National Day

After years of being under Ottoman and Tsarist protectorate, Moldavia and Walachia were allowed by the European powers to elect their own princes in 1859. They chose the same person: Alexandru Ioan Cuza, thus forming a new state called Romania. A centuries old dream turned into reality.

During Cuza’s reign, many fundamental institutions of a modern state were created, and an important land reform took place. In 1866, Cuza abdicated and Prince Carol of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen came to the throne. Under his reign, Romania became independent (1877), a new constitution was passed, and the country entered a period of great economic development.

Romania entered the First World War in 1916, on the Allied side. The Romanian Army fought valiantly in the summer of 1917 and registered heavy losses.

In 1918 the National Assemblies of the regions of Transylvania (to the West), Bassarabia (the territory of the present day Republic of Moldova), and Bucovina (now part of the Ukraine) decided to unite with Romania.

On the 1st of December, 1918, the great national assembly in Alba Iulia proclaimed the "unification of all Romanians from Transylvania, the Banat, Crisana and Maramures with Romania for all ages to come".

In 1990 it was decided to celebrate 1st December as Romanian National Day.

National Day history: The first National Day of Romania was set to be on May 10, which had a double meaning; it was the day on which the Romanian monarchy was instituted (in 1866), and it was the day on which the Declaration of Independence was signed (in 1877). The communist regime changed the date of the national holiday to August 23 to mark the 1944 overthrow of the fascist government.

Bucharest Landmarks: National Art Museum

National Art Museum is the most representative art gallery in Romania and is hosted in the former Royal Palace. The Royal Palace was the official royal residence from 1834. Art Museum Palace is situated center of Bucharest (Revolution Square). The Palace displays in its four storeys an extensive collection of European Art and Romanian Art.

Sarmizegetusa

On the top of Orastie Mountains, well guarded by the natural towers and waves of the highs, there is over 2000 years a complex of fortifications of which remarkable is the Sarmizegetusa fortress from Gradistea Muncelului, a political and military center of the Dacians. The ruins show pieces of that was one the jewel and pride of the old Dacian State.

The fortress, a quadrilateral formed by massive stone blocks, was constructed on five terraces, on an area of almost 3 ha. In the fortress the roads were paved with stones. Near the ruins of the fortress there are the ruins of some constructions, probable with religious character: The big quadrilateral Sanctuary and the little round Sanctuary. The stones from the little sanctuary are put in a certain order, symbolizing the sun rays, having of course, a role of a calendar. The ruins of a temple and a guard tower, fragments of ceramics, fire places, tools and installations of spring water collection, are proofs of the life on these places.

Some inscriptions discovered on the stone blocks of the sanctuaries, coins, arms as well as a ceramic vessel with the stamp "Decebalus per Scorilo" ("Decebal son of Scorilo") have given to the researchers the possibility to consider that this settlement existed in the times when in Dacia was ruled by Burebista and next Decebal.

After the defeat of the Dacians the fortress was conquered by the Romans, which established here a military garrison, from which we can see the ruins of a building and of a bath.

Danube Delta

Eighty kilometers before reaching the Black Sea, the Danube river splits into two, and then three branches (Chilia, Sulina and Sfântu Gheorghe) to create a unique and exotic landscape, the youngest land in Europe, a refuge for many rare species of birds, fish and animals. Located at mid-distance between the North Pole and the Equator, the Danube Delta covers 4,152 sq. km of which 3,446 sq. km (82%) lie on the Romanian territory and the rest is in Ukraine.

The Danube Delta is probably the most isolated and least populated region of Romania. The three major main towns are Tulcea, Sulina and Sfintu Gheorghe. Recently, ecotourism fostered the development of other small settlements, such as Crisan.

The Delta is truly the largest and most diverse wildlife refuge in Europe. In this huge sea of reeds and water, animals outnumber humans 1000 to 1. Wonderful as it is, this is a fragile paradise that needs good care and preservation efforts. That's why some of the Delta territory has been designated as restricted areas and natural reservations, and are on the list of UN natural monuments.
Bordered by thatch, willows and oaks entangled in lianas, the maze of canals offers the perfect breeding grounds for countless species of birds. Some of the birds migrate to Romania from as far away as China and Africa.

The top bird-watching season is May to June. However all summer long, one can row up the canals covered in gorgeous water lilies, and have surprising encounters. The richness of the Delta's wildlife doesn't stop above the surface. The underwater world is equally diverse. Although one should never trust a fisherman's stories, it's a fact that here catfish outgrow people in size. The Delta's waters are abundant with fish.