Romania

Romania is a beautiful country in Central Europe, where more than 23 million Romanians, Hungarians, Serbs, Bulgarians, Ukraineans and other nationalities live peacefully together. The Romanian people are a blend between Romans and Dacians and their soul and culture reflect the combined influences of the Latin world and of Eastern Europe.

Visitors can enjoy a rich variety of scenery, mountains, plains, lakes, rivers and sea, bustling towns and peaceful rural areas. Romania’s climate is temperate continental, subject to the influences of the four seasons. Information at:
http://www.romaniatourism.com/

Since 1989 Romania has been a democratic country, in development, ready to join the European Union in 2007.

Romanian culinary delights and the hospitality of Romanians have a justified reputation all over the world, together with the excellent wines, champagnes and beers. These, and a rich cultural heritage in arts, literature and music, ground breaking achievements in sciences and sports, make Romania a very special place to live in or to visit.

 

History – Bucharest

ateneul_romanBucharest (Romanian: București) is the capital city, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River. Bucharest was first mentioned in documents as early as 1459. Since then it has gone through a variety of changes, becoming the state capital of Romania in 1862 and steadily consolidating its position as the centre of the Romanian mass media, culture and arts.

Its eclectic architecture is a mix of historical (neo-classical), interbellum (Bauhaus and Art Deco), Communist-era and modern. In the period between the two World Wars, the city’s elegant architecture and the sophistication of its elite earned Bucharest the nickname of the “Little Paris of the East” (Micul Paris). Although many buildings and districts in the historic centre were damaged or destroyed by war, earthquakes and Nicolae Ceaușescu’s program of systematization, many survived. In recent years, the city has been experiencing an economic and cultural boom.

bucurestiul_vechiThe name of Bucur has an uncertain origin: tradition connects the founding of Bucharest with the name of Bucur who was either a prince, an outlaw, a fisherman, a shepherd, or a hunter, according to different legends. In Romanian the word stem bucur means ‘glad’, ‘joy’. In 1861, when Wallachia and Moldavia were united to form the Principality of Romania, Bucharest became the new nation’s capital; in 1881, it became the political centre of the newly-proclaimed Kingdom of Romania.

Bucharest’s history alternated periods of development and decline from the early settlements in antiquity until its consolidation as the national capital of Romania late in the 19th century. During Nicolae Ceaușescu’s leadership (1965–1989), most of the historic part of the city was destroyed and replaced with Communist-style buildings, particularly high-rise apartment buildings.

A native or resident of Bucharest is called a “Bucharester” (Romanian: bucureștean).

General information

cismigiu_gardenBucharest is situated on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, which flows into the Argeș River, a tributary of the Danube. Several lakes – the most important of which are Lake Herăstrău, Lake Floreasca, Lake Tei, and Lake Colentina – stretch across the city, along the Colentina River, a tributary of the Dâmbovița.

In addition, in the centre of the capital there is a small artificial lake – Lake Cișmigiu – surrounded by the Cișmigiu Gardens. The Cișmigiu Gardens have a rich history, being frequented by famous poets and writers. Opened in 1847 and based on the plans of German architect Carl F.W. Meyer, the gardens are currently the main recreational facility in the city centre. Besides Cișmigiu, Bucharest contains several other large parks and gardens, including Herăstrău Park and the Botanical Garden.

Herăstrău is a large public park located in the north of the city, around Lake Herăstrău, and the site of the Village Museum, while the Bucharest’s botanical garden is the largest in Romania and contains over 10,000 species of plants, many of them exotic; it was once a pleasure park for the royal family.

Weather

Weather: Bucharest has a temperate-continental climate, with occasional excesses and differences in air temperature caused by the overheating of the city’s streets. In the months of June to August the temperature climbs over 25°-30° Celsius (77°-86° Fahrenheit), while in winter it can drop to -10° Celsius (14° Fahrenheit).

More information can be found at:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather
romanian.wunderground.com

Bucharest Museums

Interesting things and other information regarding the surroundings

There are just too many interesting things and places to see and try in Bucharest to fit in just one list. Therefore we recommend the following sites as search base for additional information:

palatul_parlamentului