A little bit of inspiration . . . 7 places to visit in Romania
7 wonders of Romania
The seven wonders of Romania – this is not a top, we don’t believe that someone could create a top with travel places because is always a matter of taste, of feelings and of inner world of the tourist. This is just a little part of a long list of Places to visit in Romania.
Below you will see some of the most interesting and the most spectacular places to visit in Romania, a part of the wonders of this fairy tale country. We chose for the instant 7 places but we will present others in the next articles.
1. Places to visit in Romania – The Happy Graveyard from Sapanta
The Happy Graveyard from Sapanta: it is famous for the colored crosses that are adorned with naif representations of the life and occupation of the deceased people buried there. On every cross there is also a simple poem with humoristic accents about the life of those people. It is believed that this graveyard has its origins in Dacian times. Nowadays there are over 800 crosses carved in oak wood, painted on both sides The Happy Graveyard from Sapanta is a unique outdoor museum in Europe.
Photo: Adrian Petrisor
2. Places to visit in Romania – Voronet Blue
Voronet Blue: Voronet Monastery is a medieval monastery in Romania built by Stephan the Great in 1488. Its frescoes are very interesting due to their shades of blue also known as “Voronet blue”. The Moldavian monastery it is also known as “the Sistine Chapel of the East”. The color was made after a secret recipe based on azurite. This specific color is also important because of the resistance that it confers to the frescoes against the weather influences. It is said that this shade of blue is identical to the color of the area’s sky during the grapes harvesting.
Photo: Jordi Joan Fabrega
3. Places to visit in Romania – The Danube Delta
The Danube Delta: is the second largest river delta in Europe and the best preserved delta on the continent. It is part of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1991 and in 1998 it became a biosphere reserve. This Danube Delta is noted for the great variety as well as for the large populations of birds. Some of them are very rare. Many of those birds are migratory The Danube Delta hosts over 300 species of birds and 45 freshwater fish species in its lakes and marshes.
Photo: fotografultau.ro
4. Places to visit in Romania – The Palace of Parliament
The Palace of Parliament: According to the World records Academy it is the world’s largest civilian building and the second largest building in the world after the Pentagon in America. It is also named People’s House. Built in neoclassical style the Palace of the Parliament is the most expensive administrative building. In 2008 it hosted the 20th NATO Summit. It presently houses Romania’s Chamber of Deputies and Romania’s Senate.
Photo: George Ploaie
5. Places to visit in Romania – The Wind Cave
The Wind Cave: it is the largest cave in Romania with a length of 52 km. That makes it the longest limestone reservation labyrinths in South-Eastern Europe. It seems that the cave is not entirely discovered and explored because of its complex multi-leveled system. There are many passages that have never been discovered. Because there have not been made a proper mapping of the cave it is believed that its actual length reaches 70 km. The cave got its name because of the powerful draft that can be sensed at the entrance and the far corners of the cave. The average temperature in Wind Cave is 11.8 degrees Celsius. Nowadays only a small part of the cave can be visited and only with special equipment.
Photo: Szilágyi Palkó Pál
6. Places to visit in Romania – Scarisoara Cave
Scarisoara Cave: is the biggest ice cave in Romania. The cave is located at an altitude of 1165 meters. It is 105 meters deep and 720 meters long and a big part of it is open for visitation. The other part is a speleological reservation and is open only for scientists. The cave houses the oldest underground glacier in the world. The glacier is older than 4000 years. Some of the glacial formations melt during the summer, but they reappear during the winter. The flora of the cave is poor, but very interesting and rare due to its origins.
Photo: Adrian Parfenie
7. Places to visit in Romania – Sighisoara Citadel
Sighisoara Citadel: it is the oldest citadel still inhabited in Europe. “Transylvania’s Pearl” dates back since 1191. It was first mentioned in 1280 under the name Castrum Sex and then in 1598 under the German name Schespurch. The citadel’s walls protect the 164 houses first mentioned more than 300 years ago. Nowadays they are declared historical monuments. Here were found traces of habitations from Iron Age. The first settlement was meant to be a place of refuge. As a town it was a settlement of craftsmen organized in guilds. In the citadel is the Clock Tower, a tower that has on the top a golden globe which it is believed to be placed there by a giant.
Photo: Adrian Petrisor
Article: Andreea Andrei
Piatra Craiului National Park easily makes it to the top of the most beautiful protected areas from the Carpathians, being one of the most loved hiking places in Romania.