Category: Contest

  • A Contemporary of Brancusi: Milita Petrascu

    A Contemporary of Brancusi: Milita Petrascu

    You have learned a lot about Constantin Brancusi, over the years, from our shows as well as from our web site and social media profiles. Milita Petrascu, a fine artist, sculptor and painter, and a member of the Romanian avant-garde movement of the interwar years (represented by groups like “Contimporanul,” “Grupul Nostru,” “Criterion”) was born in late 1892 in Chisinau, currently the capital of the Republic of Moldova. She worked in Munich under the guidance of avant-garde maestros Kandinsky and von Jawlensky, and then in Paris, with famous artists like Matisse and Bourdelle. There she met Constantin Brancusi, in whose Parisian workshop she worked starting in 1919. Brancusi was her guide to modern sculpture, and was a major influence on Milita Petrascu’s work. She died in 1976, in Bucharest.



    After the avant-garde stage, Milita Petrascu was known especially as an accomplished portraitist. She made the mosaic for a well-known fountain in Bucharest, “Miorita Fountain,” displayed her works together with the great Romanian avant-garde artist Marcel Iancu, but she owes her notable place in Romanian art history especially to her portraits and busts of Romanian celebrities: actresses Marioara Voiculescu and Elvira Godeanu, poets Octavian Goga, George Bacovia and Ion Barbu, her mentor Constantin Brancusi, prose writers Liviu Rebreanu and Mihail Sadoveanu, the great musician George Enescu, actor Constantin I. Nottara, and so on. In 1942 Milita Petrascu received the Romanian Academy Award and in 1972 the lifetime achievement Award of the Romanian Fine Arts Union.



    We invite you to listen to RRI’s shows, to follow our posts on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and on rri.ro, and to answer a few questions in writing, and you can win. The quiz is open until July 15, 2014, so this will be a shorter and denser competition than our usual ones.



    The Grand Prize will be a 7-day (6-night) full-board stay for one RRI listener, in the last half of August 2014, in Gorj County, the home place of sculpture giant Brancusi. The winner 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.



    The competition is organized jointly with the “Constantin Brancusi” Municipal Culture Centre in Targu Jiu and other local partners. And, to encourage as many of you as possible to take part in this quiz, the organizer will also cover the cost of your airplane ticket to Bucharest!



    As usual, the winner will have to complete the procedures and cover the costs of their Romanian visa, if necessary. For the other winners, our partners, the “Constantin Brancusi” Municipal Culture Centre in Targu Jiu in particular, have other interesting items to offer as prizes.



    And now, here are the questions:


    Where was Milita Petrascu born? When did Milita Petrascu start working in Brancusi’s workshop in Paris? What artistic movement in Romania did Milita Petrascu join in the 1920s? What famous works by Constantin Brancusi can be seen in Targu Jiu?



    Tell us what prompted you to take part in this competition and, more importantly, why you listen to RRI or follow our online programmes?



    Our coordinates are unchanged: Radio Romania International, 60-64 Gral Berthelot Street, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, postal code 010165, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, email engl@rri.ro. We are waiting for your answers until July 15, postage date. The Grand Prize winner will be announced shortly after the closing of the quiz. Good luck!

  • The Winners of the “George Enescu 2013 Festival” Contest on RRI

    The Winners of the “George Enescu 2013 Festival” Contest on RRI

    The 21st edition of the festival bearing the name of Romania’s greatest composer, unfolded between September 1st and 28th and offered 150 music, opera and ballet shows in Bucharest and other cultural centers across Romania. RRI’s contest has aroused the interest of many listeners and we have received 493 complete and correct answers. The prizes and honorable mentions consist of objects related to Enescu, to Romanian symphonic music and to general cultural topics. RRI’s contest was sponsored by Oltenia Energy Complex and supported by the “George Enescu” National Museum (including the Sections in Sinaia and Tescani), “Monitorul Oficial” (the Official Gazette), “Casa Radio” Publishers, the European Commission representative office in Romania, and the “Euro Foto Art” Association of Oradea.



    You could find the answers to the contest questions in RRI’s shows, on RRI’s website and on our Facebook and Twitter profiles. The contest came to an end on September 30th. Before announcing the winners we remind you the questions:



    When was George Enescu born? Correct answer: August 19th 1881. Which edition of the festival is being held in 2013? The correct answer: the 21st edition. Name three compositions by Enescu. You could have chosen from: the opera Oedipe, the 3 finished symphonies, the “Romanian Poem”, “The Romanian Rhapsody no. 1”, “The Romanian Rhapsody no. 2”, the 3 orchestral suites, numerous sonatas for piano, violin, and cello, the 3 suites for piano, several quartets for piano and strings, music for chamber orchestras, lieder and so on. Who is Ioan Hollander? Correct answer: the artistic director of the Festival. And it’s also worth mentioning that Ioan Holender was also the director of the Opera in Vienna.


    Now time to announce the winners. We have 30 honorable mentions some of which will go to the following listeners of the English Section: Paritosh Chattopadhyay, Reema Goyal, Muhammad Shamim S., all three from India, Martin Rogan and Grant Skinner, both from Great Britain, Martin Gallas of the USA, Obaid Chowdhry, from Pakistan, Takao Ono of Japonia, Sunil Dhungana from Nepal, Mozahidul Islam and Robina Aktar Golapy, both from Bangladesh, and Robert C. Ackx and Maria Ackx-Blom from the Netherlands.



    There are 20 3rd prizes for the listeners of RRI’s programs and also Internet users, 9 of which went to the following listeners of the English language programs: John Selesky and Tim Watson, both from the USA, Marek Pis from Poland, Shantish Nayel, Sreerekha Reddy and Venkata Rao, all 3 from India, James O’Brien of Great Britain, Catherine Agboola from Nigeria, Syed Ali Akbar from Pakistan.



    We also have 30 2nd prizes and the following English Section listeners were the lucky winners of some of them: Solomon Fessahazion from Eritrea, Bob Wood and Timothy Johnson both from the USA, Christer Brunstrom of Sweden, Koichi Saito from Japan, Richard Cooke, Mark Stevens and Alastair Pamphilon all 3 from Great Britain, Ian Morrison from China, Henk Poortvliet from the Netherlands, Nasir Aziz from Pakistan, Debaki Ranjan Biswas, Najimuddin and Muralidhar M., all 3 from India, and Allan Fenix of the Philippines.



    The 20 1st Prizes will go to the following listeners of the English language programs: Keith Simmonds, Brian Kendall and Howard Barnett, all 3 from Great Britain, Weldon Walles, Donald Davis, Alex Klauber and Dean Nonanno, all 4 from the USA.



    We also have 3 special prizes up for grabs, which will go to the following RRI listeners and Internet users: Thein Soe from Malaysia, Jayanta Chakrabarty from India, and Bezazel Ferhat, from Algeria who wrote to the French Section.



    Here is what Thein Soe wrote: “There is a famous anecdote about Enesco. One day in the 1920s, Enesco was touting one of his students to his friend the famous pianist Alfred Cortot. Enesco begged Cortot to come to the students recital to hear this student. Enesco (who was also an excellent pianist) said he would be accompanying. When the time for the recital came, Cortot indeed did attend, but the page turner didnt show up, so Enesco asked Cortot if he would turn pages. The person playing the piano should have been playing the violin. The person turning the pages should have been playing the piano. One presumes the person playing the violin could have turned pages’. I must confess that despite over 55 years of playing music and being a symphonic performer, I cannot name any other Romanian composer other than Enescu. Bartok wrote some music which was based of Romanian themes (notably the six Romanian Dances, often heard in its violin transcription), but he, of course was Hungarian. There are quite a number of Romanian performers, most famously Angela Gheorghiu nowadays, but also Pianist Radu Lupu, violinist Ion Voicu, but Enescu is the most famous Romanian composer”.



    Jayanta Chakrabarty from India wrote the following, we quote: “The main motivating factor that prompted me to take part in this special contest is to know about the specific reasons as to why George Enescu is considered one of the most influential composers of the 20th century and what is so special about this greatly talented Romanian. I am glad to state that this Contest has enabled me to unearth hitherto unknown facts about the greatness of this uniquely talented pioneer in Romanian classical musical history who effectively blended the traditional elements of Romanian music to the noble influences of international music. This noble Romanian soul contributed immensely to the harmony and well being of his countrymen by spreading his music throughout Europe. He financially supported young struggling musicians, made donations for musicians scholarships and instituted national music awards for deserving candidates. Enescu was also a benevolent and exceptional teacher who wanted to share his musical experience with fellow musicians. Some of his contemporary famed students are Yehudi Mehuhin, Dinu Lipatti, Arthur Grumiaux, Christian Ferras and Ida Haendel, among others.”



    The prizes will be sent by mail. Please confirm reception of the prize and its content by mail, fax or e-mail. Thank you once again for participating in RRI’s contest devoted to the “George Enescu 2013” Festival and we kindly invite you to participate in other contests RRI will organize in the future.

  • From the ‘Wine Route’ to the ‘Princes Route’

    From the ‘Wine Route’ to the ‘Princes Route’


    The contest is devoted to the Prahova Valley, in southern Romania, and draws on the tourist promotion programs “The Orchard Route”, “The Wine Route” and “The Princes’ Route” which are being run by the Prahova County Council.



    Prahova County is one of the richest and most developed of Romania’s counties. It is rich in hydrocarbons and non-metallic ores while its main natural resources are crude oil and natural gas, lignite, plaster, chalkstone, freestone and puddingstone, clay and mineral waters.



    In Prahova County, the “Wine Route” retraces an older segment of the wine road that crossed Europe and was used by the Romans. The “Wine Route” crosses famous vineyards in Prahova County and includes stopovers at mansions, princely courts and monasteries. The Dealu Mare Vineyard, also known as the land of red wines, is located in the Southern Carpathians curvature, being the most cohesive Romanian wine growing area where the soil and climate conditions resemble very much those in France’s Bordeaux region, as they are on the same latitude.



    “The Fruit Route” goes east, crossing several towns and villages, and is aimed at facilitating the development of the northern part of the Prahova County, famous as a fruit-producing area. This route links 18 towns and villages in Prahova County and includes 28 tourist spots. “The Princes’ Route” covers the most important areas where archeological discoveries have been made and where tourists can encounter architectural monuments of national interest.



    We invite you to tune in to RRI’s shows, visit our website www.rri.ro and RRI’s Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Flickr profiles to find the answers to our new contest. Please send correct answers, in writing, to the contest questions and you can be a winner. The contest will come to an end on March 15th 2014 mailing date.



    The Grand Prize will be a 9-day (8-night) trip for 2 with full board between September 1st and 9th, 2014 in Prahova County. The winners will have the chance to cover the tourist routes that inspired this contest and to visit the cultural, tourist and historical attractions of the area. The contest is sponsored by Hotel Cautis, from Azuga, and by SC Elena Cabana Vârful Ciucaş SRL. The contest partners are the Prahova County Council and the Prahova Country Center for the Preservation and Promotion of Traditional Culture.



    As usual, you will have to pay for your transportation to Romania and for the visa to this country, in case you need one. For the other contestants who send in correct answers we have many prizes and honorable mentions consisting in objects offered by our partners. The prizes are of course related to the Prahova County.




    And now the questions:


    What tourist promotion programs are being run in Prahova County?


    What is the seat of Prahova County?


    Which famous winegrowing area in Europe is likened to the Dealu Mare Vineyard?


    What are the main natural resources of Prahova County?



    Please, also tell us what made you participate in RRI’s contest and why you are listening to RRI’s shows or accessing our website.


    Our address is the same: 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.


    We are waiting for your answers until March 15th 2014 mailing date. The winners of the contest will be announced after April 1st 2014, for them to have time to prepare their trip to Romania. Good luck!

  • Romania seen by the winners of the “Radio Romania 85” Contest

    Romania seen by the winners of the “Radio Romania 85” Contest

    They visited 3 areas covered by regional broadcasters of the public Radio – Gorj, Timis and Cluj Counties. At the end of their holiday, Elena Kurbanova said: “How many places we’ve seen, how many things we’ve been told about this country?! In such a short time, we’ve found out a lot, our programme has been very rich. We wanted to see all that was to be seen. During our holiday we visited three regional studios of Radio Romania in the cities of Craiova, Timisoara and Cluj-Napoca. These stations’ editors told us many things about the establishment of their radio stations, their work and the prospects of improving radio broadcasting. They showed us how broadcasts were prepared, they took us to their studios and concert halls. It was important for us to see all that is linked to radio broadcasting because we came to Romania by participating in the contest devoted to the 85th anniversary of Radio Romania, to be celebrated on November 1st 2013.”



    Certainly, our listeners’ trip was not confined to visiting regional studios. The museums, both the open air ones and the ones hosted by famous buildings were a priority of the winners.



    Elena Kurbanova said that during their journey they had visited open-air ethnographic museums with unique peasant houses, households, wooden churches built from the 15 century to the early 20th century.



    Elena Kurbanova: “We visited the Cartianu half-fortified house and the Museum of Curtisoara in Gorj County, the Banat Village Museum in Timisoara and the ethnographic park in Cluj-Napoca. Worth mentioning is our visit to the sculpture compound of Constantin Brancusi, in Targu Jiu, the Gorj County Museum and the Art Museum in Targu Jiu, the Art Museum in Timisoara, which displays works by renowned Romanian painters, including Corneliu Baba’s paintings. I was impressed by his portraits of composer George Enescu. The 1989 Revolution Museum in Timisoara is quite remarkable. The museum exhibits, the historical testimonies on show there are very moving. We also visited wonderful parks such as the charming rose park in Timisoara and the Botanical Garden in Cluj- Napoca. I was greatly impressed by the salt mine in Turda. We stayed there for one hour; we went down to 120 m altitude and saw the underground lake. What is unique is the fact that the salt mine has been open since 1271.”



    Elena Kurbanova said she is a great music lover, so she hadn’t missed any musical event in the places she had visited. Luckily, there were many such events.



    Elena Kurbanova: “As a great music aficionado, I wanted to hear Romanian music, Romanian songs live and my wish was fulfilled with the help of my Romanian friends. We attended folk festivals in Baia de Fier, Gorj County and in Union Square in Cluj-Napoca. There we had the opportunity to listen to incendiary traditional songs with performers from all regions of Romania. We also danced a circle folk dance, we danced whole-heartedly. Complying with our request, they took us to a concert of the Banatul Philharmonic Orchestra in Timisoara, where we had the happy opportunity of listening to the wonderful music of the brilliant composer George Enescu. We didn’t miss modern Romanian music either. In Cluj-Napoca, we went to the concert of the Nightlosers band. I liked the blend of genres: rock, blues and Romanian traditional elements.”



    Probably used to the architectural landscape of their native country, whose population is predominantly Muslim, Elena and Igor, Orthodox Christians, were impressed by the large number of churches and Romanians’ attitude towards the church.



    Elena Kurbanova: “I’d like to mention the serious and pious attitude of the Romanian people towards religion. We’ve seen very beautiful churches here, in every village and there are a lot of churches in towns. There are very old churches from the 15th and 16th centuries. It is important that they are very well preserved and the icons, their decorations, the frescoes are simply unique. We were greatly impressed by the monasteries we visited: Tismana, Crasna and Polovragi in Gorj County, the St. Ana Monastery in Orsova and the Nicula Monastery in Cluj County. Romanians have deep respect for their historical monuments. The historical centers of Timisoara and Cluj are simply unique. The 15th-17th century squares and buildings are admirable. I, for one, liked Union and Victory Squares in Timisoara.”



    Our guests had the chance to become familiar with the Romanian traditional cuisine and wines.


    Elena Kurbanova: “I liked the highly seasoned forcemeat balls and the oyster mushroom salad. Frankly speaking, I can’t remember many names of dishes; unfortunately, I haven’t written them down. And of course, I’ve liked Romanian wines, which Romanians are proud of, with good reason. We visited the Recas wine cellars and took part in wine tasting. The Romanian cuisine is very interesting and original. They use various spices, which change the taste of dishes. Then, the display in plates was unique, I could say. The dishes in plates were natural art works and we were sorry to destroy them. Everything was perfect. We are very content.”



    Elena and Igor promised us they would recommend Romania as an ideal tourist destination to all their friends and acquaintances. Worth mentioning is that our listeners had visited lots of other countries before they came to Romania. In addition to the usual tourist packages that you can purchase from travel agencies, the contests run by RRI are a good opportunity for you to visit Romania. So you have to see what contest comes next and give the correct answers.

  • The 2013 “George Enescu” Festival

    The 2013 “George Enescu” Festival

    The 21st edition of the “George Enescu” International Festival is held between September 1 and 28, with 150 music, opera and ballet events in Bucharest and other cities.



    The festival has been held every other year since 1958, and bears the name of the most influential Romanian composer. The artistic director of the festival is again Romanian born Ioan Hollander, the former director of the Vienna Opera. The Romanian public radio and television are co-producers.



    The headliners are famous names in symphonic music passionate about Enescu. You can find out details from our broadcasts, website or Facebook profile. The events have been designed around themes such as ‘Great World Orchestras’, “Chamber Concerts and Recitals”, “Midnight Concerts”, “Enescu and His Contemporaries”, “21st Century Music”, “World Music”, “Opera and Ballet”.



    The 2014 “George Enescu” International Contest, traditionally held alongside the festival of the same name, has been postponed by the Romanian government and is now scheduled for September 2014, in order to maintain its high standards under difficult financial circumstances.



    RRI will also be holding a prize-winning contest, where winners will earn gifts related to Enescu’s music in particular, but also to Romanian culture in general. The contest is sponsored by Oltenia Energy Complex, and is also supported by the “George Enescu” National Museum, “Monitorul Oficial” (the Official Gazette), “Casa Radio” Publishers, the European Commission representative office in Romania, and the “Euro Foto Art” Association of Oradea.



    George Enescu, one of the most influential composers of the 20th century, and one of its most valuable violin virtuosos, who also conducted and taught music, was born on 19 August 1881 in Liveni, Botosani County, in northeastern Romania. He is best known for his opera ‘Oedipus’, his three symphonies, his compositions for camera ensembles and lieder.



    RRI’s contest consists of four questions related to the composer and the festival dedicated to him, to be answered by 30 September 2013 mailing date.



    The questions are:



    – When was George Enescu born?


    – Which edition of the festival is being held in 2013?


    – Name three compositions by Enescu.


    – Who is Ioan Hollander?



    Your answers are expected by mail, fax, e-mail, or on Facebook, and we kindly ask contenders to also tell us what prompted them to take part in the contest.



    As always, our contact data are: Radio Romania International, 60-64 G-ral Berthelot Street, sector 1, Bucuresti, PO Box 111, postal code 0101171, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail engl@rri.ro.



    Send in your answers by 30 September 2013 mailing date. We will be announcing the winners in the second half of October. Best of luck!

  • Radio Romania 85

    Radio Romania 85

    85 years ago, on 1st November 1928, at 17:00 hours local time, the first official radio broadcast was aired in Romania. It was the start of the great adventure of Romanian radio broadcasting. And Radio Romania International is very proud to be a part of the Romanian public radio family.



    The beginnings of radio broadcasting in Romania and the first official radio transmission are linked to the name of Dragomir Hurmuzescu (1865-1954), a physicist and corresponding member of the Romanian Academy, recognized by many other scientific bodies from Romania and abroad. Professor Hurmuzescu subsequently became the president of the “Radiotelephonic Broadcasting Society” of Romania, today the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation.



    At present Radio Romania’s fundamental activities consist of radio broadcasts (produced and broadcast by the corporation’s national, international, regional, local, on-line only channels), content provided by specialized website channels, radio drama as well as concerts and recitals by the corporation’s Choirs and Orchestras. Apart from that, Radio Romania also organizes book fairs and capitalizes on parts of its tape library and written archives by means of the “Casa Radio” publishers.



    The corporation’s wide range of channels includes Radio Romania News and Current Affairs, Radio Romania Culture, Radio Village Antenna, Radio Romania Music, Radio Romania International, regional and local stations grouped under Radio Romania Regional, with headquarters in the cities of Bucharest, Cluj Napoca, Timisoara, Iasi, Craiova, Targu Mures, Resita, Constanta, Sibiu, Brasov, Sighetu Marmatiei and Arad, as well as on-line stations such as Radio3net and Radio Romania Junior. Beginning on 1 December 2011, Radio Chisinau, a station of the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, came on the air, covering two thirds of the Republic of Moldova. The Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation also offers two specialized websites, www.politicaromaneasca.ro and www.eteatru.ro.



    You are invited to take part in this contest by listening to RRI broadcasts, on air on short wave, on-line at www.rri.ro and following our profiles on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Flickr. Give correct answers, in writing, to the contest questions and you can be a winner. The contest will come to an end on 30th June 2013, mailing date.



    The grand prize for the winners is a 10-day (9- night) trip with full board, for two, between 15th and 24th of September 2013, in 3 areas of Romania covered by Radio Romania’s Regional channels- namely the counties of Gorj, Timis and Cluj.


    The sponsors of the contest are the Oltenia Energy Compound and SC Boca Junior SRL of Timisoara. The partners of this contest are the Gorj County Council, the Association ‘Cluj Napoca 2020-European Capital of Culture’, the Timis County Council, the Cluj Napoca City Hall, the Cluj and Gorj branches of the Fine Artists Union, and the Association of Cluj Traditional Craftsmen.



    As usual, the winners will have to provide for their transportation to and from Romania, and secure a visa if applicable. We also have other prizes and honorable mentions provided by our partners consisting of objects from the three aforementioned areas.



    Now here are the contest questions:



    1. What is the date of the first official radio broadcast in Romania?

    2. What is the market share held by the public radio service in Romania?

    3. List no less than three radio stations under the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation umbrella.

    4. Who is considered to be the father of Romanian radio broadcasting?



    Please include in your answers a brief note telling us what motivated you to participate in our contest, and why you are a listener of Radio Romania International and/or an on-line fan.



    Our coordinates are the same as ever: Radio Romania International, G-ral Berthelot street, nr. 60-64, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, cod 010165, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail: engl@rri.ro.



    We are eagerly awaiting your answers by 30th June 2013, mailing date. The winners will be announced after 15th July 2013, giving them time to prepare for their autumn trip to Romania. Good luck!

  • Romania’s Salt Mine Spas

    Romania’s Salt Mine Spas


    Dear friends of RRI, you are invited to participate in a new prize-winning contest entitled “Romania’s Salt Mine Spas”, dedicated to one of the country’s main mineral resources, salt, which has both economic and health importance, given the therapeutic qualities of salty air. With 2.35 million tonnes extracted in 2011, Romania is one of the biggest salt producers in the world, while mining is one of the oldest occupations on this territory.


    Salt deposits are found in places whose name often contains the word “ocna”, which in Romanian means “salt mine”, or “slanic”, which means “salt” in Old Church Slavonic. Such examples are Ocna Sibiului, Ocnele Mari, Ocna Mures, Targu Ocna, Ocna Dej, Slanic Prahova, Slanic Moldova, etc. Salt mines can also be found in Praid, Turda and Cacica. Salt is extracted by SALROM, the National Salt Company. Experts say Romania has salt reserves to last it a thousand years.


    Salt mine spas are an increasingly popular tourist attraction. The curative properties of salty air have led to the development of speleotherapy and climatotherapy, the treatment of conditions underground, in caves and salt mines. This form of treatment consists mainly in the inhalation of the air in salt mines and is used to cure respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis and allergies. Not to mention that the former salt mines have excellent acoustics, which makes them ideal venues for concerts.


    All you need to do in order to win a prize is to listen to RRI’s broadcasts, visit our website, as well as our Facebook, Twitter and Flickr profiles, and provide correct answers to our questions in writing. The contest closes on 28th February 2013 mailing date.


    The Grand Prize is a 10 day trip for two, with full board accommodation for 9 nights, between 15th and 24th May 2013, in four different areas in Romania that are famous for their salt mines: Slanic Prahova (in Prahova County), Targu Ocna (in Bacau County), Praid (in Harghita County) and Turda (in Cluj County).


    The sponsors of our competition are SC Salina Turda Durgau SA and Pensiunea Elena and Motel Anda in Targu Ocna. Our contest partners are the Bacau County Council, the Prahova County Council, the Ploiesti City Hall, the Turda City Hall, the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association, the Metropolitan Bishopric of Cluj, Alba, Crisana and Maramures, The National Salt Company SA, including its branches in Targu Ocna, Slanic Prahova and Praid, as well as the Ploiesti, Bacau and Turda branches of the Union of Fine Artists, the Harghita County Cultural Centre, the Turda Municipal House of Culture, the Tudor Jarda Arts and the Crafts School in Cluj-Napoca.


    As usual, winners are responsible for transport to and from Romania and, if necessary, the entry visa. For the runners up we have prizes and special distinctions provided by our partners consisting in objects related to the exploitation of salt and the four above-mentioned areas.


    The questions:


    1. For how long can Romania cover its salt consumption from domestic reserves?


    2. Name at least three salt mine spas in Romania.


    3. What is the name of the treatment using the curative properties of salty air?


    4. What salt mine spas will be visited by the winners of the Grand Prize?


    Please let us know what motivated you to take part in the contest and your alternative sources of information, if applicable, aside from our broadcasts, website and Facebook profile. As always, our mailing address is: Radio Romania International, Str. G-ral Berthelot nr. 60-64, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, cod 010165, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail: engl@rri.ro. We expect your answers by 28th February, post date. The winners will be announced after 15th March 2013, allowing them to prepare their journey to Romania. Good luck!