Kronstadt

Brașov/Kronstadt, Romania

Transylvania (or Siebenbürgen) is a region of Romania where different languages are spoken. It was once part of Austria-Hungary, and the Siebenbürger Sachsen have settled there, bringing the German language and culture to this area. Therefore, the cities always have at least two names: Bran is also Törzburg, Sibiu can be referenced to as Hermannstadt and Brașov is also known as Kronstadt (city of the crown). Transylvania itself translates as ‘through the forest’.

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Castelul Peleș

Castelul Peleș, Sinaia

The castle of Peleș is beautifully located in the mountains above Sinaia, belonging to Wallachia. It was built for king Carol I. and was finished in 1883. The castle was built by Austrian und Czech architects and is massively decorated in different European styles. You can see a weapon collection, sculptures, and a lot of historic furniture. The paintings inside the building have been done by famous painter Gustav Klimt.

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Ceaușescu

Ceaușescu villa, București

The city quarter Primăverii of București is the place where the rich people are living. During Communist times it was what we today would call a ‘gated community’. While the people outside had only electricity for two hours every day and remained hungry, the fat cats were living a good life there. You can validate this by visiting the Casa Ceaușescu, the former home of the Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu.

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Parcul Carol

Parcul Carol, București

The public park named after Carol I. is a brilliant example of brutalist architecture and a demonstration of the power of the Communist party. Originally, it was a park opened in 1906 that was created to commemorate the reign of the first king of Romania. In Communist times after World War II the park was used for a different purpose.

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