Radio România Internațional

Tag: medieval

  • July 31, 2022

    July 31, 2022

    TAXATION On 1 August, some of the fiscal measures introduced
    recently by the coalition government made up of the National Liberal Party,
    Social Democratic Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in
    Romania take effect. On Monday the tobacco excise duty is to increase, as is
    the tax on gambling gains. Changes are also operated as regards salaries in the
    construction industry, agriculture and foodstuffs, where the ceiling for
    certain tax rebates will be lowered. Further changes to the Fiscal Code will
    take effect early next year. For example, in the hospitality industry VAT will
    be raised from 5 to 9%, while the VAT for non-alcoholic beer and for sugary
    drinks will be raised to 19%. Sales of houses bigger than 120 sq.m. or for prices
    of over EUR 120,000 will also carry increased VAT. According
    to government estimates, these changes will bring the state budget an
    additional EUR 243 million this year and some EUR 2.1 billion in 2023.



    FESTIVAL Medieval
    Sighişoara Festival in central Romania comes to a close today with a
    concert by the rock band Cargo and a spectacular fireworks show. Currently in
    its 28th year, the festival recreated the medieval feel with the
    help of the over 100 participating artists. Events included medieval music and
    dance performances, theatre plays, animation, and arts and crafts workshops. The
    festival was organized under the patronage of Her Majesty Margareta, custodian of the Crown of Romania. Sighişoara is the
    only inhabited medieval citadel in south-eastern Europe.


    MILITARY The world’s
    strongest air assault force, the US 101st Airborne Division, started
    its mission in Romania, following a decision in this respect taken at the
    recent NATO summit in Madrid. PM Nicolae Ciucă Saturday took part in the
    ceremony in which the US unit presented its colours at Mihail Kogălniceanu Airbase
    57 and welcomed the presence of this force, which contributes to strengthening
    NATO’s eastern flank. The Romanian official thanked the US troops deployed to
    Romania for their effort and contribution to the country’s security. Civilians,
    airport personnel and their families then watched an impressive demonstration
    showcasing the firepower of the Romanian and US armed forces. Created in 1942 to free Europe from the Nazi
    occupation, the US 101st Airborne Division has 2,400 troops
    deployed in Romania, 4,700 in Europe and nearly 20,000 around the world. In one
    night alone, it can mobilise a brigade of 4,000 troops and hundreds of military
    vehicles, equipment and weapon systems, an assault force able to overwhelm any opponent.


    CENSUS Sunday is the
    last day of the official population and housing census in Romania, after
    several extensions. According to the National Statistics Institute, over 90% of
    the process had been completed by early this week. The purpose of the census is to
    establish the number of people living on Romanian territory, as well as the
    living standards in each locality. Based on the data collected, the
    authorities will create public policies and earmark funding for each town or
    village. At EU level, the number of people
    living in Romania is a criterion in the distribution of EU funds. The census is
    compulsory for all Romanian citizens.


    COVID More than 4,000 new SARS-CoV-2 infections out of over 13,000
    tests, as well as 13 COVID-related deaths were reported on Sunday in Romania, the
    authorities announced. The number of COVID patients in hospitals is over 3,900,
    of whom more than 260 are in intensive care. The authorities estimate that next
    week Romania could see 10,000 new cases per day. Although spreading very
    quickly, this variant of the virus causes less severe forms of the disease.


    TENNIS
    The Romanian tennis player Ana Bogdan (108 WTA) plays today against Caroline
    Garcia of France (45 WTA), in the Warsaw WTA tournament finals. They only
    played against each other once before, at Wimbledon
    in 2017, when the French player won. On Saturday, Ana Bogdan, currently
    at her first WTA final in her career, defeated Kateryna Baindl of Ukraine (190
    WTA), 7-5, 7-5. (AMP)

  • July 29, 2022

    July 29, 2022

    VISIT The president of the R. of Moldova, Maia Sandu, is today on an
    official visit in Romania, at the invitation of her counterpart Klaus Iohannis.
    At the press conference following the official meeting, the Romanian president
    said the talks were solid and focused on many topics of bilateral interest,
    taking into account the long-lasting and sincere connections between the 2
    countries. He congratulated Maia Sandu on Moldova’s EU accession candidate
    status granted at the European Council meeting on June 23-24. This is a historic
    achievement, a landmark in the history of the country, Klaus Iohannis said, and
    added that Romania will continue to support Moldova through all the means available
    to it. Mr. Iohannis also pointed out that the 2 presidents agreed to take
    decisive steps in terms of inter-connecting the electricity networks of their
    countries, and discussed the potential of the Iaşi-Ungheni-Chişinău pipeline
    as a vital element of Moldova’s energy security. In
    turn, the
    president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said Bucharest stood by Chisinau over the
    years, and Romania’s voice ‘resounded strongly’ in Brussels in support of
    Moldova’s EU candidate status. Maia Sandu voiced her confidence that the
    Moldovan-Romanian partnership will contribute to overcoming the difficulties
    entailed by the war in Ukraine.


    ANTHEM Every year on July 29 Romania celebrates National Anthem Day.
    According to the defence ministry, ceremonies are held today in all military
    units across the country. In Bucharest, a religious service was held in front
    of the National Military Palace, while in Râmnicu Vâlcea local authorities
    organized events devoted to the song Awaken Thee, Romanian!, which was first
    performed officially in this town 174 years ago. National Anthem Day was
    proclaimed by Parliament in 1998. The song was written by Anton Pann, on lyrics
    by the poet Andrei Mureşanu. The message of the National Anthem has a strong
    impact, and calls for national unity, courage, dignity and responsibility,
    president Klaus Iohannis said in a news release. In turn, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
    the anthem, national colours and the coat of arms define the identity of the
    Romanian nation and signify the strong connection between the past, present and
    future.


    FESTIVAL Sighişoara,
    in central Romania, is hosting this weekend the 28th edition of the
    first medieval festival in Romania. The Sighişoara citadel will be the stage of
    theatre performances, music and dance shows, improvisation, arts and crafts
    demonstrations. While the previous edition was attended by some 11,000
    visitors, the organisers hope 16,000 people will take part this year. A
    spectacular fireworks show is planned for the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
    Sighisoara is the only inhabited medieval citadel in south-eastern Europe.


    FOOTBALL All the Romanian football teams taking part in the European
    Conference League qualifiers have moved into the 3rd preliminary
    round. On Thursday Universitatea Craiova defeated the Albanian side
    Vllaznia 3-0 on home turf, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. In the 3rd
    preliminary round, Craiova will play against the Ukrainian team Zaria Luhansk. In
    Bucharest, FCSB defeated Saburtalo (Georgia) 4-2, and is next to take on the
    Slovakian team Dunajská Streda. The Romanian Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe had
    the most difficult match on Thursday, against Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia, and
    lost 2-0, away from home, after having won 3-1 in the first leg. In the penalty
    shootouts, the Slovenians missed twice, and Sepsi moved forward in the
    competition. Their next opponent is Djurgården (Sweden). And on Wednesday, CFR Cluj drew 1-1 away from home
    against Inter Club d’Escaldes, of Andorra, after 3-0 at home, and are pitted
    next against Belarusian champions Shahtior Soligorsk. (AMP)

  • 500 years since the letter of Neacșu of Câmpulung

    500 years since the letter of Neacșu of Câmpulung

    In
    1894, Friedrich Stenner, an archivist with the Brașov City Archives, found a
    document written in Cyrillic alphabet by a Neacșu from the town of Câmpulung. It
    was a letter to the mayor of Braşov, Hans Benkner, in which Neacșu was warning
    of Ottoman military manoeuvres on the Danube and advised measures should be
    taken. The letter dates back to 1521 and is regarded as the first document in
    Romanian preserved to this day.


    Neacșu’s brief note
    has been researched extensively by historians and linguists. The former have
    focused on the players involved and the political context of the 16th
    Century, and the latter analysed the Romanian language of the time.


    Regional politics was
    dominated by the Ottoman Empire’s expansion into Central Europe. Since the
    mid-14th Century and until 1521, the Ottomans had conquered the
    Balkans and were heading for Hungary, which was to fall in 1526. Historian Radu
    Nedici, a professor of Medieval history with the University of Bucharest, was
    the first to provide an explanation for the document:


    Radu Nedici: Historians
    tried to come up with an explanation for the letter. The most reasonable of
    them seems to be the haste to convey information on an Ottoman military
    campaign. The standard at the time was to use Slavonic or Latin in the
    correspondence between Wallachia, Transylvania and the Kingdom of Hungary. Very
    likely the rush to send urgent intelligence regarding an Ottoman attack and a
    possible threat to Braşov prompted Neacșu to write this letter in Romanian.

    The
    strongest ties between the German towns in the Transylvanian Carpathians and
    the other Romanian provinces were economic. Câmpulung and Brașov, only 85 km
    from each other, had over two centuries old connections, and those who
    preserved that contact were mostly merchants. Neacșu was apparently part of Câmpulung’s
    trading elite, says Radu Nedici:




    Radu Nedici: Unfortunately we know little today about Neacșu of Câmpulung. He is
    never mentioned in documents prior to this letter. He seems to be a merchant
    from Câmpulung, involved in trading Oriental products that would transit
    Wallachia on their way to Central Europe, via Brașov. On the other side we have
    the magistrate from Braşov, the mayor of the town, mentioned in a lot more
    documents. Since Brașov was one of the main towns in Transylvania, his position
    was quite important.


    In 1521, Wallachia was
    ruled by prince Neagoe Basarab. In fact, the prince died around 3 months after
    the letter was written. The country was likely to fall under Ottoman influence,
    but Wallachian nobility were still hoping for support from Hungary. Therefore,
    Wallachian princes and characters like Neacșu would readily keep the Christians
    across the mountains up to date with the Ottomans’ moves.


    The letter was
    complete, written in brown ink, in good condition, with a seal on the back. We asked
    Radu Nedici about the Romanian language spoken in the 16th Century:


    Radu Nedici: To a 21st
    Century reader, the language is rather hard to understand, because a lot of
    Slavonic phrases are used. The beginning and ending, as well as the connectors
    for each paragraph, are taken as such from Slavonic, hence the difficulty of
    understanding the text. On the other hand, the language is quite comprehensible
    if we look exclusively at the part of the text in Romanian. So we have a
    language developing in a direction that we can recognise today.


    In a book published in
    1970, linguist Aurel Nicolescu counted 190 unique words in Neacşu’s letter. 178
    of them come from Latin, 11 are Slavonic and Hungarian, and only 1 comes from
    Turkish.


    Radu Nedici: The letter was written at a time
    when Romanian was just being introduced in the princely chancellery. This happened
    as the Romanian language was beginning to be used extensively, including in
    official contexts. This is a document written at a precisely known date, in
    1521, so in mid-16th Century we are beginning to see
    Romanian-language documents written in Romanian chancelleries. It was the time
    when the Romanian language was developing and becoming predominant.


    The
    letter of Neacșu of Câmpulung is the written testimony that Romanian was used
    in correspondence 500 years ago. In the five centuries that followed, various
    influences have enriched it and turned it into the language we speak today. (tr, A.M. Popescu)

  • August 1, 2021 UPDATE

    August 1, 2021 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu Saturday had talks over the telephone with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, concerning the incident involving the Mercer Street vessel in the Hormuz Strait area, in which a Romanian and a British national were killed on 29 July. The Romanian foreign ministry says it is in touch with both the company managing the ship, and with the local authorities in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and is prepared to provide consular assistance. Also on Saturday, Bogdan Aurescu exchanged views on the matter with the UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab, and agreed on the need to clarify as soon as possible the circumstances of the incident. Dominic Raab voiced the willingness of the British authorities to coordinate with the Romanian party with respect to the repatriation procedures. A Romanian national and a British citizen from the crew of the oil tanker “Mercer Street were killed in an attack in unclear circumstances, as the vessel was sailing with no cargo onboard off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. The Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned ship is managed by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime, headed by an Israeli businessman.




    COVID-19 On Sunday 152 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported, out of nearly 22,000 tests. The authorities also announced no new COVID-related deaths, but reported 5 previous deaths, over 400 people hospitalised and 59 patients in ICUs. Meanwhile, new COVID-19 relaxation measures took effect in Romania on Sunday. In places with infection rates below 2 per thousand, outdoor events may be attended by up to 75,000 people, private indoor events by 400 participants, and sports competitions may be held with crowds up to 75% of the venue capacity. Participants must be vaccinated, tested or must have recovered from the disease. A maximum of 500 people may take part in rallies, with mandatory face covering, which remains a prerequisite in all indoor or busy areas. Also as of Sunday, the COVID-19 vaccine platform allows appointments for youth aged 12 to 17. Over 5 million people have received at least one dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine in Romania. 7,330 people have got the vaccine in the past 24 hours.




    FESTIVAL Cancelled last year due to the COVID pandemic, the Medieval Sighişoara Festival, the longest-lasting festival of its kind in Romania, bringing together artists, craftsmen and a large number of guests, came to a close on Sunday with a concert by the Romanian band Phoenix. The only medieval citadel still inhabited in southeastern Europe, Sighişoara saw over the weekend warriors, knights, ladies of the court and master craftsmen pouring in from all corners of the country and from abroad.




    MOUNTAIN RESCUE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis posted a message on Sunday, on National Mountain Rescue Day, praising the “dedication and self-sacrifice of mountain rescue workers. The Romanian Mountain Rescue Association, known as Salvamont, the only mountain rescue service in the country, celebrated on Sunday 117 years since the first mountain rescue structures were established in the country.




    WEATHER Romania remains in the grip of a severe heat wave, with 16 counties and the capital Bucharest subject to code orange alerts for extreme heat and severe thermal discomfort valid on Monday, and a similar, code yellow alert in another 8 counties. The heat index is over the critical 80-unit threshold. Highs will be ranging between 37 and 40-41 degrees Celsius.




    MOLDOVA A new, pro-European and pro-reform government may be sworn in within days in the Republic of Moldova, after president Maia Sandu nominated Natalia Gavriliţă, from Action and Solidarity Party (PAS), for prime minister. She announced she would make public a proposed cabinet list in the following days, and voiced hopes that the new government will be sworn in as soon as possible. PAS, which holds a majority of seats in Parliament following the election of June 11, and the small party ŞOR, said they would support the new cabinet, whereas the Socialists and Communists warned they would vote against. Natalia Gavriliţă is the vice-president of PAS, a party founded by incumbent president Maia Sandu 5 years ago. She was an education minister in Maia Sandus cabinet in 2019, held several positions in Moldovas economy and education ministries, and worked for several years in private multinational companies.




    OLYMPICS Romanias rowing team returned on Sunday to the country with 3 medals—a gold and 2 silver—from the Tokyo Olympics. Romania finished the rowing competition on 4th place in the ranking after New Zealand (3 gold, 2 silver), Australia (2 gold, 2 bronze) and the Netherlands (1 gold, 2 silver, 2 bronze). The 3 medals won by the Romanian team coached by the Antonio Colamonici (Italy) were brought home by Ancuţa Bondar and Simona Radiş—gold in women’s double sculls; Mihăiţă Ţigănescu, Mugurel Semciuc, Ştefan Berariu and Cosmin Pascari—silver in mens coxless four; and Marius Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă—silver in mens two-frame event. The overall medal count for the Romanian rowers in the Olympics is 20 gold, 12 silver and 9 bronze medals. So far in Tokyo Romania has won one other medal, silver for Ana-Maria Popescu in the epee event. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • August 1, 2021

    August 1, 2021

    DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu Saturday had talks over the telephone with his Israeli counterpart Yair Lapid, concerning the incident involving the Mercer Street vessel in the Hormuz Strait area, in which the Romanian national capital and a British national were killed. With respect to the July 29 incident, the Romanian foreign ministry says it is in touch with both the company managing the ship, and with the local authorities in Oman and the United Arab Emirates, and is prepared to provide consular assistance. Also on Saturday, Bogdan Aurescu exchanged views on the matter with the UK foreign secretary Dominic Raab, and agreed on the need to clarify as soon as possible the circumstances of the incident. Dominic Raab voiced the willingness of the British authorities to coordinate with the Romanian party with respect to the repatriation procedures. A Romanian national and a British citizen from the crew of the oil tanker “Mercer Street were killed in an attack in unclear circumstances, as the vessel was sailing with no cargo onboard off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. The Liberia-flagged, Japanese-owned ship is managed by the London-based company Zodiac Maritime, headed by an Israeli businessman.




    COVID-19 On Sunday 152 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported, out of nearly 22,000 tests. The authorities also announced no new COVID-related deaths, but reported 5 previous deaths, over 400 people hospitalised and 59 patients in ICUs. Meanwhile, new COVID-19 relaxation measures take effect in Romania today. In places with infection rates below 2 per thousand, outdoor events may be attended by up to 75,000 people, private indoor events by 400 participants, and sports competitions may be held with crowds up to 75% of the venue capacity. Participants must be vaccinated, tested or must have recovered from the disease. A maximum of 500 people may take part in rallies, with mandatory face covering, which remains a prerequisite in all indoor or busy areas. Also as of Sunday, the COVID-19 vaccine platform allows appointments for youth aged 12 to 17, with Modernas Spikevax. Over 5 million people have received at least one dose of anti-coronavirus vaccine in Romania.




    FESTIVAL Cancelled last year due to the COVID pandemic, the Medieval Sighişoara Festival, the longest-lasting festival of its kind in Romania, bringing together artists, craftsmen and a large number of guests, comes to a close today with a concert by the Romanian band Phoenix. The only medieval citadel still inhabited in southeastern Europe, Sighişoara has seen this weekend warriors, knights, ladies of the court and master craftsmen pouring in from all corners of the country and from abroad. The medieval play The Farce of Master Pathelin was premiered, stage directed by our colleague from RRIs Aromanian Service, Toma Enache, who is also the festival’s stage director. Entry was free of charge, face masks were mandatory and only vaccinated people or those presenting a negative PCR test for COVID-19 were allowed to attend the performances.




    MOUNTAIN RESCUE The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis sent a message today, on National Mountain Rescue Day, praising the “dedication and self-sacrifice of mountain rescue workers. The Romanian Mountain Rescue Association, known as Salvamont, the only mountain rescue service in the country, celebrates today 117 years since the first mountain rescue structures were established in the country. The association is celebrated every year on the 1st of August, the most difficult month of the year for mountain rescue workers, when the largest number of incidents are reported.




    WEATHER Romania remains in the grip of a severe heat wave, with most of the country and the capital Bucharest subject to code orange and code yellow alerts for extreme heat and thermal discomfort today. The heat index is over the critical 80-unit threshold. Highs are ranging between 31 and 40 degrees Celsius.




    OLYMPICS Romania has today qualified into the quarter-finals of the Olympic womens table tennis competition, after defeating Egypt 3-0, at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium. Romanias womens table tennis team takes part for the 3rd time in an Olympic competition, after ranking 7th in Beijing 2008 and 9th in Rio 2016. Romania’s first participation in the event was in Barcelona 1992, and the Romanian athletes have not missed any Olympic Games ever since. In the 2012 Olympics in London, Adrian Crişan played the quarter-finals, the best Olympic performance for Romania in this sport to date. (tr. A.M. Popescu)

  • A European Castles Fair

    A European Castles Fair

    The first thing that comes to mind when we are speaking of castles is a
    fairy tale atmosphere with beautiful ladies, armored knights and sumptuous
    buildings where life is good and happy. However, nowadays castles the world
    over have a life of their own and even a fair where they are being represented.
    Such is the European Castles Fair traditionally hosted by the Corvins Castle in
    Hunedoara, central Romania. This year, the castle hosted the 6th
    edition of the aforementioned fair, which this time brought together only 20
    exhibitors. Here is Sorin Tincu, director of the Corvins Castle in Hunedoara
    with more on this year’s edition of the event.




    Sorin Tincu: Outdoor stands
    have been set up for the first time since we started staging this event on a
    plateau in front of the castle in the so called Court of Hussars. We decided
    this year that we have only 20 stands, 20 invitees in total. We’ve had with us
    a nucleus of collaborators, so to say, those are very close to this fair. Most
    of them have been present in almost all the editions that we have staged so far.
    We’ve had representatives of the Bran Castle, the Brukenthal Palace, the
    Medieval Fortress of Rasnov, the fortress of Feldioara and Rupea, the Fortress
    of Sarmisegetuza, the Citadel of Deva, the Fortress of Malaiesti, the Fortified
    City in Targu Mures, the Alba Iulia Citadel, the Fortress of Arad and of
    Oradea. Of course we’ve had our own stand this year as well.




    But how have the citadels and fortresses from all over Romania introduced
    themselves at the fair. Here is Sorin Ţincu again at the microphone:




    Sorin Tincu: Every entity
    attending our fair has introduced itself as well as they possibly could. We’ve
    had fortresses and citadels whose volunteers and personnel have donned medieval
    costumes and they mounted various demonstrative events on this plateau. All the
    participants had promotional materials with them like leaflets, brochures and
    publications.




    And because during this fair the medieval castle atmosphere has always
    been brought back to life again, the Corvins Castle has again become venue for
    a series of enacting events aimed at presenting to visitors what life was like
    back in the Middle Ages. Here is again at the microphone the Corvins Castle director
    Sorin Ţincu




    Sorin Tincu: During these
    three days, besides the events staged by the exhibitors we, as organisers,
    mounted a series of shows involving the order of the Hunedoara Castle Knights
    and the Carpathian Castle Association. Concurrently visitors were able to see a
    series of demonstrative falconry events. We tried to preserve this medieval
    atmosphere and keep it pure, free of contamination with modern life. In the
    previous years we used to have better conditions and enjoyed a larger attendance.
    We were even able to stage concerts on this plateau. However, this year we
    opted for a smaller formula, as we didn’t want to expose either the
    participants or the visitors to any risk.




    Ladies in medieval attire, knights in shining armours, tournaments, falconry,
    and various workshops have completed the fairytale atmosphere of the castle.


    Soring Tincu has also told us what a normal day at the castle looks like




    Sorin Tincu: Visitors are
    usually welcomed in the courtyard where they have the opportunity of visiting a
    series of exhibitions with artefacts dating back to the Paleolithic period or the
    Roman civilization. We also have a special room entitled the Guilds Room,
    hosting an exhibition devoted to the guilds of Hunedoara and inside the castle
    we have exhibitions with medieval and ethnographic themes. Here one can also
    admire the Golden room, which was used as the royal bedroom and has been
    refurbished to reenact the atmosphere of that time. We also have two
    lapidariums, one Gothic and the other illustrating the period of Renaissance
    and there are many stories, you know, legends and observations related to
    various elements of architecture in the castle.




    The Corvins Castle is representative for medieval architecture being one
    of its kind in Romania and also one of Europe’s most attractive sites through
    its various construction styles present here as well as through its innovative
    military and civil engineering.


    (bill)

  • Atracţii turistice în judeţul Hunedoara

    Atracţii turistice în judeţul Hunedoara

    Ne îndreptăm azi
    către vestul României şi ajungem într-un judeţ cu o ofertă completă atunci când
    vine vorba despre turism: peisaje frumoase, istorie, munţi, vestigii istorice
    şi staţiuni montane. Odată ajunşi în judeţul Hunedoara, veţi dori să rămâneţi cât
    mai mult, fiindcă veţi avea foarte multe de vizitat. Iar orice vizită începe
    chiar din oraşul Hunedoara, de la celebrul Castel al Huniazilor, un important
    monument de artă feudală gotică din sud-estul Europei.


    Monica Cioran,
    din cadrul Centrului de Informare Turistică Hunedoara, ne explică de ce ar
    trebui să ajungem judeţul Hunedoara: Din punct de vedere
    turistic, judeţul Hunedoara oferă de toate. Aici se află cetăţile dacice,
    castre romane, importante castele şi cetăţi medievale, muzee, lăcaşe de cult,
    dar şi unul dintre cele mai importante parcuri naturale din ţara noastră. Cel
    mai important obiectiv din judeţ este Castelul Huniazilor, cu o istorie foarte
    bogată şi un aspect deosebit. Acesta atrage anual foarte mulţi turişti, atât
    români cât şi străini. Este un important monument de arhitectură gotică din
    România, considerat a fi unul dintre cele mai frumoase castele din lume, fiind
    situat în Top 10 destinaţii de basm din Europa. Aici se organizează anual
    Zilele Castelului, un festival medieval cu domniţe, cavaleri, vrăjitoare,
    dansuri medievale şi proiecţii de film.



    În lista
    obiectivelor turistice din judeţul Hunedoara, Castelul Huniazilor ocupă primul
    loc. Ridicat în secolul al XIV-lea, castelul reprezintă una din cele mai
    frumoase şi bine conservate construcţii de acest gen din epoca medievală.
    Acesta are 42 de încăperi, două terase, două poduri şi o suprafaţă construită
    de 7000 metri pătraţi. Accesul în castel se face pe un pod de lemn, susţinut pe
    patru piloni masivi de piatră. O imagine cu adevărat impresionantă, spune Ioan
    Bodochi, muzeograf al castelului: Este monumentul de
    arhitectură gotică, civilă şi militară cel mai bine conservat din centrul şi
    sud-estul Europei. Orice turist ar trebui să se aştepte la un monument
    impozant. Cei care au vizitat Castelul Bran ar trebui să-şi imagineze o cetate
    de o dimensiune dublă, cu o curte interioară spaţioasă, cu două săli magistrale
    de recepţie, cu Sala Cavalerilor, unde pot vizita o expoziţie de tehnică
    militară, Sala Dietei, cu amenajarea originală a sălilor în care se ţineau
    consiliile, alte expoziţii cu obiecte medievale. Dacă turiştii ajung în sezon
    sau în weekend există un ordin al cavalerilor locali care încearcă să reînvie
    atmosfera medievală.



    În luna mai a
    acestui an, Castelul Huniazilor a fost gazda evenimentului Târgul European al
    Castelelor. Pe lista invitaţilor s-au aflat Castelul Bran, Cetatea de Scaun a
    Sucevei, Cetatea Făgăraşului, Turnul cu Ceas din Sighişoara, Palatul de la
    Balchik din Bulgaria, Cetatea Postojnska
    din Slovenia sau Castelul Eger din Ungaria. La castel, spune Ioan Bodochi, au
    ajuns turişti din toate colţurile lumii. Toţi au plecat impresionaţi de ceea ce
    au văzut. Ajuns în
    curtea exterioară a castelului turistul va fi impresionat fără îndoială de
    galeria cu burdufuri. Aceasta este o galerie cu balconaşe care au decoruri
    gotice târzii, foarte frumoase, deasupra ferestrelor, remarcându-se îndeosebi
    blazoanele şi stemele familiilor care au avut în grijă castelul. Apoi,
    pătrunzând în Castel se poate vedea galeria neo-gotică, o construcţie relativ
    recentă, realizată în a doua jumătate a sec. al XIX-lea. De acolo, Loggia
    Matia, prima construcţie care comportă elemente ale stilului renascentist
    italian timpuriu de pe teritoriul Transilvaniei şi unde, din fericire, la
    nivelul superior, este conservată unica frescă laică renascentisă de pe
    teritoriul Transilvaniei.



    Tot în judeţul
    Hunedoara se află fortificaţia medievală considerată cea mai importantă din
    Transilvania. Cetatea Devei s-a aflat în restaurări trei ani, iar începând din
    primăvara acestui an s-a redeschis pentru turişti. Aceştia au la dispoziţie mai
    multe trasee ce pot fi parcurse la pas, durata unui tur complet al monumentului
    fiind de două ore. Anul trecut, când încă se afla în reabilitare, cetatea a
    primit peste 130.000 de turişti. Începând de anul acesta, autorităţile locale
    vor organiza şi diverse evenimente culturale şi eşte aşteptat ca numărul
    turiştilor să crească. Revine Monica Cioran, din cadrul Centrului
    de Informare Turistică Hunedoara: Un important obiectiv
    turistic din judeţ este şi Cetatea Devei, care a fost construită în secolul al
    XIII-lea, pe cel mai important deal care împrejmuieşte oraşul cu acelaşi
    nume. Acesta fiind un deal înalt,
    cetatea dispune de o telecabină. Este recomandat să urci cu telecabina şi să
    cobori pe jos, deoarece, în felul acesta, poţi descoperi frumuseţile locului.
    Ca vestigii istorice, în judeţ, avem Sarmizegetusa Regia, situată în Munţii
    Orăştiei. Împreună cu cetăţile dacice de la Costeşti, Blidaru, Piatra Roşie,
    Sarmizegetusa Regia este o urmă a unui fost centru meşteşgăresc, capitala
    politică şi religioasă a Daciei. Conform arheologilor, oraşul a fost construit
    în secolele III-II înainte de Hristos. Astăzi sunt păstrate doar nişte ruine,
    remarcându-se sanctuarul mare, rotund şi soarele de andezit. Tot în Hunedoara
    se află şi fosta capitală a provinciei romane Dacia, Ulpia Traiana
    Sarmizegetusa. Ruinele cetăţii oferă turiştilor imaginea unui oraş roamn, cu
    for, un Palat al Augustalilor, terme, amfiteatru.



    Iubitorii de natură vor avea
    parte şi ei de o ofertă bogată. Parcul Naţional Retezat este cea mai mare rezervaţie naturală din
    România, monument al naturii inclus pe lista rezervaţiilor naturale ale
    Biosferei de către UNESCO, din anul 1979. În 2004, a fost ales membru al PAN
    Parks, fundaţie europeană care îşi propune să promoveze parcurile naţionale din
    Europa ca destinaţii eco-turistice deosebite la nivel continental, fiind primul
    parc naţional din România care a fost certificat de această fundaţie. Monica
    Cioran, din cadrul Centrului de Informare Turistică Hunedoara: Cei
    care doresc să viziteze locuri cu peisaje deosebite pot alege Parcul Naţional
    Retezat. Acesta este unul dintre cele mai importante parcuri naţionale din
    România. Aici sunt 80 de lacuri glaciare, vârfuri de peste 2.500 de metri. Ca
    staţiuni montane, în judeţ avem Straja, Parâng, Râuşor, Pasul Vâlcan.



    Pentru ca oferta turistică în judeţul Hunedoara să
    fie completă, nu putem să nu amintim şi de staţiunile balneare Geoagiu Băi,
    Călan Băi, Vatra. Dintre acestea, cea mai cunoscută este Geoagiu Băi. Apele
    mezotermale minerale de aici se folosesc cu succes în cura internă şi în cura
    externă. De asemenea, împrejurimile staţiunii Geoagiu Băi oferă numeroase
    atracţii turistice amatorilor de drumeţie.

  • Recorduri la Festivalul Sighişoara Medievală

    Recorduri la Festivalul Sighişoara Medievală

    Cea de-a 23-a ediţie a Festivalului Sighişoara Medievală, centrul României, a fost una a recordurilor, trei mondiale şi unul naţional. Organizatorii au dorit ca în fiecare zi a evenimentului să stabiliească un record, care apoi să intre în celebra Guiness Book. Este vorba de drapelul Cavalerilor, cel mai mare steag confecţionat în timpul unui festival medieval, de peste 25 de metri, cea mai mare spadă ornamentală ridicată într-un festival medieval, Spada Titanilor, şi cel mai mare covrig rotund, cu un diametru de 20 de metri, realizat într-un festival medieval, Hrana Uriaşilor.



    Despre “Spada Titanilor”, fixată într-o stâncă din Cetatea Medievală a Sighişoarei, a vorbit chiar directorul tehnic al festivalului, Dan Gliga ”Spada în sine a fost realizată din oţel, avem o lungime de 453 de centimetri, lăţimea lamei este de 20 de centimetri, grosimea lamei este de 2 centimetri. Mai există şi blazoanele care vor fi montate, din tablă de cupru. Pe lângă asta, la nivelul mânerului sunt cele două capete de lup care ornamentază această spadă. Spada are o greutate de 135 de kilograme”.


    Potrivit acestuia, Spada Titanilor care va rămâne de acum în singura cetate medievală locuită din sud-estul Europei este parte a proiectului Sighişoara Medievală – Primul festival medieval din România înscris în cursa recordurilor mondiale.



    Duminică, în ultima zi a manifestării a fost doborât încă un record, cea mai mare mască populară – de aproape 6 metri înălţime şi peste 3 metri lăţime, masca Vraciului Vindecător. Ea a fost confecţionată de meşterul popular Vasile Ciocârlan, din judeţul Neamţ. Marea paradă la care au luat parte peste 300 de cavaleri, domniţe şi trubaduri din România, Bulgaria şi Ungaria a deschis Festivalul, desfăşurat în 2015 sub genericul “Menestreli şi Trubaduri – Cinci secole de muzică şi teatru medieval”.



    Pe parcursul a patru zile, pe străzile şi în pieţele din Sighişoara au avut loc concerte, reprezentaţii de teatru şi animaţii medievale, susţinute de 12 formaţii de muzică din România şi Ungaria, 7 ordine cavalereşti şi 11 grupuri de teatru şi animaţie medievală. Pe lângă tragerile cu arcul, luptele cavalereşti, dansurile domniţelor şi muzica menestrelilor, un punct de atracţie al acestei ediţii au fost farsele medievale jucate de actori ale Trupei Schema. Una dintre cele mai aplaudate reprezentaţii a fost premiera spectacolului Farsa hârdăului( La farce de cuvier) după o traducerea realizată de către unul dintre actori, Mihai Crăciun. Anual, festivalul medieval de la Sighişoara atrage peste 20 de mii de vizitatori din ţară şi din străinătate.

  • 25.07.2015 (mise à jour)

    25.07.2015 (mise à jour)

    Coopération — Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, fait une visite de deux jours à Salzbourg, où il doit notamment rencontrer son homologue autrichien, Heinz Fischer. Les deux hommes doivent se pencher sur les rapports bilatéraux entre leurs pays ainsi que sur plusieurs dossiers sensibles de l’actualité européenne et internationale. En outre, le chef de l’Etat roumain et son épouse assisteront à l’ouverture du festival de Salzbourg.



    Sécurité — Le chef de la diplomatie de Bucarest, Bogdan Aurescu, et le secrétaire général de l’OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, ont eu un entretien téléphonique au sujet de l’annonce par la Fédération russe visant l’emplacement de bombardiers stratégiques dans la zone de la mer Noire, qu’elle contrôle. Les deux responsables ont également évoqué les autres mesures prises par Moscou pour développer des technologies militaires de pointe en réponse à la création du bouclier antimissile de l’OTAN. Ces démarches sont « totalement injustifiées » car la Russie n’est pas visée par ces installations, a précisé le ministre roumain des Affaires étrangères, parlant de la base militaire de Deveselu, ouverte dans le sud de la Roumanie et qui desservira le système de défense antimissile de l’Alliance.



    Communauté — Le premier ministre hongrois, Viktor Orban, sest trouvé samedi en Roumanie pour participer à un débat dans le cadre de la 26e Université d’été organisée à Tuşnad les bains, au centre du pays. L’immigration illégale menace la Hongrie et l’Europe toute entière, mettant en danger la sécurité des citoyens, car ce phénomène alimente le terrorisme et fait augmenter le chômage, a estimé Viktor Orban, lors de cette rencontre. L’université d’été annuelle organisée à Tuşnad les bains a accueilli en 2015 quelque 200 intervenants — représentants du gouvernement de Budapest, mais aussi experts, professeurs universitaires, hommes d’affaires, chercheurs et diplomates de Roumanie et de Hongrie. Ils ont débattu des sujets économiques, politiques et culturels d’intérêt commun pour les deux pays voisins.



    Diaspora — Le ministre roumain délégué aux relations avec la diaspora, Angel Tîlvăr, se trouve en Italie où il s’est entretenu, à Rome, avec des représentants de la municipalité et de la communauté roumaine de la capitale italienne au sujet de l’intégration et des difficultés de cette dernière. Dans le même temps, l’on a convenu que des hommes d’affaires italiens qui ont des activités en Roumanie soient impliqués dans des programmes de réinsertion professionnelle des ressortissants roumains qui souhaitent retourner dans leur pays d’origine. La communauté roumaine d’Italie compte plus d’un million de personnes. Bucarest veut se tenir informé au sujet de ses ressortissants vivant en Italie, pour pouvoir en appuyer leurs efforts d’intégration et veiller au respect de leurs droits en tant que citoyens européens. Notons que c’est la deuxième visite du ministre Angel Tîlvăr en Italie, après celle de février dernier, dans la région de Catane.



    Festival — Le plus grand drapeau chevaleresque au monde a été déployé vendredi en haut de la Tour de l’Horloge de Sighişoara, au centre du pays, à l’occasion d’un festival historique, accueilli par cette cité médiévale, la seule à être encore habitée en Europe du sud-est. Le drapeau représente seulemnt un des exploits que les organisateurs souhaitent inscrire au Livre Guiness des records, aux côtés de la réalisation de la plus grande épée du monde, du plus grand bretzel du monde, et aussi du plus grand masque traditionnel du monde Le 23e festival médiéval de Sighişoara a fait venir, jusqu’à dimanche, 12 groupes musicaux de Roumanie et de Hongrie, 11 troupes de théâtre et d’animation médiévale et 7 ordres chevaleresques de Roumanie et de Bulgarie. Des expositions d’arts plastiques, des lancements de livres, un concert d’orgue et des projections de films font partie du menu.



    Canoë-kayak — Les sportifs roumains ont remporté samedi trois médailles d’argent aux Championnats du monde de canoë-kayak pour les jeunes de moins de 23 ans, déroulés au Portugal. Ceux qui se sont vu attribuer ces titres sont l’équipage de kayak-4 500 mètres femmes, et les binômes de canoë biplace 1000 mètres hommes cadets et juniors.



    Canicule — Le temps reste caniculaire dans le sud, le sud-est et l’est de la Roumanie, le disconfort thermique devant être encore plus prononcé dans les régions de plaine. Dans louest, le nord et le centre du pays, ainsi qu’en montagne, les températures devraient reculer, une forte tendance orageuse devant se manifester dans ces régions avec le retour des pluies à verse et des phénomènes électriques. Les quantités d’eau pourraient dépasser, par endroits, les 25 à 30 l/m² et pourraient s’accompagner de grêle. Dans les autre régions, le ciel sera dégagé, avec parfois quelques nuages épars. Les maximales de l’air devraient s’encadrer entre 27 et 39 degrés.

  • 25.07.2015

    25.07.2015

    Coopération — Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, fait une visite de deux jours à Salzbourg, où il doit notamment rencontrer son homologue autrichien, Heinz Fischer. Les deux hommes doivent se pencher sur les rapports bilatéraux entre leurs pays ainsi que sur plusieurs dossiers sensibles de l’actualité européenne et internationale. En outre, le chef de l’Etat roumain et son épouse assisteront à l’ouverture du festival de Salzbourg.



    Sécurité — Le chef de la diplomatie de Bucarest, Bogdan Aurescu, et le secrétaire général de l’OTAN, Jens Stoltenberg, ont eu, vendredi, un entretien téléphonique au sujet de l’annonce par la Fédération russe visant l’emplacement de bombardiers stratégiques dans la zone de la mer Noire, qu’elle contrôle. Les deux responsables ont également évoqué les autres mesures prises par Moscou pour développer des technologies militaires de pointe en réponse à la création du bouclier antimissile de l’OTAN. Ces démarches sont « totalement injustifiées » car la Russie n’est pas visée par ces installations, a précisé le ministre roumain des Affaires étrangères, parlant de la base militaire de Deveselu, ouverte dans le sud de la Roumanie et qui desservira le système de défense antimissile de l’Alliance.



    Communauté — Le premier ministre hongrois, Viktor Orban, se trouve en Roumanie pour participer à un débat dans le cadre de la 26e Université d’été organisée à Tuşnad les bains, au centre du pays. L’immigration illégale menace la Hongrie et l’Europe toute entière, mettant en danger la sécurité des citoyens, car ce phénomène alimente le terrorisme et fait augmenter le chômage, a estimé Viktor Orban, lors de cette rencontre. L’université d’été annuelle organisée à Tuşnad les bains a accueilli en 2015 quelque 200 intervenants — représentants du gouvernement de Budapest, mais aussi experts, professeurs universitaires, hommes d’affaires, chercheurs et diplomates de Roumanie et de Hongrie. Ils ont débattu des sujets économiques, politiques et culturels d’intérêt commun pour les deux pays voisins. En marge de cette réunion, le chef du Cabinet hongrois a rencontré aussi le leader de l’Union démocratique des Magyars de Roumanie, Kelemen Hunor, pour évoquer la situation de l’importante communauté hongroise de Roumanie.



    Diaspora — Le ministre roumain délégué aux relations avec la diaspora, Angel Tîlvăr, se trouve en Italie où il s’est entretenu, à Rome, avec des représentants de la municipalité et de la communauté roumaine de la capitale italienne au sujet de l’intégration et des difficultés de cette dernière. Dans le même temps, l’on a convenu que des hommes d’affaires italiens qui ont des activités en Roumanie soient impliqués dans des programmes de réinsertion professionnelle des ressortissants roumains qui souhaitent retourner dans leur pays d’origine. La communauté roumaine d’Italie compte plus d’un million de personnes. Bucarest veut se tenir informé au sujet de ses ressortissants vivant en Italie, pour pouvoir en appuyer leurs efforts d’intégration et veiller au respect de leurs droits en tant que citoyens européens. Notons que c’est la deuxième visite du ministre Angel Tîlvăr en Italie, après celle de février dernier, dans la région de Catane.



    Festival — Le plus grand drapeau chevaleresque au monde a été déployé vendredi en haut de la Tour de l’Horloge de Sighişoara, au centre du pays, à l’occasion d’un festival historique, accueilli par cette cité médiévale, la seule à être encore habitée en Europe du sud-est. Le drapeau représente seulemnt un des exploits que les organisateurs souhaitent inscrire au Livre Guiness des records, aux côtés de la réalisation de la plus grande épée du monde, du plus grand bretzel du monde, et aussi du plus grand masque traditionnel du monde Le 23e festival médiéval de Sighişoara a fait venir, jusqu’à dimanche, 12 groupes musicaux de Roumanie et de Hongrie, 11 troupes de théâtre et d’animation médiévale et 7 ordres chevaleresques de Roumanie et de Bulgarie. Des expositions d’arts plastiques, des lancements de livres, un concert d’orgue et des projections de films font partie du menu.



    Football — La sélection nationale de football de la Roumanie est tête de série au tirage aux sorts pour les éliminatoires du Mondial 2018, qui sera accueilli par la Russie. Ce tirage aux sorts se déroule d’ailleurs à Saint-Pétersbourg, en présence du président russe Vladimir Poutine et de Joseph Blatter, le président démissionnaire de la Fifa, ébranlée par un énorme scandale de corruption. Selon la Fédération roumaine de football, la Roumanie se retrouve dans le premier échelon suite à sa 8e place décrochée en juillet au classement de la Fifa. Pour lEurope, 52 nations sont en lice. Elles seront réparties en 9 groupes (sept de six, deux de cinq), dont les neuf premiers arriveront dans l’étape finale. Les huit meilleurs deuxièmes saffronteront dans des barrages aller-retour pour quatre derniers billets, selon l’AFP.



    Canicule — Une alerte orange à la canicule a été instituée dans sept départements de l’ouest et de l’est de la Roumanie, où l’on attend des températures allant jusqu’à 39 degrés. Le reste du territoire, à l’exception des départements de l’arc carpatique, est en vigilance jaune. A compter de dimanche, 12 autres départements du dus et du sud-est de la Roumanie, de même que Bucarest, passeront à l’alerte orange. Le ciel sera plutôt dégagé, sauf en montagne où il y a des tendances orageuses. Les maximales de l’air iront de 29 à 38 degrés. 30 degrés à Bucarest, à midi.