Palace of Parliament City/Region: Bucharest Built by Communist Party leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, the colossal Palace of Parliament is the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon. It is an immense structure that took 20,000 workers and 700 architects to build, and cost billions. It has 12 storys, 1,100 rooms, a 328 ft-long (100m) lobby, and four underground levels including an enormous nuclear bunker. Started in 1984, the dictator intended it to be the headquarters of his Communist Government, but it was still
unfinished when he was executed in 1989. Today it houses the seat of Romania's Parliament and is an international conference center. Widely viewed as a personification of his obsession with grandiose things and actions, the construction entailed the demolition of a quarter of Bucharest's historic center, including 26 churches, and the relocation of 40,000 inhabitants from their 19th-century homes to new developments on the outskirts. Built and furnished exclusively from Romanian materials, the building reflects the work of the country's best artisans. A guided tour takes visitors through a small section of dazzling rooms, huge halls and quarters used by the Senate (when not in session). The interior is a luxurious display of crystal chandeliers, mosaics, oak panelling and marble, gold leaf and stained glass windows, and the floors are covered in rich carpets. The largest room has a sliding roof wide enough for a helicopter to enter. Tour guides delight in recounting tales of the vast amounts of money that went to waste in decorating and re-decorating its rooms. Address: Bulevardul Unirii Phone Number: (0)21 311 3611 (reservations) Email Address: cic@cdep.ro Website: www.cdep.ro/cic Transport: Metro Izyor or Unirii, or bus 136 or 385 Hours: Daily 10am to 4pm Admission: 20 L (foreign adults). Other concessions are available. Cameras and video recorders: 30 L
The Village Museum City/Region: Bucharest One of Bucharest's finest sights is the Village Museum, situated within the Herastrau Park alongside a lake. It is a fascinating outdoor museum with a collection that spans more than 300 buildings representing the history and design of Romania's rural architecture including peasant homes, barns, wooden churches and Transylvanian houses from all regions of the country to recreate a village setting. Traditionally dressed peasant workers portray life during the 16th and 17th centuries along with everyday tools and accessories. Traditional crafts are also for sale around the site. Address: Kiseleff Road 28-30 Phone Number: (0)21 317 9110 Email Address: muzeulsatului@xnet.ro Transport: Metro Aviatorilor, or bus 331 or 131 to Herastrau Parc Hours: Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 7pm in summer (1 May to 15 November) and Tuesday to Sunday from 9am to 5pm in winter (1 November to 1 May) Admission: 6 L (adults), 3 L (students and children)
Stavropoleos Church City/Region: Bucharest The tiny but remarkable Stavropoleos Church was built in 1724, designed by a Wallachian prince renowned for his religious architectural accomplishments, and is one of the oldest churches in Bucharest. Built using a combination of Romanian and Byzantine architecture it has a beautiful façade and a delicately carved columned entrance. Surrounded by a peaceful garden, it is an architectural jewel, with beautiful frescoes and religious icons. Address: Strada Stavropoleos Hours: Daily 8.30am to 6pm
National History Museum City/Region: Bucharest Housed in the former 1900 Post Office building is one of Bucharest's most important museums, the National History Museum. Spread throughout 41 rooms the exhibits recount the country's development from prehistoric times to the 1920s. The highlight is the basement National Treasury crammed with a dazzling display of gold, jewelry and valuable Neolithic curios. It is the biggest and best museum in the country and affords an excellent opportunity to get to grips with the exciting history of Romania. Address: Calea Victoriei 12 Phone Number: (0)21 315 8207 Email Address: direct@mnir.ro Website: www.mnir.ro Hours: Daily 10am to 6pm; closed Mondays Admission: 7 L; concessions available
Bran Castle City/Region: Transylvania The fortified medieval Bran Castle is often referred to as Dracula's Castle, looking as a vampire count's abode should look with a forbidding façade, towers and ramparts rising out of the forest, and perched high on a steep cliff face against a dramatic mountain background; however there is little evidence to suggest Vlad Tepes ever stayed there. Bran Castle was built in 1377 to protect nearby Brasov from invaders, and it later became the favorite summer residence of Queen Marie, offered to her by the people of Brasov who owned it. The rooms and towers surround an inner courtyard with a sculpted stone fountain. A warren of narrow, winding stairs, secret chambers and underground passageways lead between vaulted halls, a prison, watchtowers with sweeping views, and the living area. The rooms are decorated with a collection of Baroque furniture, elaborately carved four-poster beds, weapons and armour dating from the 14th to 19th centuries. On the grounds below is an open-air ethnographic Village Museum consisting of old local-style architecture with household objects, costumes and furniture on display. At the entrance to the castle grounds is a large handicraft market that aims to distract the bus loads of tourists. Address: 498 Traian Mosoiu Street, Bran Phone Number: (0)268 238 333 Email Address: info@brancastlemuseum.ro Website: www.brancastlemuseum.ro Transport: Buses leave from Brasov's bus station, Autogara 2 and are marked 'Moieciu-Bran'. The journey takes 40 minutes Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 4pm Admission: 80 L (adults). Concessions are available
Peles Castle City/Region: Transylvania Resort Name: Sinaia Considered to be one of the most beautiful castles in Europe, Peles Castle was the summer residence for Romania's kings. Built by King Carol I in 1883 the castle is a masterpiece of German-Renaissance architecture with an exquisite exterior, and is surrounded by fir forests and the towering peaks of the Carpathian range. Its 160 rooms are magnificent; lavishly decorated in ebony, mother of pearl, walnut and leather with crystal chandeliers, fine collections of sculptures, paintings and tapestries, stained glass windows and furniture. It is set within a large park with a statue garden in front. Further up the hill from the main palace is the smaller Pelisor Palace, built for Carol I's son and decorated in the Art Nouveau style. Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 4pm (June to September). From October to May the castle is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and for the whole month of November
The Painted Monasteries City/Region: Southern Bucovina Some of the 15th century painted monasteries of Southern Bucovina have been declared UNESCO World Heritage Monuments. They represent some of the greatest artistic monuments in Europe and are among the most picturesque treasures in Romania. Most of the churches are fortified with strong defensive surrounding walls as protection against Turkish invaders and they sheltered large armies of soldiers awaiting battle. The exterior walls of the monasteries are richly decorated with vivid frescoes depicting dramatic Biblical scenes, intended to teach Christianity to the illiterate by means of pictures. The artwork has amazingly survived harsh exposure to the elements for over 450 years and the intense colors have been well preserved. The five main painted monasteries near Suceava are Humor, Voronet, Moldovita, Sucevita and Arbore. The predominant color of the artwork at Voronet is a vivid blue that serves as a background to the designs. The quality of the frescoes, the magnificent Last Judgement and the brilliant color has earned it the moniker of 'Sistine Chapel of the East'. Humor is characterized by its predominant red color; and the largest and finest of the monasteries, Sucevita, has its thousands of painted images on a background of emerald green. Moldovita, situated in the middle of a quaint farming village, consists of a strong fortified enclosure with towers and heavy gates, with the beautiful painted church in the center. Also nearby are Dragomirna and Putna monasteries, the latter home to an active community of monks and a small museum containing medieval manuscripts and rare textiles. Transport: From Suceava a car and driver/guide can be hired to take visitors on a day-trip to the monasteries from the local tourist agency, Bucovina Estur
Sighisoara City/Region: Transylvania Sighisoara is one of the seven fortified towns founded by the Saxons in the hills of Transylvania, and is a beautifully preserved medieval town that is renowned as the birthplace of 'Dracula', or Vlad The Impaler. The hilltop citadel dominates the town with the original medieval settlement enclosed within the fortress walls, surrounded by nine surviving towers. Within the old town, the narrow cobbled streets and steep alleyways, brightly-painted tiny lopsided houses, ancient churches, stone archways and covered stairways are overlooked by the striking Clock Tower, the control tower of the main gate with magnificent views over the whole town and countryside. At the foot of the Clock Tower is the simple yellow building where Vlad was born and lived with his father, Vlad Dracul, and is marked by a hanging wrought-iron dragon. It now houses a restaurant with medieval furnishings. The ancient cobblestone street that passes beneath the Clock Tower leads to the lower town, and although shabbier than the citadel, it has some interesting little shops where 'Vampire Wine' and locally made products can be bought. There are also lively markets here and pretty stone squares where townsfolk gather to chat animatedly about daily affairs.
Brasov City/Region: Transylvania Nestled at the foot of Mount Tâmpa, Brasov is a charming medieval town, and along with Sighisoara is one of the seven fortified towns settled by the Saxons, with a distinct Germanic flavor to its architecture. The Saxons built massive stone walls and seven bastions around the city that are still visible today, as well as ornate churches, elaborately trimmed buildings and a fine central square that is said to be the spot from where the legendary Pied Piper was to have led the children of Hamlin. Lining the square are the red-roofed merchant's houses, now occupied by cafes and shops, and in the center is the 15th-century Old Town Hall that is home to the History Museum. The town's landmark is the impressive Gothic structure known as the Black Church, so named because a fire blackened its outer walls in 1689. The interior is beautiful, with balconies, stained glass windows, an enormous organ, stone columns and walls adorned with fabulous Turkish carpets. Many people use Brasov as a base for visiting the nearby attractions of Dracula's Castle at Bran, as well as Râsnov Castle and the ski resorts of Sinaia and Poiana Brasov. Website: www.brasov.ro
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