About Romania!

Welcome
Distances in h to Romania
About Bucharest
Did you know?

Quick Facts

Capital:

Bucharest

Government:

Republic

Currency:

leu (RON)

Area:

237,500 sq km

Population:

22,317,730 (July 2002 est.)

Language:

Romanian

Electricity:

220V/50Hz (European plug)

Calling Code:

+40

Time Zone:

UTC +2

Romanian Anthem

Language:

English

Romanian

Welcome

Romania is located in the Balkans near the Black Sea. Romania enchants travelers with its diversity: be it natural or cultural .Over the last decade it has known significant development and is one of the most recent members of the European Union. Still it may surprise some of its visitors who are used to western Europe. Romania is a large country which can sometimes be shocking with contrasts: some cities are truly Western Europe-like while in some villages locals live as they did a few centuries ago. While it has significant cultural similarities with other Balkan states, it is regarded as unique due to its strong Latin heritage. In fact, the Romanian language and grammar are so similar to old Latin that some might not tell the difference. Things for which Romania is famous for include: the Carpathian mountains, Constantin Brancusi, wine, medieval fortresses, Dracula, Gheorghe Hagi, the Black Sea, monasteries and the Danube Delta.

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Distances in h to Romania

From	By Plane	By Train	By Bus
Vienna	1 hr 10 min	6 hrs 50 min	6 hrs
Budapest	50 min	4 hrs 30 min	3 hrs
Istanbul	50 min	14 hrs	7 hrs
Los Angeles	18 hrs 30 min	N/A	N/A
Munich	2 hrs 30 min	11 hrs 50 min	10 hrs
New York	12 hrs	N/A	N/A
Paris	2 hrs 40 min	19 hrs	21 hrs
Parague	2 hrs 30 min	14 hrs 30 min	8 hrs
Sofia	45 min	8 hrs 50 min	5 hrs
Warsaw	1 hr 50 min	16 hrs	11 hrs

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About Bucharest

Bucharest:

Known for its wide, tree-lined boulevards and a reputation for the high life,which in the 1900s earned its nickname of "Little Paris", Bucharest, Romania's largest city and capital, is today a bustling metropolis.
Romanian legend has it that the city of Bucharest was founded on the banks of the Dambovita River by a shepherd named Bucur, whose name literarily means "joy." His flute playing reportedly dazzled the people and his hearty wine from nearby vineyards endeared him to the local traders, who gave his name to the place. In the 15th century, the princely court of Vlad Tepes (thought to have been the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula) was established here and by the end of the 17th century, the city had become the capital of the province of Walachia. In 1862, Bucharest became the capital of Romania.

City landmarks:

The Arch of Triumph:
Initially built of wood in 1922 to honor the bravery of Romanian soldiers who fought in World War I, Bucharest's very own Arch of Triumph was finished in granite in 1936.

Parliament Palace:
Built by Communist Party leader, Nicolae Ceausescu, the colossal Parliament Palace (formerly known as the People's Palace) is the largest civilian administrative building in the world after the Pentagon. It took 20,000 workers and 700 architects to build. The palace boasts 12 stories, 1,100 rooms, a 328-ft-long lobby and four underground levels, including an enormous nuclear bunker.

Victory Avenue:
Victory Avenue is Bucharest's oldest and most charming street. Built in 1692 to link the Old Princely Court to Mogosoaia Palace, it was initially paved with oak beams. The street became Victory Avenue in 1878, after the Romanian War of Independence victory. Between the two world wars, Calea Victoriei developed into one of the most fashionable streets in the city.

Revolution Square:
The Revolution Square gained worldwide notoriety when TV stations around the globe broadcasted Nicolae Ceausescu's final moments in power on December 21, 1989. It was here, at the balcony of the former Communist Party Headquarters, that Ceausescu stared in disbelief as the people gathered in the square below turned on him.

Did you know?

• Did you know that the fountain pen was invented by romanian teacher named Petrache Poenaru, and breveted by the French Gouverment 1827.

• Did you know that Stefan Odobleja is renown as the father of modern cybernetics, practically he is the inventor of modern cybernetics.

• Did you know that the true inventor of insulin is Nicolae Paulescu, a professor of physiology at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Bucharest.

• Did you know that the first jet plane was invented by Henri Coanda in 1910.

• Did you know that without a romanian gymnast, named Nadia Comaneci the computers wouldn`t had have the posibility to display a perfect 10.

• Did you know that Mircea Eliade was the first in the world to write a Encyclopedia of Religion.

• Did you know that Romania is the first nation to have a happy graveyard.

• Did you know that the first goalkeeper to defend four penalty strikes in a row was romanian goalkeeper Helmuth Duckadam.

• Did you know that the second spoken language in Microsoft is romanian.

• Did you know that the gates in maramures are unique in the world for the arhitecture.

• Did you know that romanians invented the godfather of baseball, it has the name of Oina and was first certified 1364.

• Did you know that the Palace of the Parliament from Bucharest is the world's largest civilian administrative building, most expensive administrative building, and heaviest building.

• Did you know that Romania has the 9th largest territory and the 7th largest population,with 21.5 million people ,among the European Union member states.

• Did you know that the Roman Empire is the ancestor of Romania.