Buzz
While Romania might not be as widely recognized as other European nations, it’s far from being inconsequential. The country is steeped in culture and history, with a legacy that many are unaware of.
10. Autonomous Vehicle
Ionut Budisteanu, a 19-year-old student from Romania, has developed an AI system that can drive your car while you relax (though we advise against drinking Bud Lights while driving). He clinched first place at Intel’s International Science and Engineering Fair for his achievement. The system, which costs around $4,000, is a serious competitor to the self-driving technology being developed by tech giant Google, despite their massive budget and resources. Budisteanu’s design relies on webcams and has successfully completed 47 out of 50 trials. To perfect the system, upgrading the camera resolution would be necessary, as the three failed trials were due to the cameras failing to detect smaller objects.
9. The World Wars
Romania’s involvement in World War I initially alarmed Kaiser Wilhelm. The Central Powers were already struggling, being pushed back by the British and Russians on two fronts. When Romanian forces joined the conflict, they opened up a new offensive along the Transylvanian border. Unfortunately, the Romanians were outclassed and soon began suffering severe losses. To make matters worse, internal chaos in Russia, including the Bolshevik Revolution, led to a loss of support. Romania was eventually forced to surrender after losing over 300,000 soldiers. They also ceded coastal territories, which were taken over by Austria-Hungary until the war’s end. Once the conflict concluded and the Central Powers were defeated, Romania was rewarded by the Allies with several former Hungarian lands, including the infamous, vampire-haunted region of Transylvania.
Romania's situation in World War II didn’t improve. The small nation was bombed by both the Allies and the Luftwaffe at different times. This was largely due to Romania's collaboration with Nazi Germany under General Ion Antonescu, who was later ousted by King Michael.
8. Nadia Comaneci
Romanian gymnast Nadia Elena Comaneci became an instant legend when she scored the first-ever perfect 10 in gymnastics. This groundbreaking achievement took place at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, where she went on to claim 3 gold medals. The judges’ computers weren’t designed to handle a perfect score, as no one had thought it was possible. Initially, her score was shown as a “1,” causing confusion, but the crowd soon realized she had earned the ultimate score of “10.” In a remarkable follow-up, she achieved 6 more perfect scores before the competition ended—all at the young age of 14.
7. Traian Popovici
Oskar Schindler is widely known as a hero for saving lives during World War II, but a Romanian lawyer, whose actions saved even more lives, remains largely unknown. Born near Suceava, a region that became part of Romania after World War I but was under Austrian control during the war, Traian Popovici was horrified by the idea of sending thousands of innocent people to their deaths. He appealed to the Romanian military leader, Nazi-appointed General Ion Antonescu, arguing that Jewish workers were vital to his town’s economy. Risking his life, Popovici convinced the authorities to grant exemptions for the Jewish population, ensuring their survival.
6. Castle Dracula
What better way to spend Halloween than at Dracula’s Castle? Probably none, as this world-renowned, eerie fortress nestled in the forests of Transylvania offers a truly haunting experience. Guests are greeted with traditional bread and brandy, and have the chance to enjoy a variety of activities, including knightly games and witnessing the crowning of Miss Transylvania. However, the real history of the castle is less thrilling: It’s unlikely that Vlad Tepes, the man behind the Dracula legend, ever actually lived there. Though he might have visited briefly, his primary residences were elsewhere. The connection to Dracula was only established later when Bram Stoker chose a Transylvanian castle as the count’s fictional home. The Romanians, recognizing the mix-up, embraced the association and turned the castle into a tourist hotspot. Today, the castle is a museum.
5. Black Magic Tax
A new Romanian law has caused an uproar among the country’s “black mages,” as it imposes a tax on the earnings made from witchcraft and sorcery. This law doesn’t just target witches, but all practitioners of the occult, including fortune tellers, who, ironically, failed to foresee this development. The new legislation, which went into effect on January 1st, 2011, recognizes the services of these mystical practitioners as legitimate professions. Needless to say, witches and fortune tellers are furious about this move to take a portion of their profits and have been busy casting curses and spells on the Romanian government.
4. Cave Full of Bones
In southwestern Romania, a seemingly ordinary cave became an anthropological goldmine after a 2002 discovery revealed human remains dating back nearly 40,000 years. This finding suggests that humans inhabited the area much earlier than previously believed. What makes it especially intriguing is that the bones show features typical of both earlier and later human species. The discovery challenges our understanding of when and where modern humans first rose to prominence. For instance, a mandible found in the cave exhibited traits linked to Neanderthals, and while the precise relationship between Neanderthals and modern humans remains unclear, these bones could indicate that the two groups interacted in prehistoric times, possibly even engaging in early forms of human romance.
3. Cigarette Smuggling
Cigarette smuggling is a highly profitable industry, with a single hand-rolled cigarette smuggled in from neighboring Ukraine potentially fetching up to half a Euro (around 70 cents) in Romania. Authorities have already dismantled more than 30 smuggling rings and seized nearly 10 million packs of cigarettes in 2012 alone. To stay ahead of the smugglers, the government has invested millions of dollars in high-tech tools, including seismic sensors designed to detect footsteps. Some of the smuggling tactics are straight out of a cartoon: one recent shipment was discovered hidden inside hollowed-out logs.
2. Day of the Bear
Romania is home to a large bear population, and some enterprising individuals even make a modest fortune by leading bear-watching tours through the country’s dense forests. This love for bears is expressed in a unique holiday that is celebrated nowhere else. While many parts of the world, except North America, observe Candlemas on February 2nd, the Romanians have their own twist. Instead of Groundhog Day, Romania celebrates Groundbear Day. While you won’t see many groundhogs here, bears are abundant and usually wake up from hibernation around this time for a quick bathroom break. The behavior of the bears helps determine whether winter will continue or spring will arrive early.
1. Top Gear And The People’s Palace
The Top Gear team took on the legendary Transfagarasan Highway, a road famed for its sharp curves and stunning views—making it the ultimate setting for a thrilling ride. With plenty of hairpin bends and S-curves, it's an ideal stretch of tarmac for letting loose, no matter what kind of car you’re driving. But the adventure didn’t stop there. The crew continued their escapade to the People’s Palace, one of the largest structures on the planet. Beneath its massive foundation lies a network of dusty, unused tunnels, providing a dramatic backdrop for a supercar showdown.
Once the personal residence and headquarters of Ceausescu, the People’s Palace is now used by Parliament—after all, such a grandiose building would be too valuable to sit idle politically. Not only is it one of the largest buildings in the world, it also holds the title of the largest administrative building, and it’s the heaviest and most expensive. Ironically, while Ceausescu poured billions of dollars into constructing this massive structure, the people he purported to represent were suffering from hunger on the streets.
