Romania is a Southeastern European country with plenty of history and culture. The country is renowned as a Dracula’s legend, but there are so many facts about Romania that are unknown to so many people. The country offers beautiful landscapes, natural architecture, and artistic treasures.
Romania is a country filled with many surprises, from delicious Romanian cuisines to unique places to explore. Here are 30 interesting and fun Romania facts you need to know.
Historical Facts of Romania
Romania’s name comes from the Latin Language.
This fact about Romania may be a surprise. Romania’s name has its origins in the Latin word “Romanus,” which represents “citizen of the Roman empire.” This can be traced back to the years 100 when the country was known as Dacia before the Romans conquered it.
The Romanian Language is 1700 years old.
One of the Romania facts you probably know already is that the Romanian language is the official language in Romania. Still, you may not know that it is the only Latin language spoken in Eastern Europe and is about 1700 years old.
The Romanian language is part of the Romance languages; other Romance languages are French, Italian, and Spanish. Although these languages are a little similar, Romanian is pretty different and more challenging to understand and learn.
The Memorial of Rebirth Monument.
Like most countries, Romania has experienced its own revolution, and the memorial of rebirth monument is a celebration of the struggles and the victims of the Romania Revolution of 1989 that overcame communism.
Romania had its first free election in 1990.
One of the historical facts about Romania you should know is that the country didn’t have a free multi-party election post World War II until 1990.
Facts About Romania- Demographics And The People
A gymnast from Romania is the first to get a Perfect 10 at the Olympics.
Nadia Comaneci, only age 15 at the time, was the first gymnast to obtain a perfect 10 score. This performance was in 1976 at the Summer Olympics in Montreal.
She also bagged two more gold medals and two more perfect 10s at the 1980 Olympic Games. This is one of the proudest facts of Romania.
There are other ethnic groups in Romania.
The Romanians are the largest group of people in Romania, and they are more than 83.4% of the population. The other groups of people you can find in this country are Hungarian, which is almost 6.1%; Romani, about 3.1%; Ukrainian, about 0.3%; German, 0.2% and others, which are 7.1%.
The Best-Preserved Delta in Europe is found in Romania.
Another fact on Romania is that the Danube Delta, which stretches over 1,500,000 acres, is the largest and best-preserved delta in Europe. It also houses hundreds of species of birds and fish species, especially two species of pelicans, herons, storks, cormorants, and terns.
If you love exploring nature, you will enjoy spending time in the Danube Delta.
Romanians are warm and kind people
If you plan on visiting Romania, this is one of the facts about Romania you would love. The Romanians feel honored and proud when they have foreign visitors in their country and will do anything to make visitors comfortable and welcome.
Cultural Facts About Romania
The Martisor is an important culture.
Martisor is one of the most important cultural facts of Romania. It is an important tradition included in the UNESCO Patrimony’s Cultural Heritage. Martisor is a name for ‘March.’ This object represents spring and resembles a little talisman tied with a red and white thread.
The Romanians believed that anyone that wore it would be strong and healthy in the coming year.
There is an ancient ritual dance by a secret society.
Calusul is one of the cultural Romania facts that may seem bizarre. This ritual dance put Romania on the UNESCO List of Immaterial Cultural heritage. The dance is ancient and represents both the galloping of a horse and dances with fairies.
A secret, men-only society owns this dance, and it is performed two or three weeks before Easter.
Facts About Romania For Tourists
Romania is home to a Merry Cemetery.
This is one of the shocking facts about Romania, as Merry and Cemetery shouldn’t be in the same sentence. The Merry Cemetery (Cimitirul Vesel) is located in Maramures County in a small village near the border with Ukraine.
This cemetery is nothing like other cemeteries you have seen and is a unique tourist attraction you must visit. The tombstones are beautifully designed, and there is a short funny poem about the life of the deceased written in Roman on them.
Romania has 7 Incredible UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Romania is home to so many unique sites, and UNESCO understands the importance and beauty of Romania, thereby recognizing seven sites in the country. These sites that you should visit when you have the chance are:
- Churches of Moldavia
- The Danube Delta
- The Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains
- The Historic Center of Sighisoara
- The Wooden Churches of Maramures
- The Monastery of Horezu
- The Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania
One of the largest outdoor museums is in Romania.
This is another interesting fact about Romania for tourists. The Astra Museum is located in Sibiu, a city in the heart of Transylvania, and was the European Capital of Culture in 2007. The museum comprises various outdoor exhibits with over 320 houses, watermills, windmills, and vast presses of wine, fruit, oil, stables, and barns.
Romania has fast Internet speed.
If you plan on remote working while in Romania, you don’t have to worry about the internet because the country has the 6th fastest internet in the world. Everyone knows how frustrating it can be not to be able to find a good internet connection, so this is great news for visitors.
The first Electrified Castle in Europe is in Romania.
The Pele Castle is a renowned tourist attraction that was built in 1888. It is located in Sinaia mountain resorts and has a power system that still functions today. There are many stunning castles in Romania, but make sure you include Pele’s in the places to visit.
One of the most beautiful bookshops is in Romania.
This is one of the most interesting facts about Romania, especially for book lovers. The Cărturești Carusel in Bucharest was opened in 2015 in a restored 19th-century building with a unique design concept.
It houses more than 10,000 books, 5,000 albums and DVDs, and a top-floor bistro. This is one of the best things to do in Bucharest.
The World’s Most Beautiful Road.
The Transfagarasan highway in Romania is an extraordinary piece of construction filled with tunnels, viaducts, and bridges. It is a stunning road where you can get a view of Romania while driving. You can hire a car to experience driving on the World’s most beautiful road. Unsurprisingly this is one of the most famous landmarks in Romania.
Interesting Facts About Romania
The world’s heaviest building is in Romania.
According to the Guinness World Records, the Palace of Parliament in Bucharest holds recognition as the heaviest building in the world. You will find 700,00 tons of steel and bronze, 3,500 tons of crystals, 900,000 square meters of wood, and 1,000,000 square feet of marble inside this building.
The Palace of Parliament is not only the heaviest building in the world but also the world’s second-largest administrative building, including 365,000 square meters and 1,100 rooms.
The Palace of Parliaments also holds more interesting Romania facts which you will learn on the guided tour. It is a must-visit on a trip to Romania.
Romania boasts lots of gold.
When it comes to gold resources, a fun fact about Romania is that it is the richest country in Europe in terms of gold. Also, Romania is the only country in Europe with a museum dedicated to gold.
More than 2,000 pieces of gold from all over the world are exhibited in this museum; the most valuable is pure gold, similar to the one found in the mountains of Romania.
Bucharest, the Capital of Romania, is known as Little Paris.
This is one of the well-known facts about Romania. Bucharest is known as “Little Paris” because, just like the real Paris, it has its own Arc de Triomphe, commonly called the Arch of Triumph. However, it is only 27 meters tall, while the one in Paris is 50 meters tall, which is why it is known as ‘Little Paris.’
Romania has one of the most beautiful waterfalls in the world.
The Bigar waterfall is designated as the world’s most beautiful waterfall by the World Geography. This is mainly due to the impressive water spreads and falls. It is located in the forests of the Anina Mountains.
This waterfall is one of the top tourist attractions in the country, especially among locals, and it is one site you want to include when exploring Romania.
The largest rock sculpture in Europe sits in Romania.
This is a fact about Romania you will love if you’re looking to explore Romania. The impressive rock sculpture of Decebalus, which is about 55 meters high, is a must-visit if you are in southwest Romania. It is located along the Danube near the city of Orșova, and the only way to reach it is by boat.
The second-largest underground glacier is hidden in Romania.
If you are in for some adventure, then the Scarisoara Glacier should be on your bucket list when you visit Romania. It is located beneath the Bihor Mountains. The glacier dates back almost 3,500 years ago and has a volume of 75,000 cubic meters.
The tallest wooden church in Europe is in Romania.
The church, known as Peri Monastery, is located in Maramures. It is 78 meters high with a 7-meter high crucifix making it the tallest wooden church in Europe.
Fun Facts About Romania
One of the narrowest streets in Europe can be found in Romania.
One of the fun facts about Romania is that it is home to Rope Street, which is the third narrowest street in Europe. The street is 80 meters long and about 111 to 135 centimeters in width. If you plan on visiting Romania add this street to the list of places you must see.
Street lights were first used in a Romanian City.
Timisoara, a city in Western Romania, was the first city in Europe and the second in the world to have streetlights in 1884. Presently the city is one of the most beautiful cities in Romania and one of the best tourist attractions.
Romania is full of brown bears.
Another fact about Romania you should know is that the country is full of many brown bears. Don’t be surprised to stumble upon a brown bear even in cities (although it is not a common encounter).
This can be linked to the fact that most of the towns and cities are built near the wilderness and mountains. The country also has the largest population of brown bears in Europe.
Romania is one of the largest wine producers in the world.
This fun Romania fact is for wine lovers, the country is ranked 13th in the world for wine production. The country is also the 10th when it comes to beer production.
This undoubtedly contributes to how the Romanians consume alcohol as they are the 5th highest consumer of alcohol in the world.
Romania is home to the biggest dark church.
One of the facts about Romania that may be surprising is that there is a Gothic church here, and it is the biggest. The Black Church of Brașov was partially destroyed by fire in 1689, and the walls darkened, giving the church its name.
There is a magnificent Buchoiz organ and the most extensive collection of oriental carpets in Europe inside.
There is a perfectly round village in Romania.
One of the facts about Romania that will interest you is that just like Germany, there is a perfectly round village in Romania. It is named Charlottenburg, and is located 40 km from Timisoara. It was constructed by a German settler in the late 18th century, following the model used in Northern German.
Discovering More Fun Romania Facts
Romania is home to the best-preserved delta in Europe and the largest outdoor museum. Apart from these, the country is filled with many fantastic places and stories that will captivate you. Hopefully, these interesting and fun facts about Romania have piked your interest to explore the amazing country.
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