Home to a strongly distinct landscape, wealthy with history, Romania is a country every architect needs to visit. From the vague shadowy depths of its undisturbed forests to pleasant green grasslands, from undulating foothills of the Carpathians to the wetlands of the Danube Delta, Romania visit offers a landscape that is immersed with vibrant color, fascinating character, and captivating reminders of history. Romania is a country with an extensive and recognized past, one that is carved symbiotically into the landscape. Romania is also a new country in some ways with its strong medieval presence and architectural historic past. Reborn after the downfall of Communism in Eastern Europe, the wounds Romania carries from fifty years of communist dictatorship are still new. Apart from this Romania has its own Arc de Triomphe and also its own Mount Rushmore which depicts Decebalus, the last king of Dacia, who fought against the Roman Empire. Here are 10 reasons why you should make Romania your next destination.
1. It’s home to the world’s heaviest building | Romania visit
Bucharest’s vast Palace of the Parliament is 240 meters long, 270 meters wide, 86 meters high (12 stories), and cost €3 billion (£2.5bn) to build. 100,000 people operated on the site. It has 1,100 rooms and an annual heating bill of $6m (£4.63m) which is equal to that of a small city. It sums up to a total area of 365,000 square meters, second only to The Pentagon and it has a volume of 2.55 million square meters, more than the Great Pyramid of Giza. Inside, one will find 3,500 tonnes of crystal, 480 chandeliers, and 1,409 ceiling lights, while 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze were used for monumental and majestic doors and windows. The Guinness World Records acknowledges it as the heaviest building on the planet.
2. The Painted Monasteries of Moldova
The northeastern part of the country is a house to one of the most attractive places in Romania. The group of 8 monasteries consists of churches that date back to medieval times (13th to 16th century). A few have also been created to serve as burial places for noble orders. They are absolutely unique and very well conserved. The exterior and interior murals highlight biblical views from the New and Old Testament and even boast a unique shade of blue throughout.
3. Castles and Fortified Churches | Romania visit
Romania holds seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the eight churches of northern Moldavia, enveloped in incredible frescos, and the wooden churches of Maramureş, including Sapanta Peri, which claims to be the tallest wooden church in the world. The Romanian countryside is strongly immersed with history with magnificent castles and bound with scenic fortified churches. Anyone who has ever been interested in medieval architecture, or has imagined himself reenacting scenes from Game of Thrones or Lord of the Rings, needs to visit the numerous castles of Romania richly filled with stories and history. The castles are bound to whet your vision and fascinate the medieval lover in all of us. Romania should be on your shortlist of places to visit if you fancy medieval architecture, castles, dungeons, and walled cities.
4. Perfect for Digital Nomads
Romania has an amazingly fast internet. Romania has nine of the top fifteen cities with the most high-speed internet in the world. This makes it an excellent location for digital nomads, particularly during more temperate weather in the spring and summer. One can also think of working while on a vacation.
5. Bucharest has one of the world’s prettiest bookshops | Romania visit
Cărturești Carusel was inaugurated in 2015 in a restored 19th-century building. It comprises more than 10,000 books, 5,000 albums, and DVDs, and also houses a bistro on the top floor. The thorough restoration went above and beyond, formulating a lovely shop considered to be one of the most beautiful bookstores in Romania, and even the world. Seventy-five people put in 20,000 hours of work together over five years, refurbishing and customizing every detail of Cărturești Carusel.
6. Romania is multicultural
An incredible reason to visit Romania is the cultural diversity present in several regions. One will hear German and Hungarian in Transylvania and Turkish in Dobrogea. You will discover Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical churches as well as synagogues and mosques. You’ll also get a variety of food to eat. You’ll also see numerous travelers and tourists in Bucharest and people who have never seen foreigners in the Carpathians.
7. It’s affordable
Even though Romania is part of the European Union, Romania is a budget destination. Meals and hotel rates are comparatively lower to Western Europe. Cafés and eateries can be more expensive near well-known tourist destinations, but they are still affordable. Admission charges for castles and
museums are reasonable too and so is public transportation. In addition to this, low-cost airlines are connecting the major cities in Romania to Western Europe for a good price.
8. The Danube Delta | Romania visit
The Danube Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage site and has one of the most comprehensive biodiversity in the world. Nature here is raw, untouched, and amazingly beautiful. Tourists attracted to visiting this heaven can accommodate in a floating hotel too to experience an exciting vacation on Romanian lands. The Danube is Europe’s second-longest river. It is known for its natural beauty, being vast preserved land, famous for birdwatching, boating, fishing, and hiking. It is a best-preserved delta as well as the largest one in Europe, housing over 350 species of birds dwelling in its marshes and lakes in a protected habitat.
9. Romania has a variate Architecture
Romania is proof of passing through so many centuries and generations over its strong and abundant history. Even communist regime destroyed a few of the great architecture buildings of Romania including churches, one can observe a perfect combination of Gothic, Baroque, Byzantine, Bavarian, Art Nouveau architecture with local elements. The communist regime also put their mark on Romania’s Architecture by the enormous House of People building, where more than 700 architects are said to have worked collectively.
10. Medieval towns and old traditional villages | Romania visit
The central part of Romania includes Transylvania. It has unusual picturesque protected medieval towns with stunning architecture like Cluj, Brasov, Sighișoara, Sibiu, or Alba Iulia. One can also find villages that remained unchanged by time and modern civilization. They stand as a testimony of the history of Romania. Transylvania is a place where time has paused. The castles are romantic and filled with fables and enchanting stories.
