Greetings! We recently returned from a trip to Hungary (country #111), where we were able to experience Bucharest (BOO-kah-rest), Brasov (BRAH-shof), and Sigisoara (sig-ee-SHWAH-rah) as part of a river cruise on the lower Danube River. Below, you will find information and photos from our trip. Please note that there will be references to religion, wars, and politics within this post. These references are for historical purposes only, and should not be interpreted as a promotion or degradation of any of those topics. In addition, the information herein (especially with regard to wars/conflicts) is not intended to be a comprehensive accounting of the events and should not be seen or interpreted as such. Please also note that there is information about physical violence and bodily fluids within this post.
Romania is a Balkan country that lies along the lower Danube River and northwestern shore of the Black Sea in Southeast Europe. It’s the twelfth largest state (by area) in Europe, and is bordered by Ukraine, Hungary, Serbia, Bulgaria, and Moldova. The Carpathian Mountains are Europe’s third longest mountain range, and fifty percent of the mountain range is in Romania. Bucharest (BOO-kah-rest) is the capital city and the largest city in Romania, with 2 million of Romania’s 19 million inhabitants living there. Bucharest is also the largest business and university center (30,000 students attend the University of Bucharest) in Romania. Its flag was established in 1848 (which was the year of the revolution of European countries establishing their identity) and represents liberty/freedom (blue), equality (yellow), and the blood of brotherhood (red).
Romanian Flag; Arcul de Triumf (Triumphal Arch in Bucharest; fashioned after the one in Paris, making Bucharest the Little Paris of the East)
Romanian History to World War II
Romanian history goes back to the Paleolithic Age, and later featured the Visigoths and then the Huns in the 5th century, with references to the Dacia Province (the center of which was Transylvania). The Slavs then pushed through the Byzantine (Roman) Empire in 602 and established themselves in the Balkan peninsula. While the Ottoman Empire had oversight within Romania in the 14th and 15th century, Wallachia (vah-LAY-kee-ah) and Moldavia (mohl-DAHV-ee-ah) formed Romania as it is known today. While the modern state of Romania was formed in 1859, it was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire until 1877, when Romania gained independence from the Ottomans. It subsequently became the Kingdom of Romania in 1881, and was ruled by King Carol I (KAH-roll), who ruled for 48 years (first as a prince and then as king).
World War I (WWI) was an important war in Romanian history, as Romania started as neutral, and then joined the British Empire in order to gain territory. 1918 marked the end of the Austro-Hungarian empire, and on December 1, 1918, there was a vote that resulted in Transylvania joining Romania, making December 1 “Union Day.” Moldova (not to be confused with Moldavia) was also part of Romania, which resulted in Romania’s territory doubling after WWI, which impacted its economy, causing it to collapse due to so many people drawing upon the country’s resources. Romania subsequently lost territories to Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Soviet Union, due to pressure from the Axis powers in 1940.
At the start of World War II (WWII), King Carol II aligned with Nazi Germany, declared war on the Soviet Union, and ceded Northern Transylvania to Hungary. By 1947, the People’s Republic of Romania was established using the Communist regime, and King Michael I was forced into exile. Romania began to separate itself from Communism starting in the 1960s, and when Nicolae Ceaușescu (NEE-koh-lie chow-CHESS-kew) took over as head of the Communist Party, he wanted to modernize the country so that he could be seen as an approachable individual and in a positive light; however, he also copied Joseph Stalin by despising the peasant class and making them indentured servants.
Top: Palace of the Parliament; Bottom: Ministry of Defense – The second largest administrative building in the world after the Pentagon in the US. It is also the heaviest building in the world.
Romanian History after World War II
Ceaușescu’s first presidency was reported to be mostly tolerable, as long as nothing bad was said about him. He met with foreign dignitaries (including three US presidents) in his quest to be seen as approachable. However, when the new Black Sea canal and the only nuclear plant were established (both of which cost a lot of money), the economy failed and the people could no longer sell goods, which made them upset with Ceaușescu. Ceaușescu went to Asia in the 1980s and came back and tried to implement some of the approaches that he learned there. However, he eschewed needing help from other countries and paid back all of the debts owed to other countries by May of 1978. This made Romania the only country to have no debts with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but also significantly impacted the Romanian people, as the money was paid back by rationing food and cutting power (even in the winter). In addition, it is said that Ceaușescu struck a deal with Israel to sell Jews back to Israel as a way to pay back debts owed by Romania. As a result, only 10,000 Jews live in Romania today.
Ceaușescu’s regime was overthrown in 1989 with a revolution in Bucharest. He and his wife were detained outside of the city for three days, charged with war crimes against humanity, and subsequently executed on December 25, 1989. Approximately 1200 people died during the revolt, and most of them were students who were studying in the area. Romania switched to a free market economy after this and they had their first free elections. However, the people went bankrupt, as the currency hit rock bottom, and they were still tied to the USSR, which was failing as well. As a result, Romania signed a declaration to start the process of becoming a member of the European Union (EU). In 2004, Romania became a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and in 2007, they became a member of the EU.
Church of the Stavropoleos Monastery
Transylvania: Brasov and Sighisoara
Transylvania (which means “lands beyond the forest”) is a cultural and historical region of Central Romania, nestled in the center of the C-shape of the Carpathian Mountain range. Transylvania was conquered in the 10th century and integrated into the Kingdom of Hungary. In the 12th century, Transylvania Saxons were brought from Germany to create settlements within the borders of what was the Kingdom of Hungary at that time. They built seven major walled cities (i.e., settlements) including Brasov (BRAH-shof) and Sighisoara (sig-ee-SHWAH-rah). Colonization in this region began in the 12th century and lasted until the 15th century. During this period, King Andrew invited the Teutonic Knights to settle in the region and to protect this area against Mongol attack, which they did by fortifying the structures of the churches in the north and building walls around the structures.
Many fortresses were constructed in the shape of a spiral or snail shell – The Saxons relied on the fortress for support and protection and to hold supplies during the Protestant Reformation.
Transylvania is one of the two most diverse cities in Romania (the other is a city on the coast of the Black Sea). The largest ethnic group (1 million people; 6%) is Hungarian, who have their own political party and have representation in the government. The second largest group are the Rroma (ROH-mah; it means “human” with the double R), who did not originate in Romania despite popular belief. They are dark skinned and originated from northwest India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan, and were brought to Europe in the mid-13th century and enslaved, often used as blacksmiths and trainers for the horses for the army. Many Rromas have those skills today, and many others are known for their musical ability. There were several waves of Rromas that came to the region, all of whom were enslaved by local lords, and then sold to the Romanian Orthodox Church and called “church gypsies.” They stayed in the system until they were released in the mid-19th century.
Many Rromas were sent to concentration camps with the Jews during WWII, and many others were sent to labor camps to construct the Black Sea canal. Today, there is still a wide disparity between the very wealthy Rromas (often the parents/older generation) and the people below them (the younger generation), as the younger generation had to resort to thievery for survival.
Clocktower of the Citadel of Sighisoara
With regard to religion, Catholicism was the majority religion until 1642, when Protestantism was introduced. The Germans switched to Protestantism, while the Hungarians remained Catholic. In 1870, there was a “counter reformation,” where the people were forced to become Catholic again because the leaders felt they were given too much freedom.
Vlad the Impaler (the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
Vlad was born as a namesake to his father (Vlad the Dracul), who was Lord of Wallachia (vah-LAY-kee-ah). When the younger Vlad was a child, he was taken from his family and raised by the Ottomans, receiving education and military training. During this time, he grew up alongside Mehmed the Conqueror, who conquered Constantinople in 1453. Not long after that, Vlad’s father and brother were killed by nobles, and Vlad vowed to avenge their deaths. When he later took back Wallachia from the Ottomans, he used the impaling method that he saw as a child, where they would spear a long wooden spike through the person’s rear end and have it come out through the neck so that when they were placed on a high vantage point, they could stay up there for the three days required to allow all of the blood to drain out. People seeing the victims afterwards would see the marks on their necks, which is where part of the rumor started about Vlad biting their necks to suck their blood. Eventually, Vlad was able to avenge the death of his father and brother by impaling the nobles who were responsible. Vlad was ultimately betrayed and imprisoned for 13 years in Hungary, which is where the rumors were started in earnest about Vlad being a blood drinker. Stephen the Great (who was Vlad’s cousin from Moldova) appealed for Vlad’s release, but later died in battle (possibly betrayed and killed by an assumed ally).
Birthplace of Vlad the Impaler (who was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula)
Thousands of tourists come to Bran (pronounced “brahn”) Castle (photos above) because they believe that’s where Vlad the Impaler lived, but this is not accurate. Vlad was held there for two nights when he was captured in an attempt to cross into Hungary after killing the nobles. He was said to have been betrayed by the guards and was sent to prison after he was held at the castle. That is the only connection between Dracula and Bran Castle. Once Bram Stoker’s novel became popular, there was an increase in visitors from North America. It is said that the reason people think Vlad lived at Bran Castle was because during the period when Romania was under Communism, a guide was asked by a tourist if this was where Dracula/Vlad lived, and he told them it was even though he reportedly knew that was not accurate. The actual castle featured in Bram Stoker’s Dracula novel is actually 150km/93mi from Bran Castle.
Bran Castle was actually built to protect the Customs House and was guarded by 1000-2000 British Mercenaries until the 19th century. It was then given as a gift to Queen Marie (the wife of Ferdinand, who was the cousin of King Carol I), who descended from the Russian monarchy through her mother and the British monarchy through her father, who was from Edinburgh (of note, Queen Marie’s distant cousin, Britain’s King Charles, reportedly has property [including a vineyard] near Transylvania). Queen Marie converted Bran Castle to her summer residence, and she lived there with Ferdinand in separate quarters, as they had an arranged marriage and they each had their own lovers. Queen Marie was called the Mother of all Romanians because she participated in the peace treaties in Versailles.
Interesting Fact: Last names ending in “-escu” (e.g., Ionescu) means “son of” or “from the family of,” similarly to Johnson or Williamson, etc. in other countries.
Papanasi (pah-pah-NAHSH; a popular Romanian dessert) – cherry on left, blueberry on the right
We enjoyed our time in Romania, learning a lot about its history, and having our fill of very delicious food! It is definitely a place worth visiting, and I highly recommend doing so if you find yourself in the Balkans. Until next time, take care and be well…