20th century the city was known as "Little Paris" due to its elegant architecture and vibrant cultural scene. Many of the grand boulevards and neoclassical buildings with intricate facades remind you indeed of Paris.
This large concrete structure is the most infamous building in Bucharest. It used to house the Communist Party's Central Committee, and included cells to hold political prisoners on the lower floors. It was on this balcony, where Nicolae Ceaușescu gave his famous last speech on December 21st, 1989. He appeared totally confused about people in the crowd booing him, and his wife started yelling at the crowd to shut up. The next day they had to flee from the roof of the building in a helicopter, and 3 days later on Christmas Day they were tried, convicted and both executed by firing squad.
The most ridiculous building in Bucharest, however, is the Palace of the Parliament, which is the world's second largest administrative building (after the Pentagon).
It is an enormous structure, sitting on a small hill overlooking the city, and a symbol the country's communist past. Construction began in 1983, after Ceaușescu had large parts of the city demolished to make space for his grandiose palace.
It is possible to visit the inside of the Palace of the Parliament on a guided tour. This is well worth it, even if you only get to see a few of the more than 1,000 rooms. As is befitting for one of the world's craziest dictators, the gaudy interior is almost entirely done in marble and gold, which also makes this one of the heaviest buildings in the world. The vast marble staircases and ornate chandeliers are a staggering display of wealth, that the country certainly did not have.
While equally tasteless and overwhelming, the intricate details and craftmanship involved in creating this monument are very impressive. Today, the building houses the Romanian Parliament, and is used for official state functions.
Overall I had a really positive impression of Bucharest. It is a vibrant and fun city, full of bars and restaurants, with a really positive and international vibe, definitely a city I would like to return to and experience more of.
On our second day we had a Viator day trip outside of Bucharest. Our first stop on the tour was the iconic Bran Castle, located about 1.5 hours north of the city in Transylvania, and one of Romania's most famous landmarks. The castle is an impressive medieval stronghold built in the 14th century on the top of a rocky outcropping.
Better known as Dracula's Castle, it is also the fictional home of Bram Stoker's Dracula. However the castle's connection to Vlad the Impaler, who was the historical figure behind the Dracula legend, is tenuous at best. Vlad, also known as Vlad Drăculea, was the 15th-century ruler of Wallachia, infamous for his brutal methods of punishment. There is, however, no historical evidence that Vlad ever even resided in the castle.
In the late 1920s, Bran Castle became a royal residence, and Queen Marie of Romania (who was the granddaughter of Queen Victoria) transformed the interior into a more comfortable home, with elegant furniture and other 20th century comforts. Today, the castle has been turned into a museum, which attracts huge numbers of tourists, who want to see "Dracula's Castle".
We continued our drive for another 45 minutes north to the historical city of Brașov. Located in the heart of Transylvania, and surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains, Brașov is a beautifully restored walled city.
The city's history goes back to the 13th century, when it was founded by the Teutonic Knights and later became a trading post for Saxon merchants. Although the city's layout with its narrow cobbled stone alleyway, still feels medieval, most of the buildings are from the late 17th and 18th century, since a great fire in 1689 destroyed most of older buildings.
One of the remaining medieval structures is the iconic Black Church, a Gothic cathedral dating back to the 14th century. Named for its soot-darkened walls caused by the great fire of 1689, the Black Church is Romania’s largest Gothic structure.
This area of Romania used to be dominated by the Transylvanian Saxons, which were German immigrants, who started to settle here from the 12th century onwards. The German origins of Brasov, which used to be named Kronstadt, are still visible everywhere on its colorful baroque buildings.
Our last stop on the tour was Peleș Castle, which was the royal summer palace, built by the German born Romanian King Carol I. Built between 1873 and 1914, it is a neo-Renaissance / neo-Gothic structure, which reminded me a bit of the Bavarian fairytale castles of King Ludwig II, like Neuschwanstein. It is located in a picturesque setting surrounded by the Carpathian Mountains.
The inside of the Peles castle is quite impressive but a bit over the top. You first enter the Hall of Honor, with its massive stained glass ceiling and dark wood paneling.
Each of the 160 rooms is decorated in a variety of styles, ranging from medieval castle, Italian Renaissance and Turkish Salons.
Although quite kitschy and not to everyone's taste, Peles is definitely worth a visit, as it represents a specific time of Romanian history under its German born monarchs.
Even though three days only gave you brief glimpse of this beautiful and historic country, we had a great time here. And I definitely have to plans to come back to Romania to explore it further.
No comments:
Post a Comment