Radio România Internațional

Tag: winners

  • Winners of the competition “Holidays in Bistrita-Nasaud”

    Winners of the competition “Holidays in Bistrita-Nasaud”

    In April this year you were invited to take part in a new contest dedicated to one of the most beautiful areas of Romania. The grand prize was an eight-day trip, full accommodation, between September 15 and 30, 2016 for two RRI listeners, in Bistrita-Nasaud county. The winners were Liu Fajian and his wife Huang Lingping of Shenzhen, Guangzhou Province, China. They ended their trip to Romania on September 23. They reached Bucharest on September 16, leaving right away to Bistrita, with short stopovers and visits on the way. The two guests visited first the city of Bistrita, where they admired the Evangelical church, which offers a great view of the city with its belfry. They then visited the oldest Orthodox church there, and also the synagogue, which is now a cultural center. They also strolled through the park, admiring the fishpond, and then took a rest at an open-air restaurant in the center of town.



    While visiting Bistrita City Hall, the winners were told about the countys ties to China, about the cement factory in China where Romanian engineers worked before 1989, about the special relations with Hunan province, and the present stage of cooperation. At the same time, they talked about their relationship with Romania, which started, for them and several friends, with a 1959 movie called Waves of the Danube, directed by Liviu Ciulei. RRI was another thing that contributed to developing this relationship, as Liu Fajian told journalists in Bistrita, due to the Chinese language broadcasts which RRI started in October 1999. They were delighted by the opportunity to see personally the areas they heard about, on the radio.



    Here is Liu Fajian about the visit to Bistrita-Nasaud: “On the first evening, we were very warmly received at the Golden Crown Hotel in Bistrita. The following day, we went to City Hall, where we were welcomed by the Mayor Cretu, which was an honor. City Hall provided us with a guide, who told us about the history of the city. The guide showed us the Christian Orthodox Church, the Evangelical Church, and the synagogue; we visited an art gallery and memorial houses. The following day we went to the Comparative Art Museum in Sangeorz-Bai. We felt as if we had stepped into a palace of the arts. The art works there were made by over 800 artists, and most of the basic materials were farming tools from villages. We visited the ruins of an old fortification, Rodna. It used to be mostly wood. We felt it had something special back when it was still standing.”



    Placed at an altitude of 900 meters, Colibita is the gateway to Calimani Mountains. Starting in 1923, Cobilita worked as a spa until 1975. The stories told by people about getting their tuberculosis cured thanks to the air in the area were confirmed in a study financed by Bistrita-Nasaud County Council, meant to verify the special properties of the air. Most tourists come here for relaxation, and have the opportunity to go trekking, ride horses, or take rides in horse-drawn carriages and, in the winter, sleighs. The tourist offer is very rich, and Cobilita has something to offer even to adrenaline seekers. The adventure tourist offer is wide too, with kayaking, rafting, paragliding, climbing and hunting.



    Here is Liu Fajian, the winner of RRIs contest “Holidays in Bistrita-Nasaud”: “We stayed at Colibita Lake three days and two nights. The lake has wonderful scenery, the air was very good, very clean. It was also very quiet, very relaxing. We felt like we had taken a holiday at the seaside.”



    Bistrita-Nasaud boasts many areas where the scenery inspired legends. However, most tourists are going to the Bargau Mountains. They have scenery of a rare beauty, with excellent accommodation conditions, for everyone who wants to spend a vacation in the middle of nature. A famous place in these mountains is the Bargau Pass, linking Transylvania to Moldavia. The Castle Dracula Hotel is located here. Also here is Count Draculas crypt and the newly built Count Dracula tunnel.



    Liu Fajian: “In the third part of the trip we stayed at the Castle Dracula Hotel, and visited the underground crypt. When we got there, my wife got a bit scared during the show there, when a demon popped out of the tomb.”



    The winners of RRIs contest “Holidays in Bistrita-Nasaud” visited many more attractions in the area. Also here, at the border between Transylvania and Bukovina, at an altitude of 1,200 meters, they visited a beautiful Orthodox monastery.



    Liu Fajian: “We visited the monastery dedicated to the birth of the Virgin Mary. The monastery was built in 1928, and during WWII it served as an infirmary. Then we visited the paved Roman road near Piatra Fantanele. We hope this is a road to the future, showing the way to a special destiny for Romania.”


    Radio Romania International thanks all the listeners who are faithfully listening to our broadcasts, while preparing new contests offering as prizes trips to tourist areas in Romania.

  • Winners of the competition “Holidays in Bistrita-Nasaud”

    Winners of the competition “Holidays in Bistrita-Nasaud”

    Dear friends, we received 352 correct and complete entries. The grand prize consists in an 8-day (7 nights) stay, with full boarding in Bistrita Nasaud, in the period 15th to the 30th of September 2016 for two persons. They will stay in the town of Bistrita, at Piatra Fantanele, at Hotel Castel Dracula, and in Colibita, on the banks of the Colibita artificial lake. There are also a series of other prizes and distinctions offered by the competition’s partners. As usual, the winners of the trip to Romania will have to cover the cost of travel to Romania themselves, including visas, if necessary.




    The competition was sponsored by the Hotel Castel Dracula in Piatra Fantanele, Hotel Coroana de Aur in Bistrita and the Fisherman’s Resort in Colibita. We also enjoyed the support of the Bistrita Nasaud County Council, the Bistrita Town Hall, the Nasaud Orthodox Archpriestship, the Bistrita branch of the Romanian Fine Artists’ Union, the Bistrita Nasaud County Centre for Culture, the Museum of Compared Arts in Sangeorz Bai, the Societatea de Concerte Cultural Foundation in Bistrita and the Rasunetul newspaper in Bistrita.




    Information about Bistrita Nasaud was available on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn. As mentioned earlier, the competition came to an end on the 15th of July. Let’s now recap the questions and the correct answers:


    What is the capital city of Bistrita Nasaud county? / Correct answer: Bistrita


    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? / Correct answer: Colibita Lake.


    The name of whose famous novel and film character is linked to the name of Bistrita Nasaud?Correct answer: Dracula.




    And now, let’s see who the winners are. Let’s start with the special distinctions awarded to listeners of the English language broadcast: Keith Simmonds, from France; Roberta Selesky, Pruit Hall and Lee Ri, from the US; Henk Poortlivet and Maria and Robert Ackx from the Netherlands; C.O. Agboola from Nigeria; Satyaki Sarkar, Mitul Kansal, Henarani Sarkar, Muhammad Najim and S.B Sharma from India; Brian Kendall and Grant Skinner, from Britain; Amir Jameel and Javed Iqbal, from Pakistan; Thein Soe from Malaysia; and Bezazel Ferhat from Algeria.





    The third prize goes to our listener in Poland, Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak. T




    Moving on the second prize, the winner is our listener from Estonia, Arne Timm, who wrote us this: “I had the chance to visit Romania, including the Transylvania region, in the winter 1985 and enjoyed the nature and folklore of your country. Then I bought some music records I like to listen sometimes. From Romanian Radio I like to listen first of all to music, the programmes about history, national dishes and tourist destinations. Will be great to visit your wonderful country again in summer and see what changes have taken place.”




    The first prize went to our listener in Bangladesh, Palash Chowdhury. Here’s an excerpt from his competition entry: “Besides a rich history and breathtaking landscapes, the county has many other tourist attractions. It is wonderful. I would really like to come to visit the popular Bistrita-Nasaud in Romania for holidays in the future.”




    We also have a special prize going to two listeners of the English Section, namely Ashik Eqbal Tokon from Bangladesh and Muralidhar M from India.




    Before disclosing the name of the winner of a trip to Romania, we would like to thank everyone who took part in this competition. We were again overwhelmed by the interest you showed in finding out more about our country. And don’t forget that a new competition has already started, this time dedicated to the RadiRo International Festival of Radio Orchestras.




    And now, finally, our winner: Liu Fajian, from China! A 50-year-old company manager, he won an 8-day trip to Bistrita Nasaud county, in the period 15th to 30th of September 2016. Congratulations, Mr. Fajian, we hope you’ll enjoy your time here.




    All prizes and distinctions will be mailed by post in the coming months. We would like you to confirm their arrival and the content of the parcels by letter, email or fax.



  • Winners of the Contest “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici”

    Dear friends, Radio Romania International invited you to participate, until January 15th 2016, mailing date, in a new prize-winning contest entitled “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici. The contest was 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.



    Many of you participated in our contest and provided 210 correct and complete answers. Thank you for your interest and hope you will take part in RRIs future contests as well.



    The Grand Prize consists in a 7-day trip, for two RRI listeners, between April 15th and 30th 2016, to Gorj County, the birthplace of Constantin Brancusi. As usual you will have to provide for your own transportation to and from Romania and to cover the cost of your visa for Romania, if necessary.



    The contest was organized jointly with the “Constantin Brancusi Research, Documentation and Promotion Centre in Targu Jiu , with the support of several local partners: The Gorj County Council, the Targu Jiu Town Hall, The Gorj and Craiova branches of the Fine Artists Union, the Dolj County Council, the Craiova City Hall, the Gorj Centre for the Promotion of Traditional Culture, the “Marin Sorescu National Theatre in Craiova, the “Maria Tanase Folk Ensemble in Craiova and the Craiova Art Museum.



    The correct answers to the contests questions were presented in RRIs shows and were also available on the stations website and on its Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles.



    The contest ended on January 15th, 2016, mailing date. But before we announce the winners, lets go over the questions and answers once again:



    Question: Which is the central motif of Constantin Antonovicis work?


    Answer: The owl.



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


    Answer: Constantin Antonovici was the only one who had a letter of recommendation signed by the great sculptor.



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


    Answer : For 4 years, in Paris.



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


    Answer : “The Avenue of Heroes ensemble in Targu Jiu is made up of 4 sculptures: the Table of Silence, the Chairs Alley, the Gate of the Kiss and the Endless Column. The Saint Apostles Peter and Paul Church is also part of the ensemble.



    The winners are:



    Fifteen honourable mentions went to: Hamzaoui Mahmoud Hamzaoui of Egypt, Rachid Dahmaniof of Algeria, Guo Yanxin and Zhou Fei, both from China, Valeri Luhovski of Belarus, who wrote to the Ukrainian Service, Klaus Karusseit of Sweden, who wrote to the German Service, Vladimir Stadik and Aleksandr Abramov, both from Russia, José Luis Corcuera and Miguel Ramón Bauset, both from Spain, Henk Poortvliet of the Netherlands, Michael Whing from the UK, John Rutlege from the USA, Abdulkarim Ahmed Ali of Lybia, who wrote to the English Service, and Anthony Teyssieux of France.



    Ten third prizes went to: Salim Sabah Saray of Iraq, Jonathan of China, Olexandr Kozlenko of Ukraine, Werner Hoffmann from Germany, Nikolai Larin of Russia, Juan Franco Crespo of Spain, Nouari Naghmouchi of Algeria, who wrote to the English Service, Jonathan Murphy of Ireland, Bibi Z. Shah from Pakistan and Indias Deepita Chakrabarty, who also wrote to the English Service.



    The winners of the eight second prizes are: Italys Stefano Citterio, Abdel-Kader Hasan of Egypt, Wu Xuan of China, Russias Aleksei Veselkov, Henrique José Dantas Felinto of Brazil, who wrote to the Spanish Service, Paul Jamet of France, Bezazel Ferhat from Algeria, who wrote to the English Service, and Binarani Mondal of India.



    The fifteen first prizes will go to: Boudoukha Mohamed from Algeria, Shan Jinhai of China, Volodymyr Gudzenko of Russia, Friedrich Frede of Austria, Valeri Rubin of Canada,who wrote to the Russian Section, José Balbino Cruz Menjivar from Costa Rica, Amady Faye from Senegal, who wrote to the French Service, Mofizur Rahman of Bangladesh, Jayanta Chakrabarty, Mitul Kansal and Chaitali Sarkar, all three from India, Amir Jameel and Asghar Shah from Pakistan, Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak of Poland and Martin Rogan from the UK.



    Jayanta Chakrabarty of India, a listener to RRIs English Service and one of the 1st prize winners of this contest has written: “Romania happens to be one of the few countries in Europe where there is an abundance of creative minds. It is a unique country that has given birth to literary giants, great musicians and outstanding artists. So I was not surprised when RRI’s latest contest featured the world-renowned sculptor Constantin Brancusi and his most devoted and favoured disciple, Constantin Antonovici. The excitement and the beautiful experience to delve into the works of these outstanding Romanian souls prompted me to participate in the competition. I have been a listener to RRIs broadcasts since the early 1970s when it was popularly known as Radio Bucharest. In fact, I have grown alongside RRI from childhood to adulthood. I am grateful to RRI for helping me improve my English. (…) At the start of the 2016 I have high hopes that RRI will continue to update us on the various facets of Romanian life and its vibrant culture.



    Mitul Kansal of India, another listener to the RRI English, and equally a first prize winner has motivated his decision to take part in the contest by saying: “I am a great lover of the modern art created by Constantin Antonovici, who moved to the US in 1953. He possessed an artistic lucidity that allowed him to stylise and simplify in order to find essential forms, just as Brancusi did. (…) Antonovici exhibited in France, Italy, Romania and the US and many private collectors acquired his works. So the reason why am I participating in this contest is very simple: I am a regular listener to RRI and I am very much interested in Romanias culture, history, art, customs, traditions and way of life. I fully believe that RRI is bringing Romania closer to us through its programs, website and various contests.



    A faithful listener to RRIs English broadcast, Martin Rogan from the UK, has written: “I often take part in RRIs contests because I always learn something new by doing so, and the possibility of winning a prize, big or small, is always an attraction. I must say, as a confirmed technophobe, that I only consult websites when there is absolutely no alternative, so I would be lying if I were to say that I followed RRIs online content, or anyone elses for that matter. Much prefer the immediacy of short wave broadcasts especially when the content is interesting and reception is good. With RRI, both of these things apply and my interest in Romania is of long standing anyway. People often study French, Spanish or Italian in this country but fewer study Portuguese and ignorance of the Romanian language in the UK is truly shocking. RRI is a major means of addressing this problem and I hope it continues to do so for many years to come.



    Ten special prizes went to the following listeners: Ben Chohra Ali of Algeria, Lin Shan of China, Ihor Karivets of Ukraine, Ralf Urbanczyk of Germany, Vasili Guliaev of Russia, Enric Ballester Burcet of Spain, Gilles Gautier of France, Mohammad Shamim of India, Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh and Hans Verner Lollike of Denmark.



    Another faithful listener to RRIs English programmes, Hans Verner Lollike of Denmark has written: “Until mid 1970s Romania was just a spot on the Map of Europe and some extraordinary athletes competing in the Olympic Games. Later, as a board member of the Danish National Youth Council, I got the chance to participate in the NGO- parallel conference to UN Population Conference in Bucharest. I have a whole collection of memories of that time. (…) Thanks to a friend of mine, Radio Romania International, I was introduced to one of the most outstanding sculptors of modern time, Constantin Brancusi. I have been looking for his works all over. Sadly, in Denmark he is not present enough! But 10 years ago, when I had a day on my own in New York, and the Guggenheim Museum was closed, I had luck at the Metropolitan to see two of his works, and a couple of years later, in Paris, I saw his workshop. What is it by Brancusi, always fascinates. (…) A visit to his sculptural ensemble in Targu Jiu would be a lifetime experience.



    We thank all those who took part in the contest and motivated their participation. Its now time to announce the winners of a 7-day trip (a 6 night stay, full broad) to the Gorj County, between April 15th and 30th 2016.



    The Grand Prize winners are: Khalil Abdel-Kader and Goumidi Mohamed, both from Algeria!



    Congratulations to you all!!! All prizes and honourable mentions will be sent to you by post in the following months and you are kindly requested to confirm, by post, e-mail or fax, the receipt of the prize.



    Thank you again for taking part in RRIs contest on Constantin Brancusi and his disciple, Constantin Antonovici!

  • Winners of the Contest “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici”

    Winners of the Contest “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici”

    Dear friends, Radio Romania International invited you to participate, until January 15th 2016, mailing date, in a new prize-winning contest entitled “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Constantin Antonovici. The contest was 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.



    Many of you participated in our contest and provided 210 correct and complete answers. Thank you for your interest and hope you will take part in RRIs future contests as well.



    The Grand Prize consists in a 7-day trip, for two RRI listeners, between April 15th and 30th 2016, to Gorj County, the birthplace of Constantin Brancusi. As usual you will have to provide for your own transportation to and from Romania and to cover the cost of your visa for Romania, if necessary.



    The contest was organized jointly with the “Constantin Brancusi Research, Documentation and Promotion Centre in Targu Jiu , with the support of several local partners: The Gorj County Council, the Targu Jiu Town Hall, The Gorj and Craiova branches of the Fine Artists Union, the Dolj County Council, the Craiova City Hall, the Gorj Centre for the Promotion of Traditional Culture, the “Marin Sorescu National Theatre in Craiova, the “Maria Tanase Folk Ensemble in Craiova and the Craiova Art Museum.



    The correct answers to the contests questions were presented in RRIs shows and were also available on the stations website and on its Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and LinkedIn profiles.



    The contest ended on January 15th, 2016, mailing date. But before we announce the winners, lets go over the questions and answers once again:



    Question: Which is the central motif of Constantin Antonovicis work?


    Answer: The owl.



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


    Answer: Constantin Antonovici was the only one who had a letter of recommendation signed by the great sculptor.



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


    Answer : For 4 years, in Paris.



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


    Answer : “The Avenue of Heroes ensemble in Targu Jiu is made up of 4 sculptures: the Table of Silence, the Chairs Alley, the Gate of the Kiss and the Endless Column. The Saint Apostles Peter and Paul Church is also part of the ensemble.



    The winners are:



    Fifteen honourable mentions went to: Hamzaoui Mahmoud Hamzaoui of Egypt, Rachid Dahmaniof of Algeria, Guo Yanxin and Zhou Fei, both from China, Valeri Luhovski of Belarus, who wrote to the Ukrainian Service, Klaus Karusseit of Sweden, who wrote to the German Service, Vladimir Stadik and Aleksandr Abramov, both from Russia, José Luis Corcuera and Miguel Ramón Bauset, both from Spain, Henk Poortvliet of the Netherlands, Michael Whing from the UK, John Rutlege from the USA, Abdulkarim Ahmed Ali of Lybia, who wrote to the English Service, and Anthony Teyssieux of France.



    Ten third prizes went to: Salim Sabah Saray of Iraq, Jonathan of China, Olexandr Kozlenko of Ukraine, Werner Hoffmann from Germany, Nikolai Larin of Russia, Juan Franco Crespo of Spain, Nouari Naghmouchi of Algeria, who wrote to the English Service, Jonathan Murphy of Ireland, Bibi Z. Shah from Pakistan and Indias Deepita Chakrabarty, who also wrote to the English Service.



    The winners of the eight second prizes are: Italys Stefano Citterio, Abdel-Kader Hasan of Egypt, Wu Xuan of China, Russias Aleksei Veselkov, Henrique José Dantas Felinto of Brazil, who wrote to the Spanish Service, Paul Jamet of France, Bezazel Ferhat from Algeria, who wrote to the English Service, and Binarani Mondal of India.



    The fifteen first prizes will go to: Boudoukha Mohamed from Algeria, Shan Jinhai of China, Volodymyr Gudzenko of Russia, Friedrich Frede of Austria, Valeri Rubin of Canada,who wrote to the Russian Section, José Balbino Cruz Menjivar from Costa Rica, Amady Faye from Senegal, who wrote to the French Service, Mofizur Rahman of Bangladesh, Jayanta Chakrabarty, Mitul Kansal and Chaitali Sarkar, all three from India, Amir Jameel and Asghar Shah from Pakistan, Jaroslaw Jedrzejczak of Poland and Martin Rogan from the UK.



    Jayanta Chakrabarty of India, a listener to RRIs English Service and one of the 1st prize winners of this contest has written: “Romania happens to be one of the few countries in Europe where there is an abundance of creative minds. It is a unique country that has given birth to literary giants, great musicians and outstanding artists. So I was not surprised when RRI’s latest contest featured the world-renowned sculptor Constantin Brancusi and his most devoted and favoured disciple, Constantin Antonovici. The excitement and the beautiful experience to delve into the works of these outstanding Romanian souls prompted me to participate in the competition. I have been a listener to RRIs broadcasts since the early 1970s when it was popularly known as Radio Bucharest. In fact, I have grown alongside RRI from childhood to adulthood. I am grateful to RRI for helping me improve my English. (…) At the start of the 2016 I have high hopes that RRI will continue to update us on the various facets of Romanian life and its vibrant culture.



    Mitul Kansal of India, another listener to the RRI English, and equally a first prize winner has motivated his decision to take part in the contest by saying: “I am a great lover of the modern art created by Constantin Antonovici, who moved to the US in 1953. He possessed an artistic lucidity that allowed him to stylise and simplify in order to find essential forms, just as Brancusi did. (…) Antonovici exhibited in France, Italy, Romania and the US and many private collectors acquired his works. So the reason why am I participating in this contest is very simple: I am a regular listener to RRI and I am very much interested in Romanias culture, history, art, customs, traditions and way of life. I fully believe that RRI is bringing Romania closer to us through its programs, website and various contests.



    A faithful listener to RRIs English broadcast, Martin Rogan from the UK, has written: “I often take part in RRIs contests because I always learn something new by doing so, and the possibility of winning a prize, big or small, is always an attraction. I must say, as a confirmed technophobe, that I only consult websites when there is absolutely no alternative, so I would be lying if I were to say that I followed RRIs online content, or anyone elses for that matter. Much prefer the immediacy of short wave broadcasts especially when the content is interesting and reception is good. With RRI, both of these things apply and my interest in Romania is of long standing anyway. People often study French, Spanish or Italian in this country but fewer study Portuguese and ignorance of the Romanian language in the UK is truly shocking. RRI is a major means of addressing this problem and I hope it continues to do so for many years to come.



    Ten special prizes went to the following listeners: Ben Chohra Ali of Algeria, Lin Shan of China, Ihor Karivets of Ukraine, Ralf Urbanczyk of Germany, Vasili Guliaev of Russia, Enric Ballester Burcet of Spain, Gilles Gautier of France, Mohammad Shamim of India, Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh and Hans Verner Lollike of Denmark.



    Another faithful listener to RRIs English programmes, Hans Verner Lollike of Denmark has written: “Until mid 1970s Romania was just a spot on the Map of Europe and some extraordinary athletes competing in the Olympic Games. Later, as a board member of the Danish National Youth Council, I got the chance to participate in the NGO- parallel conference to UN Population Conference in Bucharest. I have a whole collection of memories of that time. (…) Thanks to a friend of mine, Radio Romania International, I was introduced to one of the most outstanding sculptors of modern time, Constantin Brancusi. I have been looking for his works all over. Sadly, in Denmark he is not present enough! But 10 years ago, when I had a day on my own in New York, and the Guggenheim Museum was closed, I had luck at the Metropolitan to see two of his works, and a couple of years later, in Paris, I saw his workshop. What is it by Brancusi, always fascinates. (…) A visit to his sculptural ensemble in Targu Jiu would be a lifetime experience.



    We thank all those who took part in the contest and motivated their participation. Its now time to announce the winners of a 7-day trip (a 6 night stay, full broad) to the Gorj County, between April 15th and 30th 2016.



    The Grand Prize winners are: Khalil Abdel-Kader and Goumidi Mohamed, both from Algeria!



    Congratulations to you all!!! All prizes and honourable mentions will be sent to you by post in the following months and you are kindly requested to confirm, by post, e-mail or fax, the receipt of the prize.



    Thank you again for taking part in RRIs contest on Constantin Brancusi and his disciple, Constantin Antonovici!

  • Winners of the “Holiday on the Black Sea” Contest

    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.


  • The Winners of RRI’s Contest “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Milita Petrascu”

    The Winners of RRI’s Contest “A Contemporary of Brancusi: Milita Petrascu”

    15 honourable mentions went to the following listeners or internet users: Abdelilah Izou, from Morocco, Abdelilah Boubchir, from Algeria, Zhi Yanjiao and Wang Li from China, Javier Hipólito Costa, Argentina, Christian Canoen, from France, Ramsurn Lohmus from Mauritius, a listener of the French Service, and the following listeners of the English Service: Debaki Biswas, S. B. Sharma and Deepa Chakrabarty from India, Brian Beker, from the USA, Jahangir Alam Manto from Bangladesh, Asghar Shah from Pakistan, Stephen Wara from Cameroon, and Jaroslaw Jedrzeczak from Poland.



    RRI offered 15 3rd prizes, as follows: Michael Lindner from Germania, Romanian-born Vasile Constantinescu from Canada, Alexandr Abramov from Russia, Olexandr Kozlenko from Ukraine, Abdelkarim Ahmad Ali Al-Mabrouk from Libya, Sami Ahmad Mosad from Egypt, Shan Jinhai and Yu Hongyan from China, Adrevall Lima Gomez from Brazil, Gilles Gautier from France, Sanusi Isah Dankaba and Ayeni Jeremiah Adedayo from Nigeria, who wrote to the English Service, Radhakrishna Pillai, India, Ferhat Bezazel from Algeria and Eddy Vansteelant from Belgium, who also listened to the English Service of RRI.



    The 10 2nd prizes went to the following: Volker Willschrey from Germany, Marco Di Leo from Italy, Alexandru Petrescu from Spain, Nikolai Matveev from Russia, Natalia Zabolotna from Ukraine, Boudoukha Mohamed, Algeria, Xue Fei from China, Enric Ballester Burcet, from Spain, Jacques Giraud from France, and Henk Poortvliet from the Netherlands.



    The 7 winners of the 1st prizes offered by RRI are: Ralf Urbanczyk from Germany, Miguel Ángel Calderón from Argentina, Mohamed El-Sayed Abdel-Rahim from Egypt, Chu Changrong from China, Jean-Michel Aubier from France, Adrian Micaleff from Malta, who wrote in to the English Service, and Matthew Loughlin from the UK.



    RRI also offered 5 special prizes, to the following listeners and internet users: Amady Faye from Senegal, Li Chunguo from China, Miguel Ramón Bauset from Spain, Adita Prithika from India, and Karel Koláček from the Czech Republic, who listened to RRI’s German Service.



    The Grand Prize will be a 7-day (6-night) full-board stay for one RRI listener, in the last half of this August 2014, in Gorj County, the home place of sculpture giant Brancusi. The winner is … Mr Jean-Marc Olry of France! He will have a chance to see Brancusi’s works in Targu Jiu, the artist’s home, as well as a variety of other cultural, tourist and historical attractions in the area.