Romania historically was split into two major regions, partly due to geography and partly due to politics. The capital city of Bucharest is in the center of the crescent-shaped plain in the southeast of the country which takes up approximately half of modern Romania. The other northwest half of the country is mountainous. After spending two days in the capital, we took a bus to the mountains, which is famously named Transylvania. It is famous due to the Irish author Bram Stoker who wrote the Gothic novel, Dracula in 1897. Count Dracula is one of the world’s most known mythic figures. Stoker took the name Dracula (Romanian peasants mispronounced the word “dragon” referring to an ancient Transylvanian dynasty. Stoker never visited Romania and didn’t refer to Vlad the Impaler (one of the real life historical “Draculas”) in his notes, only getting the name from a Hungarian acquaintance from the region. Transylvania, the mountainous region was controlled by the Austrian-Hapsburg Empire. The Hungarian leaders supported the settlement of German farmers and tradesmen to develop the towns and cities of the region. In part to protect from the Ottoman Empire which controlled the plains. Many of the German settlers were from Luxembourg and spoke a dialect of German similar to modern Luxembourgish. Today there are only about 12,00o left in the country. Most emigrated during and after World War II and through the years of the brutal dictatorship of Nicola Ceaușescu.
Our first stop was the ski resort village of Sinaia. The Carpathian Mountains offer breathtaking views and combined with the German-style architecture reminiscent of the Bavarian Alps, it is a beautiful town. Romania has an infrastructure problem and there were several traffic jams. The 139 kilometers took us over four hours. This is on a Saturday morning. The government should have used the European Union development funds to build wider highways to avoid this. I was surprised that the main highway out of the capital city going to another major city, Brasov, was only a single lane.
Our destination was the ornate Peles Palace, the summer residence of King Carol I (1839-1914). He was the first king of the Hohenzollern-Sigmarigen dynasty to rule Romania. He was named king in 1866 after a coup détat ousted Alexandru Ioan Cuza, one of Romania’s military heroes. Carol was a stern, German military man who led Romanian-Russian troops to defeat the Turks and help unify Romania. He ruled from 1866 to his death in 1914. His only daughter died as a child and eventually, a nephew took over, Ferdinand. The family dynasty ruled the country until they were exiled by the communists in 1947.
The palace is excessively ornamented with huge murals, detailed woodwork on the doors, walls, and ceilings, stained-glass windows, etc. It looked like a movie set and would be good for Harry Potter or a murder mystery plot. Cherubs must have been quite popular when it was built in 1883. As you can see from the photos and videos, it is incredible that citizens would build something like this as a vacation home for the leader of their country. The idea of monarchs and royal families is abhorrent to me. I guess it is my American spirit, as I am a descendent of poor, European immigrants fleeing the unfair economic system of haves and have-nots in a quasi-feudal system. Andreas Kralovec left Bohemia right around this time, in 1888, to America. He was probably looking for a better life possibility in the frontiers of the Great Lakes region instead of staying under Hapsburg rule. Thank you Andreas!
The grounds are also spectacular with a wall of green pine trees to frame the scene. I noticed besides the massive statue of King Carol I, they also made statues of King’s dogs. I could definitely spend a summer holiday here. I bet the hiking is really nice. The downside to the visit was the huge crowds and we had to wait 5-10 minutes to get in. I am glad I did, however, because taking the tour of the first floor took my breath away. I would have loved to write blog posts in his study and library. It is exactly how I pictured it in my mind with a second loft for more walls of books and a gorgeous desk.
One of our friends broke his foot as he slipped on one of the steps leading into the palace. It was a freak accident and we had to take him to a local hospital, which was another fascinating, cultural experience after seeing the palace. I think this small hospital receives many skiers in the winter with broken bones. He got an x-ray and cast within an hour and we were on our way to Brasov. While we were waiting, I found a trail to the Presov River which runs through the valley. The water quality did not look good and I suspect the wastewater treatment in the region is poor. The Romanians are typical Balkan people, who love life, and live for the moment, but are not very organized.
We finished up the day touring the famous Bran’s Castle, located about 25 kilometers outside of Brasov in the town of Bran. The owners market it as Dracula’s Castle and it is surrounded by markets selling vampire kitsch. It is fun, but author Bram Stoker never heard of the castle. It was a customs house, charging taxes on goods moving through a pass in the mountains between the fertile mountain plateau fields. They have done a great job in improving the castle museum. My family visited the castle in 2009 and there were none of the displays and renovations. They have a cool elevator that goes down an old well that leads to an underground shelter.
The castle is now a museum dedicated to the wife of King Ferdinand, Queen Marie. She was quite artistic and decorated it to be used as the family home. Excerpts from her diary were on display and she was thrilled about the romance of living in a castle. The people of Brasov gave it to the royal family. It would have been a very cool place to grow up. She made it cozy, although the winds whipping through the pass must have been tough to live with. We had fun pretending to be spooked by vampires and there was a video depicting all of the Dracula movies through the years. The idea of vampires and the bloodthirsty living dead is irresistible to humans. I saw a poster advertising a Halloween party to be held there. That would be fun!
We finished the evening with a 4-course meal in a private dining room on the grounds of the castle. The perfect way to end a Transylvanian day! The trout covered with butter and garlic was delicious and the duck breast looked and tasted with beef. We had a decent Romanian wine to go with dinner and had lots of laughs as we reflected on our day. I enjoy attending the CEESA fall directors’ meetings and retreats. It is a nice respite from the hectic pace of school leadership and a chance to connect with colleagues who understand the challenges we face.
Brasov is a gorgeous city and much improved since I last was here. There were lots of people in the parks and there was a food truck festival to attract even more hungry people. My friend Vesna is from Brasov and it is a great base to explore Transylvania. We stayed here for New Year’s in 2009-2010. The kids were much younger then as you can see below.
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