Radio România Internațional

Tag: contest

The Bucharest Bookshops Center and its recent projects

Super stories from Bucharest is the title of an anthology that has been launched recently. It is the first book written by children and adolescents of Bucharest. It brings together stories that re-enliven the legends and the tales from the history of the city. The collection includes stories authored by the winners of the contest also dubbed Super stories from Bucharest. The contest was launched in early 2021.

With the support of Bucharest Municipality and ARCUB, Romania’s longest-lasting chain of bookshops, the Bucharest Bookshops Company, printed a few thousand copies of the anthology titled Super stories from Bucharest. The book is given out for free in all 40 bookshops as part of the Bucharest Bookshops Company. The initiators of Super stories from Bucharest are the Bucharest Bookshops Company jointly with Headsome Communication. The initiator and the coordinator of the project, Oana Boca Stănescu, is the president of Headsome Communication.

Oana Boca Stanescu:

This book was born as part of an event staged by the Bucharest Bookshops Company. As far as I’m concerned, I have been and still am inspired by the activities staged by the Bucharest Bookshops Company, an outlet that has been on the book market for more than 71 years now, I am impressed by their success, the Bucharest Bookshops Company has succeeded to stay close to all book lovers from around the capital city. In 2020, the Bucharest Bookshops Company was getting ready to celebrate 70 years since their foundation and, since we have been jointly carrying cultural projects for quite some time now, we were planning a rather ambitious schedule. However, the pandemic broke out and all the planned events were no longer possible, but still, we succeeded to carry some of the events through. One such event was an initiative to plant trees in Bucharest, as a sign of the fact that the Bucharest Bookshops Company has been close to the readers in the capital city for almost three generations and the company holds dear the future generation as well. The event I’m speaking about was staged in the Youth Park, there we organized that action of planting trees. And that’s how I got to hear stories about the Vale of Tears, about a submerged church, about the Cocioc Lake in the Youth Park, while me and other people younger than myself realized we didn’t know much about those places. And we realized that, perhaps, the younger generations are not very familiar with the stories and legends of Bucharest either. And that’s how we thought to initiate this project, by means of which we sought to re-enliven the legends and the stories of Bucharest. And, without the support and the enthusiasm of the Bucharest Bookshops Company, as the project running as Super stories from Bucharest is Bucharest Bookshops Brand, we would not have been able to carry it through, to materialize it. Fortunately, for quite a few years now we have been witnessing a revival of the literature for children, we’ve got quite a few living authors who write literature for children. I think it is the most marvelous thing that can happen on a book market, which is rather poor, as if you want to train new generations of readers, you need to draw them to reading in due time

Marieta Seba, the general manager of the Bucharest Bookshops Company, tells us how the project came into being.

This project, just as Oana Boca Stănescu said, was born as part of the tree-planting event we organized, jointly with the Bucharest Bookshops Company. In 2020 we had set for ourselves the task of celebrating the Bucharest Bookshops Company’s 70 anniversary in a rather festive way, staging a couple of events and being more public and communication-centered. Because of the pandemic, it was no longer possible for us to implement our ideas, so our collaborators came up with this idea, that of planting trees in the Youth Park. It was an event that also drew children, who turned up in large numbers. We saw children were brimming with joy as they were taking part in the event, so we thought of marking the Bucharest Bookshops Company’s 70th anniversary staging more than one event for that. So, we also thought of getting a booklet brought out. And we do hope for all that to be just the beginning of a project, to be run along many years from now and to develop into a wider-scope project, capable of getting as many schoolchildren as possible involved. In everything we have achieved so far it was about a lot of passion, a lot of heart we put into it, as that is also our slogan. Out of love for the book. For us, those with the Bucharest Bookshops Company, the financial aspect has never been a priority, every time we tried to do interesting and creative things, capable of representing us, even though there wasn’t enough funding for that.

Ioana-Alexandra Anastasiu, a pupil of Middle School number 280 in Bucharest, is one of the winners of the contest launched as Super Stories from Bucharest. Her story about the Capsa House has been included in the anthology that has recently been launched by the the Bucharest Bookshops Company with a similar title, Super Stories from Bucharest.

Ioana-Alexandra Anastasiu:

I registered, jointly with my Religion teacher, for an optional course themed Travelers through Bucharest. And during each class we were discussing the legends and the history of the buildings of Bucharest, so much so that, as soon as I’ve learned about this contest, Super Stories from Bucharest, I made my mind up to participate straight away, as I am passionate about the Romanian Language and History and I saw that as a fine opportunity for me to express my passions. I opted for writing about the Capsa House as it is one of Bucharest’s most elegant and most sumptuous buildings, it is a building that, in time, was visited by many personalities, especially at the time of La Belle Epoque. I have always admired this building and I really got my kicks out of being given the opportunity to write about it.

The project was successful and managed to arouse the interest of children and adolescents, so the organizers sought to strengthen the initiative and, in early 2022, they initiated the second edition of the story-writing contest.

(EN)

10 February 2022
May 22, 2021

COVID-19 The number of new Covid-19
cases in Romania on Saturday was 455, out of over 28,000 tests. In hospitals, the
number of coronavirus patients is under 3,700, 623 of them in intensive care. Also,
59 COVID-related deaths were reported for the past 24 hours. The vaccine
rollout continues, with several vaccination marathons scheduled this weekend in
various cities. Drive-thru centres are also operational in several parts of the
country. Since the end of December, over 7 million vaccine doses have been
administered in Romania, with more than 3 million people receiving the booster
dose as well.

PILGRIMAGE Tens of thousands are taking part today in the traditional Catholic Whitsun pilgrimage in Şumuleu Ciuc, in central Romania. The organisers have taken measures to ensure the event complies with the Covid-19 safety rules. Hundreds of volunteers have been mobilized to this end, alongside hundreds of gendarmes, police, firefighters, mountain rescue workers and ambulances. Last year, the pilgrimage on Mount Şumuleu, which brought together over 100,000 people from around the world every year, was cancelled over the pandemic. In 2019, on June 1, Pope Francis travelled to Şumuleu Ciuc, where he held a service devoted to Mary, the Mother of God. The Şumuleu Ciuc pilgrimage dates back more than 450 years.

MOLDOVA In the Republic of Moldova the campaign for next months snap elections has officially started. Political analysts say this would be a tough race between pro-European and pro-Russian parties. The pro-European Action and Solidarity Party, founded by the incumbent president of the country, Maia Sandu, promised a fair and clean campaign, to gain citizens trust. Their main opponent is the Socialists Party headed by the former president Igor Dodon, which forms a pro-Russian electoral bloc together with Vladimir Voronins Communists. Also running for seats in parliament is the party headed by the mayor of Bălţi town, Renato Usatyi, which aims to win over a chunk of the pro-Moscow electorate, and a party headed by Ilan Shor, the hideaway tycoon who lives in Israel after having been sentenced to 7 years in prison by a court of first instance, following the USD 1 billion bank fraud scandal.

PANDEMIC As of Monday Spain opens its borders to travelers from countries deemed safe, such as the UK, Austria, China, Israel and Japan, without healthcare restrictions, the Radio România corrspondent in Madrid reports. As of June 7 travellers who have completed a full vaccination scheme approved by the WHO or the European Medicines Agency will also be welcomed to the country. Austria has also revised entry conditions, with the new measures to be enforced as of the end of June. People travelling to Austria from countries for which travel alerts are not in place, Romania included, are exempt from self-isolation requirements. Entry into Austria is allowed for those who produce a vaccination certificate, a negative SARS-CoV-2 test or an anti-body test taken in the past 3 months. Tests are not required for children up to 10 years of age.

EUROVISION 26 countries are competing tonight for the 2021 Eurovision trophy. The worlds largest televised song competition is held this year in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. This is the years first major global performance, although held under strict COVID-19 containment measures. Only 3,500 people will be allowed in the venue, to watch artists from the entire Europe. The public must present negative COVID-19 tests and will wear face masks. Romania failed to qualify into this years Eurovision final. Over the years, Romanias best performances in this competition were two 3rd places (in 2005 and 2010) and a 4th place in 2006. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

22 May 2021
Broadcasting of RRI short wave programs is back on track

Dear friends, the short wave transmitter in Ţigăneşti, BD 300-1 near Bucharest is up and running. It has been out of order for several months and it’s now broadcasting RRI’s programs again. The transmitter has been repaired by RADIOCOM.

We are looking forward to receiving your feedback related to the quality of reception.

Thank you!

9 December 2019
Listeners’ Day 2019 on RRI

Dear RRI friends, Sunday, November 3, 2019 will be Listeners’ Day on RRI, a day of celebration for which you are kindly invited to send us your opinion about the role of international radio broadcasting now, 30 years after the fall of many communist regimes in Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and many states in the former Communist bloc got rid of Communism, such as the Democratic Republic of Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary. In Romania, the Communist regime was ousted on December 22, 1989.

Whereas until then international radio broadcasters in eastern countries would air propaganda against western states, and western stations would criticize the eastern states, after 1989, many of these broadcasters started promoting the countries from where they were transmitting.

International radio broadcasters have turned, in each of these states, into stations promoting their own countries and airing the views of the respective states on various issues. International broadcasters have also become a means of exporting democratic values.

In this year’s edition of Listeners’ Day on RRI, we ask you what is today, in your opinion, the role of an international broadcaster? What do you expect from an international broadcaster? Do you have any memories that you can share with us, regarding your international listening experience in general, and as listeners of RRI in particular?

We are looking forward to receiving your answers, which will be included in our shows on November 3rd! You can email them to us, at engl@rri.ro, post them on Facebook or send them as a comment to this article on RRI’s website at www.rri.ro. If you like, you can also send us pre-recorded answers via WhatsApp, at +40744312650, or you can send us your telephone number so we can call you from the studio and record your opinions. Thank you!

2 October 2019
Listeners’ Day 2019 on RRI

Dear RRI friends, Sunday, November 3, 2019 will be Listeners’ Day on RRI, a day of celebration for which you are kindly invited to send us your opinion about the role of international radio broadcasting now, 30 years after the fall of many communist regimes in Eastern Europe. The Berlin Wall fell in 1989 and many states in the former Communist bloc got rid of Communism, such as the Democratic Republic of Germany, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Bulgaria and Hungary. In Romania, the Communist regime was ousted on December 22, 1989.

Whereas until then international radio broadcasters in eastern countries would air propaganda against western states, and western stations would criticize the eastern states, after 1989, many of these broadcasters started promoting the countries from where they were transmitting.

International radio broadcasters have turned, in each of these states, into stations promoting their own countries and airing the views of the respective states on various issues. International broadcasters have also become a means of exporting democratic values.

In this year’s edition of Listeners’ Day on RRI, we ask you what is today, in your opinion, the role of an international broadcaster? What do you expect from an international broadcaster? Do you have any memories that you can share with us, regarding your international listening experience in general, and as listeners of RRI in particular?

We are looking forward to receiving your answers, which will be included in our shows on November 3rd! You can email them to us, at engl@rri.ro, post them on Facebook or send them as a comment to this article on RRI’s website at www.rri.ro. If you like, you can also send us pre-recorded answers via WhatsApp, at +40744312650, or you can send us your telephone number so we can call you from the studio and record your opinions. Thank you!

2 October 2019
Oldtimer und ihre Geschichten: Ford V8 ab 1935 auch in Rumänien hergestellt

Wir kennen sie vielmehr aus Filmen. Sie konnten ihr Brummen nicht laut werden lassen, spielten dennoch eine wichtige Rolle in den Stummfilmen Anfang des 20. Jahrhunderts. Sie können noch in verschiedenen privaten Sammlungen oder in manchen Museen bewundert werden. Doch die meisten von Ihnen wissen wahrscheinlich nicht, dass in Rumänien in der Zwischenkriegszeit Fahrzeuge der Marke Ford in Bukarest hergestellt wurden. Einige Modelle sollen derzeit wieder belebt werden. Vlad Capotescu war 10 Jahre lang der Vorsitzende der Filiale des Oldtimerclubs Retromobil“ im Landkreis Timiş (dt. Temesch) in Westrumänien. Er ist gleichzeitig auch Mitglied im Kulturausschuss des Vereins. Vlad Capotescu schilderte uns die Geschichte von Ford:

Henry Ford setzte buchstäblich die Welt in Bewegung, und zwar auf Rädern. Bis zur Herstellung des Ford Modells T im Jahr 1907 bewegte sich die Mehrheit der Bevölkerung höchstens 100 Km vom Geburtsort weg. Und das ein Leben lang. Mit der Herstellung des Ford Modells T begannen die Menschen, weiter zu reisen, sich viel mehr zu bewegen. Das Modell T war ein wichtiger Antrieb für die US-Wirtschaft. 1930 kam der Autohersteller dazu, 7500 Fahrzeuge am Tag zu fertigen. Im gleichen Jahr trat der Autohersteller auch auf den europäischen Markt ein. Ford überlegte, auch hier eine Fabrik zu eröffnen, nur hatten sie den Standort noch nicht festgelegt. 1934 wurde die Errichtung der Autofabrik genehmigt. Die Baupläne — und das Projekt insgesamt — waren sehr fortgeschritten für die damalige Zeit. Es sollte eine Halle mit einer Stahlbetonstruktur gebaut werden. Der rumänische Architekt Duiliu Marcu entwarf die Baupläne. Es wurde ein Grundstück in der Stra‎ße Calea Floreasca angekauft. Das Unternehmen trug den Namen Ford Româna SAR. 1935 wurde hier die Montage des Modells V8 1935 gestartet.“

Die V8-Motoren wurden bei der Fertigung der ersten rumänischen Geländewagen als Modell verwendet. Doch leider sieht die Lage nicht besonders rosig für die historischen Fahrzeuge in Rumänien aus. Dazu Vlad Capotescu:

Die Lage ist etwas traurig. Inferno und Ekstase. Nach 1990 ging die Hölle los — da herrschte ein rechtliches Durcheinander. Die meisten Fahrzeuge, die wir aus rumänischen Filmen kannten, wurden ausgeführt. Bis 2007, dem EU-Beitrittsjahr Rumäniens, gab es kein Gesetz, das die Oldtimer schützte. Mit dem EU-Beitritt wurden wir gezwungen, Ma‎ßnahmen diesbezüglich zu treffen. Daher wurde die Entscheidung getroffen, die historischen Fahrzeuge zu schützen, da sie Teil des UNESCO-Kulturerbes waren. Unser Verein, Retromobil, wurde Mitglied im Weltverein der Oldtimer-Clubs, der Fédération Internationale des Véhicules Anciens (FIVA). Die Sammler in Rumänien hatten die Möglichkeit, ihre Papiere zu aktualisieren. Sie erhielten Urkunden, die ihre Autos als historische Fahrzeuge anerkannten. Und nun erleben wir eine Phase der Ekstase — Oldtimer kehren nämlich ins Land zurück. Derzeit gibt es etwa 2500 als historische Fahrzeuge zugelassene Autos in Rumänien.“

Im Vergleich beispielsweise zu Slowenien steht Rumänien nicht besonders gut. Dort leben rund 2 Millionen Menschen und im Land gibt es mehr als 8000 Oldtimer. Also schneiden wir in Rumänien im Vergleich zu anderen Staaten nicht besonders gut ab, so Vlad Capotescu:

Damit ein Oldtimer als historisches Fahrzeug dokumentiert wird, muss es funktionsfähig sein. Und es muss das Original sein. Das hei‎ßt, es muss technisch und optisch entsprechen und im gleichen Zustand sein, als ob es gestern gefertigt worden wäre. Das ist ein europaweit gültiger Standard. Denn nicht jedes alte Auto ist ein historisches Fahrzeug. Die einzige Änderung, die erlaubt ist, ist die Blinklichtanlage, falls das Auto keine hatte. Ansonsten muss das Auto dem Original entsprechen.“

Vlad Capotescu erzählte uns, in Rumänien gäbe es 12 oder 13 Stück vom Ford Modell V8, doch keins davon sei in gutem Zustand. Eine gute Nachricht hatte er aber doch:

Drei, vier Fahrzeuge werden derzeit repariert. Wir hoffen, sie werden in den kommenden Jahren fahrbar sein. Ansonsten gibt es noch weitere 10 Ford-Autos, ebenfalls Modell V8 in Rumänien, die als historische Fahrzeuge anerkannt wurden und im guten Zustand sind. Diese wurden allerdings importiert, sie wurden nicht in Rumänien hergestellt. Von denen, die in Rumänien gefertigt wurden, fährt derzeit keines. Solche Fahrzeuge sind sehr aufwendig — ich als Finanzmensch kann Ihnen das bestätigen. Da muss man schon eine gro‎ße Leidenschaft dafür haben.“

Die Restaurierung eines Oldtimers ist zweimal teurer als der Kaufpreis, erklärte uns Vlad Capotescu. Und dennoch, die historischen Fahrzeuge in Rumänien bereiten sich für die Parade vor:

Im Juni 1930 wurde das erste internationale Automobilrennen im Banat ausgetragen. Das Rennen fand unter der Schirmherrschaft des Königlichen Hauses statt. Es beteiligten sich zwei rumänische Fürsten, Ghica und Nicolae. Am nächsten Tag fand ein Automobil-Eleganz-Wettbewerb statt. Sechs Fahrzeuge machten beim Rennen am ersten Tag mit, weitere sechs nahmen am Eleganz-Contest teil. Wir hoffen, dass an der diesjährigen Parade so viele historische Fahrzeuge wie möglich mitmachen werden. Wir haben Einladungen auch an unsere Kollegen in Ungarn und Serbien geschickt, so dass das gesamte Banat an der Parade in Temeswar mitmachen kann. Wir werden kein klassisches Rennen organisieren, sondern vielmehr verschiedene Proben für die Fahrer überlegen. Alte Fahrzeuge sind nicht leicht zu lenken, also werden die Fahrer ihre Geschicktheit beweisen können. Nächstes Jahr wollen wir aber ein richtiges Rennen organisieren. Wir unterhielten uns schon diesbezüglich mit den Kollegen in Ungarn und Serbien. Das Rennen soll nämlich im Banater-Dreieck ausgetragen werden.“

Ende Juni findet auch in Sinaia ein ähnlicher Event statt. Der zuständige Verein in Rumänien, Retromobil Club, organisiert nämlich Ende des Monats zum 9. Mal eine Oldtimer-Eleganz-Parade in Sinaia.

29 August 2019
May 17, 2019

WEATHER More than 3,000 fire fighters were deployed on Thursday and Friday to support the authorities and citizens in 22 villages and towns, pumping water out of the houses following the heavy rainfalls and flash floods of recent days. The most affected counties were Bistriţa Năsăud and Mures, in the centre, Gorj and Teleorman in the south, Hunedoara in the south-west and Maramureş in the north. Scores of people have been evacuated in Bistriţa-Năsăud County over the past few days, hundreds of households, company offices and public institution headquarters have been flooded, and hail damaged the farms. The National Meteorology Agency has extended the alert for unstable weather across the country until Sunday.

INFLATION The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, has presented today the institutions quarterly inflation report. The Central Bank updated its year-end inflation forecast to 4.2% and estimates an inflation rate of 3.3% for 2020. Inflation has reversed the downward trend reported in the last quarter of 2018, and prices went up in the first 3 months of this year more than the National Bank had expected, Mugur Isărescu said. He also warned that the demand for products and services is still in excess of what the domestic economy can produce, leading to a rise in imports and a trade imbalance. Inflation in Romania is in fact among the highest in the European Union, alongside the rate in Hungary. According to the central bank governor, in the coming 3 quarters inflation will remain above target, and is expected to go down later on to around 3.5%.

CEREMONY The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis decided to postpone the May 20 ceremony at Cotroceni Palace, when the year 2019 was scheduled to be declared the “Year of Gratitude honouring the victims of communism, 30 years after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. The Presidency announced on Friday that the head of state wants to remove any suspicions that the event may be used for electoral purposes. According to the same source, ever since taking over his office, the President has constantly worked to condemn the crimes and abuse committed by the communist repression system, and to pay tribute to the victims of totalitarianism.

ECOFIN The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici is chairing on Friday in Brussels the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), as part of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU. According to a news release from the Finance Ministry in Bucharest, the agenda of the meeting includes the Directive on the structure of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, the Directive on general arrangements for excise duties, the digital services tax, and a review of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions. Also on Friday, the Romanian Finance Minister attends the Economic and Financial Dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans and Turkey.

SWINE FEVER African swine fever is still present in Romania, in 84 villages in 16 counties, the National Veterinary and Food Safety Authority announced. Of the around 400 active outbreaks, 10 are in agricultural holdings. More than 365,000 pigs have been slaughtered so far because of this disease, which was first reported in 2017, in Satu Mare County. African swine fever does not affect humans, but has a major negative economic and social impact.

EUROVISION Ester Peony, representing Romania in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with a piece called On a Sunday, failed to qualify to Saturdays finals in Tel Aviv, where the second semi-final was held on Thursday night. Romanias best performances in this competition were 2 third places, won by Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem in Kiev in 2005, and by Paula Seling and Ovi in Oslo in 2010, and a 4th place won by Mihai Trăistariu, in Athens, 2006.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

17 May 2019
RRI Contest: “Radio Romania 90 and RadiRo- 2018”

The contest is dedicated to 90 years
of Romanian radio broadcasting and to this year’s edition of the International
Festival of Radio Orchestras, RadiRo, organized by the national public radio in
our country.

The first radio transmission in Romania
was broadcast on November 1, 1928. Nine decades marked by special moments have gone
by, moments that the national public radio celebrates together with you,
by organizing a new contest. The month
of November 2018 is, however, rich in
cultural events, one of them being the 4th International Festival of
Radio Orchestras between November 18 and 25, to which this contest is dedicated
as well.

The public radio service in Romania, the
Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, is the leader of the line industry,
with a cumulative daily reach of some 4.5 million listeners and a cumulative
market share of 30%. Radio Romania is made up of the channels Radio România
Actualităţi, Radio România Internaţional, Radio România Cultural, Radio România
Muzical, Antena Satelor, a network of over 10 regional stations, the Radio3net
online station, Radio Chişinău (based in the Republic of Moldova), but also of the
National Radio Drama Department, the RADOR News Agency and the Radio Choirs and
Orchestras.

Radio Romania organises every two
years, alternatively with the famous George Enescu International Festival,
its own International Festival of Radio Orchestras, RadiRo, which reaches its
fourth edition in 2018. Famous orchestras as well as prominent soloists and
conductors will step onto the stage of the festival, just as every year. The
main novelty of the 2018 edition is the series of jazz concerts.

You are invited to follow RRI
broadcasts, our website, www.rri.ro,
and our Facebook, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles, and to answer correctly, in
writing, a few questions, and you may be a winner. The closing date is November
30, 2018 mailing date, (namely 30 November, 24:00 hours Romanian time, for online
contributions, respectively).

The prizes and honorary mentions consist
of items promoting Romanian culture, symphonic and jazz music, also promoting the
public radio service. The contest is organized jointly with the Casa Radio
Publishing House and the City Hall of Bucharest.

And here are
the questions:

– How many years ago was the first radio transmission broadcast in
Romania?

– Name three channels under the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation!

– What is the current edition of the International
Festival of Radio Orchestras?

– Who is the organizer of the RadiRo Festival?

Please tell us what prompted you to
participate in the contest and why you are listening to RRI’s broadcasts and
following RRI’s content online. Our address is: Radio Romania International,
60-64 G-ral Berthelot Street, Sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, code 010165, fax
00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail: engl@rri.ro.
Please send your answers by November 30, 2018, mailing date (30 November, 24:00
hours Romanian time, for online contributions). The rules and regulations of this
contest are available HERE and on RRI’s Facebook profile. Good luck!

1 October 2018
Alba Iulia, the other capital city of Romania

Today we continue the series of shows
devoted to our prize-winning competition Alba Iulia – The City of the Union.
We return to southwestern Transylvania to learn more about one of the European
cities with an established tourist and commercial brand. The other capital
city, alongside the message Welcome to Romania’s biggest citadel! are the
two slogans under which the city of Alba Iulia is being promoted.

Carmen Preja, with the Alba Iulia
National Information and Promotion Centre tells us more about the city:

First of all we are happy to
receive guests. We are glad to be the focus of attention for the whole country
and we are eager to offer tourists a lot of information and a wide range of
events. Once in Alba Iulia, visitors can find a lot of information on our
website tourism.apulum.ro The agenda of events is also posted there. Through
this website, we can keep in touch easier with both Romanian and foreign
tourists. We are welcoming you all to Alba Iulia, to discover the city’s
millennium-old history.

There are several
projects unfolding inside the citadel, says Carmen Preja:

One of
them is entitled Discover the cultural heritage of Alba Iulia. As part
of this project, all 64-tourist attractions in the city will be equipped with
Quick Response codes. Thus, tourists will be able to enjoy both tradition and
modernity. The codes can be scanned with the help of smart phones. Each code
sends tourists to the story of the object or site they are visiting. Old and
new music festivals and theatre and film festivals are also held inside the
citadel. There are also activities dedicated to both children and seniors.

The tourist
information center is located just across the Orthodox Cathedral in Alba Iulia.
Tourists who get there will receive all the information they need:

We
first show them the map of the citadel. People are usually amazed by how large
it is, as it covers 110 hectares. Its beauty has been emphasized due to some
projects funded by the European community. Then we present them the attractions
to be visited, their history and the events under way. We also assist them with
finding accommodation. We suggest them restaurants that suite their taste, we
help them purchase travel tickets and we offer them any other information they
might need. Our tourist materials are printed in German, English and Romanian.
English and German are international languages spoken by most of our tourists.
Moreover, one of my colleagues speaks Greek, and we also offer information in
Italian. So we can help all tourists, irrespective of their nationality.

Visitors are
impressed with the beauty of the citadel in Alba Iulia. The citadel is made up of seven bastions and has all
the fortification elements required by the military technique of the time. One
can enter the citadel through one of its six gates, most of them decorated with
statues and bas-reliefs. Out of the
generous accommodation offer, one can pick a hotel erected in 1972, which has
been fully refurbished.

Iulia Gus, the marketing manager of Transylvania hotel
in Alba Iulia, tells us more about it:

Visitors will have the opportunity to stay in a hotel embued with tradition,
but will also enjoy the comfort they want, especially if we speak about
tourists who demand certain quality standards. Foreign tourists will see with
their own eyes that Romania can keep up with international standards. We have
just received Top Hotel Award and we are happy that the city of the Union has a
hotel at international standards. We also have special offers. They depend on
the time of the visit and on the services required. We have tourist packages
with meals and trips included. This year we have also received families with
children. There are families that come here to spend the weekend together. We
have a special programme for them, helping them discover as much of the city as
possible, from its history to nature and culture. Many people ask us about
porcelain, so we suggest them several shops where they can find the souvenirs
they want.

Why do tourists
choose Alba Iulia? Iulia Gus explains:

First
of all, there are the festivals that take place here all summer long. Alba
Fest, three days of concerts and shows, has just ended. We have music and film
festivals all summer. There are many events dedicated to the young people.
Also, Alba Iulia and its surroundings offer many opportunities for spending
time in the middle of nature. Then there is the Mures River for boat ride,
rafting and canoe lovers. There is also the reserve in Cetea, the only place in
the world where canyoning, also known as waterfall rappelling, can be practiced. Only three kilometres
away from our hotel there is a deondrological park, an excellent place for
walks and cycling. We also have an adventure park and we’ll soon have an Aqua
Park, which is due to open on July 1st.

Tourists come to Alba Iulia from all
over the world, according to Carmen Preja from the Alba Iulia Tourist and
Promotion Center:

We have the pleasure of welcoming tourists from very exotic places,
such as Peru, Chile, New Zealand and Japan. Most tourists who come from Europe
are from the western countries. We are glad to see that when they get here they
are amazed by what they see. In a way, visitors from the west European
countries find here some roots that they have lost along the years. I remember
a couple from the US, who came with the intention of spending two weeks in Romania.
But they had already spent two months in Romania. They came to the information
centre in Alba Iulia and we talked for two hours. They just couldn’t get enough
of Romania and they couldn’t decide to leave. So, all of you are most welcome
to Alba Iulia, not only in an anniversary year, but whenever you want. Come and
discover a new destination and its warm people, always happy to see you share
their stories with you.

We remind you that you can
send your answers to the contest questions by June 30, 2018, mailing date (by
June 30, at 24.00 Romania’s time for the online participants).

14 June 2018
Holidays in Bistrita-Nasaud

Dear friends, we invite you to
participate in a new prize-winning contest here on RRI, entitled Holidays in
Bistrita-Nasaud. The contest is devoted to Bistrita-Nasaud county in northern
Romania, which has a rich tourist potential and boasts numerous cultural,
historical and natural points of interest.

Between 106-271 AD, most of today’s
county of Bistrita – Nasaud was part of the Roman province of Dacia. Proof of
that stand the Romanian castra in Orheiu Bistritei, Ilisua and Livezile. The
town of Bistrita, the current capital town of the county, was first documented
in 1264. In 1409, Sigismund of Luxembourg granted the locals the right to erect
defense walls around the town, and documents of 1440 speak for the first time
of a settlement called Nasaud. Besides a rich history and breathtaking
landscapes, the county has many other tourist attractions.

Among them the
Silversmith’s House and the Coopers’ Tower, both in Bistrita, the ruins of the
Rodna fortress, the ruins of the Roman Castrum Orheiu Bistritei, Bistrita
Valley and Gorges, the Arboretum in Arcalia, the Evangelical Church, the
Synagogue, the Bistrita-Nasaud County Museum, the Compared Art Museum in
Sangeorz Bai, the memorial houses of poets Andrei Muresanu and George Cosbuc
and of the prose-writer Liviu Rebreanu, the ‘Izvorul Tausoarelor’ Cave (the
deepest cave in Romania), the ‘Grota Zanelor’ Cave (Fairies’ Cave), many nature
and botanical reserves (including daffodil meadows and muddy volcanoes). Also,
we should not forget about the famous Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The bust of the
Irish writer can be seen right in front of the ‘Dracula Castle’ Hotel, in
Piatra Fantanele, Tihuta Pass, where the winners of our contest will spend two
nights.

We invite you to follow RRI’s broadcasts,
the website www.rri.ro and our Facebook,
Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles and give correct answers, in writing, to
the contest questions. The contest will end on July 15th 2016,
mailing date.

Two Grand Prizes will be offered to two
RRI listeners, consisting of an 8-day (7-night) trip, full-board, between the
15th and the 30th of September, 2016, to the town of
Bistrita, to Piatra Fantanele (‘Castel Dracula’ Hotel) and Colibita, on the
shore of the artificial storage lake with the same name.

The sponsors of this contest are the
‘Castel Dracula’ Hotel in Piatra Fantanele, the ‘Coroana de Aur’ (Golden Crown)
Hotel in Bistrita and Fishermen’s Resort in Colibita. Also, the contest enjoys
the support of the Bistrita-Nasaud County Council, the Bistrita Town Hall, the
Nasaud Orthodox Archpriestship, the Bistrita branch of the Union of Fine
Artists in Romania, the Bistrita – Nasaud County Centre for Culture, the
Compared Art Museum in Sangeorz Bai and the ‘Concert Society’ Cultural
Foundation in Bistrita.

As usual, the winners will have to
provide for their own international transport to and from Romania, and get a
visa, if applicable.

And now, here are the questions:

-Which is the capital city of Bistrita
– Nasaud county?

-What is the name of the storage lake
on the shores of which the guesthouse that will host the winners of the contest
is located?

-The name of whose famous novel and
film character is linked to the name of Bistrita – Nasaud?

Please tell us what prompted you to
participate in the contest and why you are listening to RRI’s broadcasts and
following RRI’s content online.

Our address is: Radio Romania
International, 60-64 G-ral Berthelot Street, District 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111,
zip code 010165, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail: engl@rri.ro.
Please send your answers by July 15th 2016, mailing date. The
winners of the Grand Prize will be announced soon after that date.

Good luck!

1 April 2016
A contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici

We invite you to participate in a new prize-winning contest here on RRI, entitled “A contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici”. This contest is devoted to the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi and to one of his most outstanding disciples, Constantin Antonovici (1911-2002), who had a brilliant career in Europe and the US. Of all the artists who worked with Brancusi, Constantin Antonovici was the only one who had a letter of recommendation signed by the great sculptor. Antonovici graduated from the Fine Arts Institute in Iasi (1939) then studied for 3 years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, to further his studies for another 2 years in Tyrol. He went to Paris in 1947 where he met Brancusi together with whom he worked for 4 years.

In 1953 he started working in a studio located at the ground floor of the New York-based cathedral St. John the Divine. Constantin Antonovici participated in numerous exhibitions and won sculpture competitions in Canada, Austria, France, Italy, Romania and the US. Some of his most notable public works include the marble cover on the crypt of bishop William T. Manning, a 2-meter stone cross on the western façade of St. John the Divine Cathedral and the bust of the former president Dwight Eisenhower at the White House. The central motif of Constantin Antonovici‘s work was the owl, which he represented in various ways.

We invite you to follow RRI’s broadcasts, our site www.rri.ro and our Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles and give correct answers, in writing, to the contest questions. The contest will end on January 15th 2016, posting date.The Grand Prize will be a 7-day full board trip, between April 15th and 30th 2016, for 2 RRI listeners, to Gorj County, the birthplace of Constantin Brancusi.

The winners will visit the home where the artist was born and several other attractions in the area, starting with the “Avenue of Heroes” monumental ensemble in Targu Jiu, which pays tribute to the heroes of WWI and was designed and built by Constantin Brancusi. The four sculptures, the Table of Silence, the Chairs Alley, the Gate of the Kiss and the Endless Column are all located on the same axis oriented from west to east, measuring 1,275 meters. Other sites included in the trip are the Saints Peter and Paul Church that was inaugurated on November 7, 1937 on the same date with the Gate of the Kiss.

The contest is organized jointly with the Constantin Brancusi Research, Documentation and Promotion Centre in Targu Jiu and other local partners. As usual you will have to provide for your own transportation to and from Romania and your visa for Romania, if necessary. For the other listeners we also have prizes and honorable mentions consisting in various objects offered by the Constantin Brancusi Centre.

And now the questions:

– Which is the central motif of Constantin Antonovici’s work?

– Of all the artists who worked with Brancusi, what makes Constantin Antonovici unique?

– For how long and where did sculptor Constantin Antonovici work his with maestro?

– What famous works by Brancusi can one find in the monumental ensemble “The Avenue of Heroes” in Targu Jiu?

Please tell us what prompted you to participate in the contest and why you are listening to RRI’s broadcasts and following RRI’s content online. Our address is: Radio Romania International, 60-64 G-ral Berthelot street, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, zip code 010165, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail: engl@rri.ro. Please send your answers by January 15th 2016, posting date. The winner of the Grand Prize will be announced soon after that date. Good luck!

15 October 2015
A contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici

We invite you to participate in a new prize-winning contest here on RRI, entitled “A contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici. This contest is devoted to the famous Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi and to one of his most outstanding disciples, Constantin Antonovici (1911-2002), who had a brilliant career in Europe and the US.

Of all the artists who worked with Brancusi, Constantin Antonovici was the only one who had a letter of recommendation signed by the great sculptor. Antonovici graduated from the Fine Arts Institute in Iasi (1939) then studied for 3 years at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, to further his studies for another 2 years in Tyrol. He went to Paris in 1947 where he met Brancusi together with whom he worked for 4 years.

In 1953 he started working in a studio located at the ground floor of the New York-based cathedral St. John the Divine. Constantin Antonovici participated in numerous exhibitions and won sculpture competitions in Canada, Austria, France, Italy, Romania and the US. Some of his most notable public works include the marble cover on the crypt of bishop William T. Manning, a 2-meter stone cross on the western façade of St. John the Divine Cathedral and the bust of the former president Dwight Eisenhower at the White House. The central motif of Constantin Antonovici‘s work was the owl, which he represented in various ways.

We invite you to follow RRIs broadcasts, our site www.rri.ro and our Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles and give correct answers, in writing, to the contest questions. The contest will end on January 15th 2016, posting date.

The Grand Prize will be a 7-day full board trip, between April 15th and 30th 2016, for 2 RRI listeners, to Gorj County, the birthplace of Constantin Brancusi.The winners will visit the home where the artist was born and several other attractions in the area, starting with the “Avenue of Heroes monumental ensemble in Targu Jiu, which pays tribute to the heroes of WWI and was designed and built by Constantin Brancusi. The four sculptures, the Table of Silence, the Chairs Alley, the Gate of the Kiss and the Endless Column are all located on the same axis oriented from west to east, measuring 1,275 meters. Other sites included in the trip are the Saints Peter and Paul Church that was inaugurated on November 7, 1937 on the same date with the Gate of the Kiss.

The contest is organized jointly with the Constantin Brancusi Research, Documentation and Promotion Centre in Targu Jiu and other local partners.As usual you will have to provide for your own transportation to and from Romania and your visa for Romania, if necessary. For the other listeners we also have prizes and honorable mentions consisting in various objects offered by the Constantin Brancusi Centre.

And now the questions:

– Which is the central motif of Constantin Antonovicis work?

– Of all the artists who worked with Brancusi, what makes Constantin Antonovici unique?

– For how long and where did sculptor Constantin Antonovici work his with maestro?

– What famous works by Brancusi can one find in the monumental ensemble “The Avenue of Heroes in Targu Jiu?

Please tell us what prompted you to participate in the contest and why you are listening to RRIs broadcasts and following RRIs content online.

Our address is: Radio Romania International, 60-64 G-ral Berthelot street, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, zip code 010165, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail: engl@rri.ro. Please send your answers by January 15th 2016, posting date. The winner of the Grand Prize will be announced soon after that date. Good luck!

15 October 2015
Winners of the “Holiday on the Black Sea” Contest

Dear RRI listeners, we have invited you to take part in the contest that ended on 30 April, 2015, mailing date, called ‘“Holiday on the Black Sea”. Focusing on the southern part of the Romanian Black Sea coast, the competition introduced you to some of Romania’s most attractive destinations for foreign visitors, with emphasis on the town of Mangalia, the ancient Callatis, and the resorts of Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Neptun, Olimp and Cap Aurora.

The contest was received enthusiastically by our listeners, and we got 234 correct and complete answers. We would like to thank you all and encourage you to keep writing for our next contests.

The Grand Prizes are two trips for two, eight days and seven nights, double room full accommodation, one between 12 and 19 June and a second between 6 and 13 September 2015, both at Hotel Delta in Jupiter, Constanta County. As usual, you provide for air travel and the possible visa expenses to and from Romania.

The contest was sponsored by Hotel Delta — SC Delta Aurora SA and was organized with Mangalia City Hall, the Constanta Museum of Art, the Callatis Archeology Museum of Mangalia, the Archbishopric of Tomis, UAP Constanta, the Romanian Navy Museum of Constanta, the Mufti of the Muslim Faith in Romania, the Romanian Naval Forces, and other local partners.

The answers were available in our broadcasts, but also on our profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Google + and LinkedIn.

The contest ended on 30 April, mailing date. Before announcing the winners, let’s take another look at the questions:

What is the ancient name of Mangalia? Correct answer: Callatis

What is the name of the unique cave located close to Mangalia? Correct answer: Movile Cave

What are the names of the resorts in the southern part of the Romanian Black Sea coast? Correct answer: Mangalia, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Neptun, Oplimp, Cap Aurora.

Name five tourist attractions in Mangalia and the surrounding area. The correct answers could be picked from among the following: Esmahan Sultan Mosque, the Callatis Archeology Museum of Mangalia (housing the only papyrus in Romania), the Monument of Heroes, the Navy Museum, the Mangalia Horse Tracks, the Hagieni Nature Reserve, the tourist port, the Movile Cave (a scientific wonder because of its ecosystem, which is completely isolated from the exterior environment; not open to visitors), the Comorova Forest, the Documaci Hillock, the Byzantine building, the Mangalia Lake, the Callatis citadel and the Limanu Cave.

And now here is the list with our winners:

Our 50 honorable mentions went to:

Idriss Bou Oudina and El-Ihsani Bouchaib, both from Marocco, Li Hua, Wang Li, Long Dingzhong, Chu Changrong, Zhang Xiaohua and Xian Honglin, all 6 from China, Zhai Yizhuang, of the US, who wrote to the Chinese Service, Antonio Múñoz, of Argentina, Claudio Gerlach, of Brazil, Carmen Fuentes, of Cuba, Salvador Paxi, Spain, Miguel Ángel Bartos, of Chile, Antonella Zappalà, Giorgio Borsier, Stefano Citterio and our co-national Natalia Călinescu, all 4 of Italy, Natalia Popenko and Natalia Zabolotna, both of Ukraine, Viktoria Hovard, Bulgaria, who wrote to the Ukrainian Service, Adervall Lima Gomez, Brazil, alongside Mofizur Rahman, Bangladesh, Inger Holmberg, Sweden, Sabiha Mubeen, Oman, Brian Kendall, UK, Henk Poortvliet, the Netherlands, John and Roberta Selesky, as well as John Rutledge, USA, Catherine Agboola, Nigeria, Hafizur Rahman (Rainbow Listeners Club) Bangladesh, Umesh Kumar Yadav, Priyanka Paul (Metali Listeners Club SB Sharma – SBS World Listener Club), Naved Raiyan (International DX Radio Listeners Club), all of India, Obaid Alamm; Shah Listeners Club; Jinnah DX Club, all of Pakistan, Surendra Kumar, India, Georg Pleschberger, Austria, Svetlana Shpakovskaya, of Belarus, Narendra Jangir, Chinmoy Mahato and Chitturi Venkataramana, India, Didarul Islam, Bangladesh, Michael Whing and Grant Skinner, both from UK, Shenaz Aziz, Pakistan, Constantin Criţchi of from the Republic of Modova (who wrote to the Russian Service), Eugeniusz Krzemienczucki, Polonia (who also wrote to the Russian Service), Alexei Gatsura, Belarus.

The 20 3rd prizes went to: our co-national Andreea Deea, of Romania, Raïf Chaaban, of Lebanon, who both wrote to the French Service, Ali Alaoui, of Tunis, Abdel Kader Hasan, of Egypt, Liu Fajian and Zhi Yanjiao, both from China, Julio José Bravos, of Costa Rica, Juan Antonio Brea, Spain, Lucia Sandiano, Cristina Risso and Francesca Bernardino, all from Italy, Ihor Gurovoi, Ukraine, Jose Rivera, USA, Stu McLeod, New Zealand, Shivendu Paul, Abhera Jaswal, Radhakrishna Pillai, all 3 from India, Massoud Benaissa, Algeria, who wrote to the English section, Erik Oeffinger of Germany, Nikolai Veselkov of Russia.

The 20 2nd prizes went to: Angela Olaru, of the Republic of Moldova, Nouari Naghmouchi, of Algeria, who wrote to the French Service, Abdel-Karim Ahmad Ali Al-Mabrouk, of Libya, Gong Lei and Yu Baoguo, both of China, Pablo Ramírez, of Peru, Franco Rodríguez, Colombia, Agide Melloni, Giovanna Bertocco, Roberto Carrus and Antonella Monti, all 4 from Italy, Danny Flowers, USA, Mohammad Shamim and Najim Uddin, both of India, Ayeni Jeremiah Adedayo, Nigeria, who listens to our English broadcasts, Shahzad Shabbir and Nasir Aziz, both of Pakistan, Jehn Nooijen of the Netherlands, who wrote to the German Service, Vera Kuznetsova and Nikoai Matveev, both from Russia.

The 10 1st prizes were won by the following listeners, on air or on-line: Emilian Teodorescu, a Romanian residing in the Czech Republic, Amady Faye, Senegal, Ana-Maria Avram, of Romania, a Chinese language student, Hugo Longhi, Argentina, Bogdan Timkiv, Ukraine, Ashik Eqbal Tokon, Bangladesh, Mitul Kinsal, India, Mogire Machucki, Kenya, who listens to the English broadcast, Maxim Zabâtov, of Rusia, and Fritz Andorf, of Germany.

10 special prizes went to the following listeners, on-air or on-line: Gilbert Dupont, France, Ben Amer Laid, Algeria, Guo Yanxin, China, Antonio-Ángel Morilla, Spain, Anna Mahjar Barducci and Giovanni Sergi, both from Italia, our old friend Hans Verner Lollike of Denmark, Hamad Kiani, of Pakistan, Kamlesh Gautam of India, Victor Varzin of Russia.

We would like to extend our thanks to the questions, and to your messages telling us why you took part. And now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for: the winners of a trip for two, eight days, seven nights double room full accommodation at Hotel Delta in Jupiter, Constanta County are Jaroslaw Jedrzejckzak of Poland (between June 12 and 19), and Olexandr Getz of Ukraine (between September 6 and 13). Congratulations, we cannot wait to welcome you both to Romania!

The prizes will be mailed to you, and we would love it if you sent us a confirmation by letter, e-mail or fax. Also, please check the contents and let us know. Thank you once again for taking part in our Black Sea resort contest, and of course we’re looking forward to reading your answers for future contests right here, on RRI.

16 May 2015
Mother Ruta’s Spindle

Dear friends, you are invited once again to an RRI contest. This time, the contest is organized alongside our colleagues from Radio Romania Village Antenna, the public station aimed at Romanian villages. This may explain the unusual title of our contest, ‘Home with Mother Ruta’s Spindle’. It was inspired by the popular movie ‘Amelie’, which made famous the garden gnome, which traveled the world over, sending home selfies taken in exotic places around the globe.

A similar project, simple and ingenious, originated in Fagaras Country, in central Romania, in a village called Mandra, ‘Mother Ruta’s Spindle’. A genuine household tool, a spindle, used by a local woman, Mother Ruta, when she was alive, started traveling all around the world a few years ago, passed from person to person, from regular people to celebrities, who take pictures with the spindle wherever they may travel. Mother Ruta was a simple soul, who wanted her trusted spindle, which she’d used her entire life, to ‘see’ the world. We thought we would invite you to a contest that would bring you to the place where the spindle started its journey, the village of Mandra in the Fagaras region, continuing to another wonderful area in the vicinity, Marginimea Sibiului.

10 years ago, an old woman in the village of Mandra, in Brasov County, passed away after a lifetime spent spinning at her loom. Besides the beautiful fabrics she made for her children to pass down, she left them her spindle. This had a very particular meaning: the old woman could never afford to see the world outside Fagaras Country, and passed down to her children her unfulfilled wish to travel, in the form of her spindle.

Her granddaughter, actress Alina Zara, took it upon herself to fulfill her wish, and to have the spindle get passed from person to person, people of every age and calling, wherever they may go around the world. So far, the spindle has traveled one million kilometers. It has visited former Soviet gulags, it went to Australia, to Mount Athos, to Alba Iulia (the site where the union of Romanians was proclaimed in 1918); it even traveled in the case of the Stradivarius violin played by the famous Romanian violinist Alexandru Tomescu when he went to Beijing, it has even been to the poles of the Earth and at the Equator. It took with it everywhere a message of peace and solidarity around the most precious human values.

One condition for those who take it traveling is for them to make presentations about Romania and its village life, held at embassies or major cultural events. As a symbol of ancestral crafts and traditions, Mother Ruta’s spindle is a storyteller, more persuasive than any speech on the beauty of Romania.

You are invited to follow our broadcasts on RRI, the www.rri.ro website and our profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn, provide the correct answer for a few questions, and you can be a winner. The contest’s closing date is 15 July, mailing date.

The Grand Prizes will be two trips for two, 8 days and 7 nights with double room accommodation, full board, between 1-8 September, in the Fagaras (Sambata de Sus) area, Brasov County, and Marginimea Sibiului, in Sibiu County. One trip for two, double room, will be for RRI’s listeners, the second for the Village Antenna’s listeners. As usual, the winners provide their own transportation to and from Romania, and their own visas, if applicable.

The contest is sponsored by SC SCORILO TURISM SRL, and is organized in collaboration with local partners in Brasov and Sibiu counties.

Here are the questions:

1. Where did Mother Ruta’s spindle start its journey around the world?

2. How many kilometers has the spindle traveled?

3. What are the areas that will be visited by the winners of the Grand Prizes?

4. Name five places visited by the Romanian spindle?

For information you can use the project’s blog http://suveicachicd10.blogspot.ro/, and the project’s Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Suveica-Mamei-Ru%C5%A3a-%C3%AEn-jurul-lumii/360304274111765 even if it is only in Romanian.

Please let us know what made you take part in the contest and why you follow RRI broadcasts on shortwave or on-line.

Our address is: Radio Romania International, Str. General Berthelot nr. 60-64, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, cod 010165, fax 0040.21.319.05.62, e-mail engl@rri.ro. Your answers are expected by 15 July, mailing date. The winners of the Grand Prizes will be announced right after the contest closes, allowing them time to prepare for their trip to Romania. Good luck!

1 May 2015
Govora Spa, a healing oasis

Dear friends, we invite you to participate in a new prize-winning contest here on RRI entitled “Govora Spa, a healing oasis” which is devoted to one of the most famous spas of Valcea county, in the southern half of Romania. The spa, located 22 kms away from Ramnicu Valcea, the county seat of Valcea county, is well known for its salt waters rich in iodine and its sapropelic mud, recommended for treating various ailments. The Govora Spa is located in the sub-Carpathian area, being a hot spot with tourists both for its natural healing environment (the air and water) which are excellent cures for respiratory, rheumatic and digestive problems and for its numerous tourist attractions (nature, architecture, monasteries, pottery centers, etc.)

The exploitation of mineral water springs with therapeutic properties started in 1879, people being treated in wooden bathtubs, located within the precincts of the neighboring Govora Monastery. The first spa treatment building was erected in 1887, boasting almost 30 booths for warm baths. The spa was officially inaugurated with the opening to the public of the Hotel “Palace”, which was built in such a way that each of its rooms could get at least one hour of direct sun light. At the same time a treatment facility equipped with bathtubs made of cast iron was inaugurated. In time, with the development of the spa, other hotels and guesthouses emerged, and the spa became a township after 1950.

To find out the answers to all the contest questions, you are invited to follow RRI’s broadcasts, the website www.rri.ro, and our Facebook, Twitter and Google+ profiles. Provide in writing the correct answers to just a few questions and you can be a winner. The closing date is April 30 mailing date.

The Grand Prize is an 8-day, 7 night stay with full accommodation in a double room, with six days of spa treatment available. This includes two daily sessions between June 15 and 30, 2015 at Hotel “Palace”, housed in a historic building erected between 1911 and 1914 in Govora Spa, Valcea County. As usual, the winners will have to provide for their own international transport to and from Romania, and cover possible expenses related to obtaining a visa for Romania.

The contest is sponsored by Hotel “Palace” — SC Baile Govora SA, and is organized by Valcea County Council, Baile Govora-Govora Spa Town Hall, the Ramnic Archbishopric and the Valcea branch of the Union of Fine Artists.

Now the questions:

When was Hotel “Palace” built in Govora Spa? What is the Govora Spa resort best known for? What is the name of the city acting as seat for the county where the Govora Spa is located in? Name five tourist attractions in Valcea County.

Please add to your answers the reasons for which you compete, and why you follow RRI programs on air or online.

As usual, we are Radio Romania International, 60-64 G-ral Berthelot Street, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, code 010165, fax 0040.21.319.05.62, e-mail engl@rri.ro. Please provide your answers by 30 April, mailing date. The winners of the Grand Prize will be announced soon after that date, allowing them to prepare for their trip to Romania. Good luck!

5 January 2015