Did you know? 25 interesting facts about Romania

Most people think of Dracula and Transylvania when they hear about Romania, but the country is so much more. For example, did you know that a Romanian castle was the first fully electrified castle in Europe? Here’s a list of 25 interesting facts about Romania that even some Romanians might not yet know.

• Romania’s famous Peles Castle, located in Sinaia mountain resort, was the first completely electrified castle in Europe. The electricity was produced by the castle’s own plant.
• The Voronet Monastery, located in northeastern Romania, is also known as the “Sistine Chapel of the East”. Its frescoes feature an intense shade of blue also known as the “Voronet blue”.
• The Astra Museum in Sibiu is the largest open-air museum in Romania, and the second-largest museum of this kind in Europe.
• Romania not only has rich gold resources but also hosts Europe’s only museum dedicated to gold.
• Romania joined NATO in 2004 and the European Union in 2007
• Bucharest’s Palace of Parliament, also known as the People’s Palace, is the world's largest civilian building with an administrative function and the second-largest building in the world after the Pentagon in the US. It covers some 330,000 sqm.
• Timisoara, in western Romania, was the first city in Europe to have electric street-lighting (1889).
• Timisoara was also the first European city to introduce horse-drawn trams (1869).
• Bucharest was the first city in the world illuminated by oil lamps (1895).
• Romania is home to Europe’s largest population of brown bears. According to a 2014 wild animal census, Romania’s forests are home to some 6,000 bears. That is why, in some mountain areas, you may see bears searching for food through garbage dumpsters.
• The Carpathian Mountains are home to one of the largest virgin forests in Europe.
• The Danube Delta is the second-largest river delta in Europe and the best preserved on the continent. The delta hosts over 300 species of birds as well as 45 freshwater fish species in its numerous lakes and marshes.
• The famous British auto show Top Gear shot one of its episodes on Transfagarasan in 2009, naming it “the best road in the world”.
• Strada Sforii (The Rope Street) in the Central Romanian town of Brasov is said to be the narrowest street in Europe.