TOURS IN THE PROXIMITIES OF BUCHAREST

BRASOV- POIANA BRASOV

The city of Brasov is located in the heart of Romania, at a distance of 140 km (87 miles) northwest of the capital Bucharest,in the region of Transylvania, which has been a hub of tourist-related activities for a long time. The vast Transylvanian plateau, which spreads across a large part of central Romania, is famous for its quiet valleys, sprawling meadows and grasslands. The charming rustic ambience of this county is interspersed by medieval towns, historic castles and winter resorts.
The city of Brasov boasts of a rich historic heritage. It was founded in AD 1211 by the order of the Teutonic knights. It was an important centre of resistance against foreign invaders during the turbulent medieval period. The entire county of Brasov is dotted with a number of monuments that reflect the cultural as well as historical importance of the place.
Brasov not only offers tourists the feel of its rich past but also attracts adventure seekers willing to indulge in activities like trekking, hiking, mountain biking, camping, skiing, etc. The county is famous for its picturesque landscape, which changes colour with the arrival of different seasons. Set amongst the natural canvas of colours, the charming villages of this county provide a relaxing gateway for leisure seekers in the summer season.

At a distance of 15 km from Brasov city there is Poiana Brasov. Poiana Brasov is an all-season health and holiday resort of national importance, situated in SE central Romania (Brasov county), in a glade surrounded by coniferous forests, at the foot of Southern Carpathians.
Poiana Brasov is Romania's most complex winter sports resort as well as an important international tourist centre; it boasts 12 ski runs of various difficulty degrees a lake, ropeway, rope chair, skilift, indoor pools, saunas, medical gyms, discos, bars and restaurants.
The clean, osone-rich air is free of dust and allergens, and the landscape is fantastic as the snow blanket lasts for about 120 days a year.

PELES CASTLE

Located in Sinaia (44 km from Brasov), Peles Castle is one of Romania's most important museums in the country since it was the final resting place for several Romanian monarchs including King Carol I, who died here in 1914. The building of the castle began in 1873 under the direct order of the Viennese architect Wilhem Doderer but was inaugurated only on October 7, 1883.
To the initial castle, the Czech architect, Karel Liman added, during 1896-1914, Pelisor, a small castle with 70 rooms.The location for the castle was chosen by the German prince Carol I de Hohenzollern, who was to become a king and it draws its name from the neighboring brooks which passes through the courtyard.
The castle was built in wood, stone, bricks and marble and comprises more than 160 rooms.
The representative style used is German Renaissance, but one can easily discover elements belonging to the Italian Renaissance, Gothic, German Baroque and French Rococo style.

Peles is surrounded by seven terraces decorated with statues (sculptured by the Italian, Romanelli), stone-made-wells, ornamental vases and Carara marble. The architects used an abundance of wooden decoration, both for the exterior and for the interior of the castle, which confers a very special quality to the building. Quite outstanding are the Big Armoury Room, the small Armoury Room, the Florentine Room, the Reception Room (where paintings and wooden sculptures depicting 16 castles of the Hohenzollerns are exhibited), the Moresque Room, The French Room, the Turkish Room, the Council Room, the Concert Room as well as the Imperial Suite. It is also worth mentioning other exquisite attractions such as the statues, the ceramics, the gold and silver plates, the Meissen and Sevres porcelain, as well as the extensive weapon collections.
Near Peles castle there is Foisorul, a kings' residence with 42 rooms designed in the Swiss style.
The visitor of the Peles Castle has therefore the opportunity to know a page of Romania's history and to admire the artistic patrimony of this museum.

BRAN CASTLE - DRACULA's CASTLE

Situated at 30 Km from Brasov, between the Bucegi and Piatra Craiului Mountains, Bran Castle is an important national monument and landmark of the Romanian tourism, due not only to the beauty of the Castle and the landscape but also to the legend of Count Dracula.

It was an important feudal fortress through out the middle ages, its role was the defence against invasion. The castle has four towers, the Powder House Tower is the oldest, it is part of the original castle built in 1212. It houses the Cannon’s Gallery, the Gunner’s Room, and was also where the castles gunpowder was stored. In the 15th century during restoration of the castle the Observation Tower and the Eastern Tower were added. The Eastern Tower was built with murder holes that were used by the soldiers to drop hot water and pitch on the castles attackers. In 1622 the Gate Tower was added and the castle’s south wall was strengthened to 11 ft. thickness to withstand cannon fire. In 1921, Queen Maria of Romania, brought the royal court architect to Bran Castle for extensive renovations which transformed this "fortress" into a Royal Residence, beautiful summer residence, surrounded with a park, fountains, a lake, walking alleys and halt terraces and built the "Tea House" Of Queen Marie.
The ancient Gunner’s Room became the Royal Chapel, the defense gallery of the tower was remodeled into apartments for the Queen’s ladies in waiting. A fourth floor was added to the tower for the Queen’s Secretary. Queen Maria had an elevator installed in the fountain which is in the interior court. The elevator descended 197 ft. to a tunnel which opened onto the lovely park grounds in the valley below.
Bran Castle has been opened to the public for at least 40 years, a museum, it offers glimpses into the past, such as the Chancellor’s Office, the Council Hall and the Garrison Rooms. Also on display are lovely examples of feudal art, weapons, statuary, furniture and hunting trophies.

SINAIA-PRAHOVA VALLEY

Sinaia,"The Pearl of the Carpathians", situated at 125 km distance from the country's capital, is a town-resort endowed with all the necessary facilities for a very pleasant pastime.
The town has been turned into a non-stop tourist resort 365 days a year thanks to the climate specific for intra-mountainous valleys, rich in UV and negative ions and with moderate temperatures in all the seasons and snowfalls in winter. The many-colour buildings with conic roofs and specific mountain architecture, straggling along natural-shaped amphitheatres situated at 800-950 m altitude, seem to be detached from a fairy tale world.

There excels the impressive Sinaia Monastery, founded in 1695 by Spatharus Mihail Cantacuzino containing religious objects, icons, rare books, pottery and porcelain ware exhibition from 16th-19th century. There is also the tower's Bell that was built in 1892 and weights over 1700 kg. Nearby, there are many memorial houses from which we mention: George Enescu House, Luminis de Cumpatu Cottage, Nicolae Iorga's Memorial House or Anastasie Simu's House.
For those loving active relaxation in the middle of nature and mountain trips, Sinaia is the main entrane in the Bucegi massif with its large crest of grassy stone in an ascending line .
On the itinerary, at mid distance-2290 m altitude , there are a huge block of stone, shaped like a human skull, with deep orbits and mysterious smile, just like a gigantic "Sfinxul"(Sphinx), giving the name of the respective rock, and a cluster of gigantic stone "mushrooms", nicknamed "Babele"(Old Ladies) by the local inhabitants. Could they be megalithic monuments or remarkable curiosities of nature, carved in stone by winds and rainfalls? The mystery has not been cleared up yet.

MOGOSOAIA PALACE

Mogosoaia Palace is situated near Bucharest (10 kms) in a splendid park on the shore of Mogosoaia Lake. Mogoasoaia Palace was built in 1698 -1702 by Constantin Bracoveanu - a famous Romanian Voivode. The Palace is an architectural monument, having the façade dominated by traditional staircase balconies, and by the arcades and columns with capitals, specific to the "Brancovenesc" (Brancovan) style. Mogosoaia Palace has also some Byzantine decorative features and adornments which join stylistic elements characteristic both of the Italian Renaissance and the Baroque.

Mogosoaia Museum exhibit oil paintings, stone sculptures, gold or silver embroideries, rare books and old manuscripts among other treasures. The palace was connected to the Princely Court by a long bridge, paved with wooden logs, Calea Victoriei of today. We will introduce you to the aristocratic life of the good old times, when young princesses and princes were walking and chatting in the parks, or when the major sports events pompous balls took place here. Both the balcony and the first floor rooms had been initially adorned with oriental stucco and mural paintings representing either members of the princely family historical themes. On the facade overlooking the lake there is a wonderfull "loggia" of Venetian inspiration, with three cusped archades. Its rich adornment joins together stylistic elements characteristic both of the Renaissance and the Baroque.
Its elegant and rafined features make this edifice unique in the Romanian residential architecture.

PREJMER CHURCH

The Fortified Church of Prejmer, was built in 1225 and surrounded in the 15th century by a thick, circular wall 12m high, lined two centuries later with four tier of meal rooms. The entrance tower is itself protected by another fortified enclosure, the Mayor's Courtyard. The Gothic church is austere; it is said to contain Cistercian elements. Inside are some painted wood furniture, bearing German Gothic inscriptions, and a mid-15th century triptych painted in tempera.

THE CITADEL OF RIJNOV

The ruins of the 13th century hilltop fortress - The Citadel of Rijnov - are the first thing you will see when comming to Brasov As with Harman and Prejmer, the fortress was built by the local people as protection against Tartar and later Turkish invasions. Indeed almost immediately after its completion the fortress suffered its first Tartar attack in 1335.The fortress remained functional until 1850 when it was abandoned and fell into ruin.Visitors who make their way here can wander around the grounds, the church, chapel, weapons, tower and jail and the 154m deep well.

SNAGOV MONASTERY

Snagov Monastery, a rustic cloister from 1364, on a small isolated island in the middle of Snagov Lake, is the reputed burial place of Vlad Tepes, also known as Dracula, who, it is claimed, lies beneath the floor of the church. It's 40 km (29 mi) north of Bucharest.
Don't let yourself be taken in by the imposing forest and the nice lake surrounding the island or by the generous architecture of the monastery. The secrets are there and when the strong winds rummage the deep waters the frightful sound of ringing bells of the old sunk church (built here by Vlad the Impaler's grandfather, Mircea cel Batran) reveal them to a cautioned ear. The island and the monastery witnessed throughout the centuries lots of crimes and dramas.
Vlad the Impaler built a jail with special torture chambers where the prisoners were killed by fire or iron and then thrown straight into the lake by a sort of canon.
In 1476, Prince Vlad the Impaler-Dracula was mysteriously killed in a battle and the legend says that he was buried in Snagov Monastery. The archaeological digging discovered the tomb but removing the marble that was supposed to cover the Vlad's grave ,they found an empty six foot pit. Is it Vlad the Impaler-Dracula?

CERNICA MONASTERY

Cernica Monastery, ancient center of prayer and culture, built in 1608, nestled on a small island in the middle of Cernica Lake 14 km east of Bucharest.It is one of Romania's most idyllic monasteries that rises in the middle of a lake, surrounded by secular forests( where Ceausescu used to go hunting ),with an interesting fauna ( wild boars, phesants, oaks, pellets) attracting those who love nature as well as the worshippers..
Two imposing churches, some chapels dedicated to the most famous saints, and a book and religious art museum, survimonks living in the monastery, is practically just a great fortress built in the architectural style that is typical of the plains. From the bell tower, tireless watcher of times, the sound of bells calls once more to prayer: not only those who desiri to share the gospel, but also the mere tourist.

THE PRICES for the trips by car in the proximities of Bucharest are: 80 EURO/day for 1-2 persons, 100 EURO/day for 3-4 persons.