Suceava

Essentials, history, location, sights, accommodation, restaurants.

Suceava is located in the north-eastern part of Romania, just 45km (28mi) south of the Ukrainian border. There are two types of geographical regions on which the city was built – the hills (Zamca Hill) and the plains of the Suceava River. It is 439km (273mi) far from Bucharest, 148km (92mi) from Bacau, 142km (88mi) from Iasi, 102km (63mi) from Piatra Neamt. The population of Suceava reaches 100.000 people which makes it the largest city of the Suceava county. [read more...]

The History of Suceava

This area had been inhabited since the beginning of the neolithic age, a fact proved by different artifacts discovered around the fortress. The first written testimony about Suceava dates back to 1388, in the time of Prince Petru I Musat, who had established here its princely residence. In this period, Suceava achieved a high economic and social development and became the capital of the first centralized Moldavian state (1375-1565). It became the political, economical and military centre of the country. The Fortress of Suceava became the main fortified citadel of Moldavia. The name of Suceava comes from the Hungarian skinners (szücs) who had come in this area. [read more...]

What to do in Suceava

Although it is the largest city of Bucovina, Suceava doesn’t offer many outstanding tourist destinations. Once in Suceava you might enjoy the former citadel, today just a ruin. Another major tourist sight of Suceava is the the Saint John the New Monastery built at the beginning of the 16th century. There are several museums which might attract the attention of some travelers while in Suceava. The History Museum or the Princely Inn are some of them. [read more...]

by Daniel Gheorghita

Licensed Tour Guide - your personal tour guide in Romania

covinnus.com - felixromania.com - covinnusphoto.com

Best of Brasov Top 3

Brasov is one of the most important tourist attractions of Romania. Located not far away from Bucharest – the main entrance of the country, Brasov is known for its well preserved medieval citadel and for its tree-covered hills that surround the town. Once in Brasov you could roam on the quaint cobblestone alleys and streets, some of them preserving an indelible mark of the medieval times. Let yourself magnetized by the charm of the old buildings and by their intricate architectural elements. Get lost on the mountain trails that encircle the old town, reaching serene and unspoiled mountain areas. In the end you could take a break on a terrace, enjoying a drink. But let’s see the main tourist attractions of Brasov, the most known landmarks.

[read more...]

by Daniel Gheorghita

Licensed Tour Guide

felixromania.com - covinnus.com

Best Pictures of Romania in 2011

Due to my job as a tour guide I have many chances to take good pictures. This year I had many tours – large groups, medium-sized groups or individuals. I went pretty much all over Romania and beyond its border in Hungary, Bulgaria or Serbia.
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by Daniel Gheorghita

Licensed Tour Guide

covinnus.com - felixromania.com

Metro ride - travel in time

Buy a subway card and get the cheapest ticket for a trip back in time. How it is possible? Well, all you have to do is to buy this metro ticket and reach the station of Politehnica from Bucharest. Get off the train and literally step on the fossil-floor which dates back to Crateceous, just 65 million years ago. The story of the subway from Bucharest starts in the 70s when the second Romanian communist dictator Nicolae Ceusescu ordered the authorities to built a metro network for the city, albeit the idea had existed long before. The first stage of works took 4 years, 1975 – 1979. The metro station of Politehnica was inaugurated later, in 1983. Few people of Bucharest realize that the floor of this station is in fact a petrified ocean 65 million years old.

[Read more...]

by Daniel Gheorghita
Licensed Tour Guide
covinnus.com - felixromania.com - covinnusphoto.com

Count Kálnoky's Estate

Count Kálnoky's Estate - Miclosoara

I had the chance to visit together with my tourists the quaint town of Miclosoara, Miklósvár in Hungarian. Located just 50km (31mi) north of Brasov, Miclosoara seems to be years and years back in time, just the main paved-road spoiling the medieval atmosphere. This is common for Transylvania, a magic land where tens of villages, maybe even hundreds, have been preserved very well, being kept far away from the bustling and modern life. Right after the anticommunist revolution of 1989 few people knew about this place. It is the moment when a young count came back to his roots and took back his estate which had been confiscated by the communists. Count Kalnoky put Miclosoara back on the map of the Szeklerland, the core of the present Hungarian minority from Romania. In fact he did much more, he had managed to make from this forgotten little village an important tourist destination of Romania. [reed more...]

Web page: Count Kalnoky's Estate

Tariff: €€€€

Recommendation: ♥♥♥♥♥

by Daniel Gheorghita
Licensed Tour Guide

www.covinnus.com

Sissi Creek

The Cismigiu Garden, one of the most beautiful parks, not just from Bucharest, but from hole Europe, is a green oasis surrounded by a bustling city, too occupied by its daily businesses to notice its charm. Designed hundreds of years ago, in fact it is the oldest park in Bucharest, The Cismigiu Garden boast beside its wonderful green alleys, amazing flowers or birds, some interesting statues. They are not impressive through size but through their delicacy. They are characterized by a sort of modesty, many of them being placed in such a way that it seems they don’t want to disturb anybody with their presence. Not all of them belong to famous Romanians, like the ones which are part of the Romanian writers collection; some of them are little mysteries.

The Sissi Creek is one of them. Located in of the few bustling areas of the park, the playground for children, this statue is a gentle presence, a fountain of the tears. The statue represents a young woman holding a pot which has a hole for the water. The young woman pours the water in what seems to be a channel of a creek formed by stones. The entire monument is being surrounded by capitals of columns, stone ornaments or marble which once were part of different palaces. Some of them are older than the statue itself. In fact, this was a widespread custom years ago to keep around the house old artifacts (e.g. the stones gathered in the courtyard of The Stavropoleos Church).

The monument is dedicated to Stefanidi Sissi,a woman who died when she was just 21 years old. The tragic event happened in 1914. Her mother had asked Ion Dimitriu-Barlad to carve a statue which was revealed to the public in 1927. Unfortunately, the romantic statue was destroyed by a hooligan and several years remained without the head. It was found by the daughter of the carver and put back. Many years the stream of water dried out but in 2001 the mechanism that brings water in the pot was repaired.

Romania's largest cities

One of the most difficult questions for me was in fact a very simple one: “Which city is the second largest one in Romania?”

It is well known that Bucharest is by far the largest city in Romania, its population reaching almost 2 million people. Then we have a group of cities scattered all over Romania that have a population around 300 000 people. It seems Timisoara became in 2010 the new second largest city of Romania with a population of 311 428. Iasi lost a position, being now the third city with just 309 631 people.

Bellow one can see the top of the Romanian cities for 2010 according to the National Institute of Statistics:

1 Bucharest: 1 942 254
2 Timisoara: 311 428
3 Iasi: 309 631
4 Cluj Napoca: 305 636
5 Constanta: 301 221
6 Craiova: 298 740
7 Galati: 290 593
8 Brasov: 276 914
9 Ploiesti: 227 194
10 Braila: 210 245

by Daniel Gheorghita
Licensed Tour Guide
www.covinnus.com