The name "Romania" comes from the Latin word "Romanus" which means "citizen of the Roman Empire."Trajan's Column one of the most distinctive monumental sculptures to have survived the fall of Rome, represents a visual history of the wars between the Romans and the Dacians, with Trajan as the hero and Decebalus, the Dacian king, as his worthy opponent.
Castles & Medieval Towns
Transylvania, the land that gave us Dracula, has no shortage of jaw-dropping castles pitched precariously on rocky hilltops. There's spooky Bran Castle, of course, with its spurious connection to Bram Stoker’s fictional count, but don’t overlook beauties such as Hunedoara’s 14th-century Corvin Castle or King Carol I’s sumptuous 19th-century pile, Peleş Castle. In medieval towns like Braşov, Sighişoara and Sibiu, cobbled walkways support chic streetside cafes, while a cacophony of sounds emanating from student bars and clubs echo off the Gothic and baroque facades in lively Cluj-Napoca. Transylvania’s Saxon villages boast fortified churches that date back half a millennium.
BUCHAREST, OUR BELOVED CITY
Vlad the Impaler stated his claim to Bucharest in 1459. His citadel on the Dambovita was the first of flotillas of palaces, many of which still stand. Four subway lines and a modern bus network transport visitors and commuters. Nicknamed "Little Paris", Bucharest's elegant early 20th-century architecture shows French influences. Don't miss the Village Museum, Romanian Athenaeum and the Peasant Museum. You can't miss the Palace of Parliament, the second-largest building in the world (after the Pentagon).
The Palace of Parliament is the world’s second-largest administrative building (after the Pentagon) and former dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s most infamous creation. Started in 1984 (and still unfinished), the building has more than 3000 rooms and covers 330,000 sq metres. Entry is by guided tour only (book in advance). Entry to the palace is from B-dul Naţiunile Unite on the building's northern side (to find it, face the front of the palace from B-dul Unirii and walk around the building to the right). Bring your passport.
The Romanian Athenaeum, dubbed the Romanian temple of arts, is an architectural jewel the uniqueness and merits of which have been acknowledged by the fact the building was classified a historical monument in 2004 and part of the European patrimony in 2007. Located on the Victory Avenue, the Romanian Athenaeum is a tourist sight the importance of which does not come down exclusively to its being one of the most eye-catching architectural marvels of the capital, but also to the fact it is home to one of the oldest and most important cultural institutions in Bucharest, a major contributor to the artistic scene of Bucharest: the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra.
The city has a large number of churches, usually small, in Byzantine style. In addition to the Curtea Veche (Old Court) church (1559), the church of the former Antim Monastery (1715) and Stavropoleos church (1724) are of considerable architectural interest.
The most important centres for higher education are the Polytechnical University of Bucharest (founded 1818) and the University of Bucharest (founded 1864 from institutions dating to 1694). In addition, there are several academies in both arts and sciences, as well as numerous research institutes. Bucharest has three central libraries (the Library of the Romanian Academy, the National Library, and the Central University Library) and a large number of public library units.
Many of the city’s theatres—for example, the National Theatre “I.L. Caragiale” and the Theatre of Opera and Ballet of Romania—have long traditions. Bucharest is also the seat of a national philharmonic orchestra. Among the many museums are the Museum of the History of the City of Bucharest and the Art Museum of Romania, the latter maintaining large collections of national, European, and East Asian art. A highly original ethnographic collection, the Village Museum (1936), is made up of peasant houses brought from various parts of the country.
Manufactures include engineering products, notably machine tools and agricultural machinery, as well as electrical and automotive equipment, buses, trolleybuses, and a wide variety of other goods, including consumer goods. The city is served by an international airport at Otopeni and the smaller Băneasa Airport. Pop. (2007 est.) 1,931,838.