All posts by Simona Fodor

Weekend escapade: Chiajna Monastery

The site of the Chiajna Monastery, until recently abandoned, has given rise to plenty of urban legends, outside of its historical and architectural value. The site was even used as an escalating wall by training mountain climbers or as a screen set for various local music videos.

Located in the North West part of Bucharest, at the periphery of the Giulesti – Sarbi neighborhood, the monastery is a historical monument dating back to the 18th century. Its construction started during the reign of Prince Alexandru Ipsilanti and was finished during the time of Phanariot ruler Nicolae Mavrogheni (1786 – 1790). It is a neo-classical monument, impressive in size for the constructions of the time: 43 meters long and 17 meters wide, with walls as thick as 1-2 meters.

Chiajna MonasteryArchitecturally, the monastery is unique in the sense that it merges local and post-Bracovan architecture with neo-classical construction. Because of its fortress-looking aspect, it was bombed by the Ottoman army in 1814 and in 1821 it was completely abandoned to the ruin it is today. The monastery never accommodated a religious service as it was bombed before being consecrated. Despite its deterioration, the building survived several earthquakes and attempts to have it tore down as theft of bricks from the construction began to happen. The building of the railroad linking Bucharest to Craiova, which is about 30 meters away from the site, also weakened the structure of the monument.

Several attempts to restore the monastery were made between 1950 and 1970 but the site only deteriorated further as after 1977 when the ruins of the Bucharest that fell down at the earthquake were discarded nearby, at the former Chiajna garbage dump.  In 1993 a perimeter of 10,000 sqm was added to the monastery to support its restoration and in 2008 the monastery was reactivated as a religious site, carrying the name of Marry, Mother of God and of Saint John Jacob the Romanian. In 2012 a wooden church, designed after the model of the ones that can be found in Maramures, was built on the site and religious services began to be held there.

You can find the Chiajna Monastery at 172 Drumul Sabareni. The route there on Google Maps is available here.

Photo source: Wikipedia

Weekend escapade: Nucsoara village – nature & history

In Southern Central Romania sits the Nucsoara commune, often recognized as an idyllic place, still capturing the ways of a traditional local village. The commune is made up of four villages: Gruiu, Nucsoara, Sboghitesti and Slatina, all in Arges county, some 180 km from capital Bucharest.

It sits at the bottom of the Fagarasi mountains, at an altitude of 879 meters and the richness of landscapes that can be admired is only enhanced by the two peaks framing its borders: the Magura peak and the Varful Strungii peak, each at a height of approximately 1,000 meters. The Gruiu hill, covered with wide pastures and fruit trees, and the Neagului and Dealuri hills, heavy on beech and fir trees woods, are also in the vicinity. The place is perfect for hiking, mountain trailing or simply relaxing over a quiet weekend.

Besides its natural beauty, Nucsoara also stands out for its recent history, as one of the places hosting one of the tens of groups of resistance against communism. The anti-communist resistance began in 1945 and lasted for more than 20 years, some groups of isolated fighters making it into the 70s. The people enrolled in the resistance movement hid in the mountains and were hoping to intervene to change the regime in the event of a war between the UK – US alliance and the Soviet Union. The group in Nucsoara was the longest standing in the country.

There are a few villas in the area where you can check in and you can probably find a place as the tourist traffic is not very high, making Nucsoara perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Photographer Cezar Machidon recently captured the beauty of the place in the Spring in Nucsoara series.

To find Nucsoara on the map, and figure out your way there, check Google Maps here.

(Photo source: en.db-city.com)

A Romantic escapade: going through the Tunnel of Love

South Western Romania is home to a recently discovered and less-traveled site with photographic potential and dreamy atmosphere. Getting there requires dedication as it is not formally signalized but the photos of it that emerged so far look like it is worth taking the time to do it.

The Tunnel of Love, as it was called for its resemblance with the similarly-named Ukrainian one in Klevan, was accidentally discovered by two amateur photographers from Otelu Rosu city, in Caras Severin county. Florin Avramescu and Mihai Tamasila stumbled upon the place while looking for an area to shoot a sunset. They saw the location, realized the photographic potential and decided to return in spring-summer, when the green nature would add more color and personality to the setting.

The site is located in between Obreja and Glimboca villages in the South-Western Romanian county Caras-Severin, on the railroad linking Otelu Rosu to Caransebes. The ‘tunnel’ denomination comes from the overgrown foliage on both sides of the tracks meeting and forming a natural corridor. It can be reached by getting on the road that connects Obreja and Glimboca and then going out on the left hand road (coming from Glimboca), although it is best to use a GPS and ask around once there.

The photographers posted the images online but didn’t mention where they were taken, which led most to believe they were shot in Ukraine. An explanation and further images followed and the site was included in 2014 on a list of off-the-beaten-path gems of the European Union, put together by the European Parliament.

As far as the accessibility of the area is concerned, the place is not signalized and until rising to online fame the inhabitants of the area didn’t identify it as more than a less-traveled railway portion.  Representatives of the Romanian Railroads have even argued that the overgrown foliage should be cut in order to make room for the train wagons to circulate properly as a safety measure. The railroad is currently circulated by several freight trains supplying the companies in the area.

Iron GatesIf you do make it to Caras Severin county to see the local Tunnel of Love, there are several other sites worth the stop, such as the Baile Herculane and Semenic resorts, the national parks of Beusinta, Cheile Carasului and Valea Cernei or the spectacular Danube Iron Gates park (pictured).

Photo of the Tunnel of Love: Florin Avramescu

Weekend escapade: star gazing at the Bucharest Astronomic Observatory

The recent partial solar eclipse was the kind of astronomic event which requires insights from professionals, like the ones to be found at the Admiral Vasile Urseanu Astronomic Observatory in Bucharest.

Built in the first decade of the last century, the building inaugurated in 1910, something the Romanian astronomy magazine Orion documented in its pages at the time. The history of the observatory, the only one open to the public in the capital city, begins in 1908 when local astronomer and scientist Victor Anestin started working with Admiral Vasile Urseanu to establish the premises of the institution.

The admiral would become the president of the Romanian Astronomy Society Camille Flammarion and would build the yacht-shaped house with an observation dome. Of the house, which he built through his own financial means, he used to say: “I built my house in shape of a yacht, with an observatory dome so I can look through a telescope and at the same time have the feeling that I’m floating at sea.”

The observatory was endowed at its opening with a 150 mm Zeiss telescope with a focal length of 2.7 meters, being the third largest in the country at the time. After the admiral died in 1926 the telescope was dismantled and the activity in the building stopped. In 1933 the admiral’s widow donated the building to the Bucharest municipality, under the condition that it keeps the memory of its initial use.

In May 1950 the observatory reopened for the public and a first exhibition on astronomy topics opened in 1952. Starting with the 60s, the observatory started being endowed with new equipment and in 1968 the Bucharest Astroclub, a group of amateur astronomers, was established here. After 1990 the building accommodated the headquarters of the Romanian Spatial Agency and in 1996 the Observatory was re-inaugurated as the Municipal Astronomic Observatory.

In 2008, the Observatory was endowed with a MEADE LX200R telescope with a diameter of 30 centimeters and a lens that allows Sun observation at a different wave length. In 2009 it inaugurated a new presentation called, Traveling through Universe, a virtual tour of the universe that several thousand visitors took part in so far.

Bucharest Astronomic Observatory 3Starting with October 2014 astronomic observations are being held at the Old Court (Curtea Veche) in the Old Town of Bucharest, close to Hanul lui Manuc. Observation sessions are held only if the sky is clear according to the following schedule.

The Astronomic Observatory can be visited individually or in groups. Guidance is free and available in Romanian and English.

Weekend escapade: Bucharest network of fortifications

As Bucharest is continuously expanding its boundaries, there is however a reminder of the city’s 19th century limits in the form of a network of fortifications built by King Carol I after the Independence War, which brought the country the exit from the Ottoman Empire.

In line with the military and strategic thinking of the time, 18 forts, placed at distances of 4 kilometers each, were built. The forts were placed in a 70-kilometers ring around Bucharest and between each fort an artillery battery was set. This defensive ring of Bucharest used to stand about 7 kilometers from the city’s limits, in order to ensure increased protection in case of a siege. They were named after localities which now are very close to the city’s limits: Chitila, Mogosoaia, Otopeni, Tunari, Stefanesti, Afumati. The surface of the constructions totals over 120 hectares and some forts spread on over 11.60 hectares.

Construction works, drafted by Belgian military architect Henri Alexis Brialmont, began in 1884 and ended officially in 1895 but various other works were performed until 1903. The costs of the project also increased to what was estimated at three times the time’s annual budget of the army. The project ended up costing 111.5 million gold lei, compared to a set initial budget of 15 million.

JilavaBesides the network of tunnels, all forts were connected by a road and a railway, which today is Bucharest’s ring road DN100. Once air strikes began to be used and other military advances were made with explosives, the use of forts fell into obsolesce. To this day, most the forts continue to be abandoned. The Fort 18 in Chiajna was used as a market for pickled goods during communist times. Fort 13 Jilava (pictured, small) was turned, starting with 1907 into a military prison and was the place were political prisoners were held o executed during Communism. It still is a penitentiary today.

The landmark constructions surrounding Bucharest stand now covered with vegetation and are disintegrating but some initiatives have emerged to make the story known and restore them, perhaps with a different use.

How to get there?

The forts are close to the Bucharest ring road. The car is probably the best option, followed by walking, although it is advisable to go there with someone who knows the area.

Weekend escapade: Xenofon stairways street in Bucharest

The road to Bucharest’s highest altitude point is a unique one in the capital. The Xenofon street, as it is named, is often referenced as the city’s only stairways street. The 200 years old and narrow road is less than 100 meters long but has over 100 steps, and links the Constantin Istrati street to the Suter alley. It is named after Greek philosopher Xenofon, author of famed Anabasis, describing the adventures of returning home of an army of 10,000 Greek mercenaries, as they were passing through the Persian Empire.

The only Bucharest street cars never travelled is divided into two sections, linked by a small passage. On the right side, going up, the visitor sees a grey wall, on the left side the yard of two families.  At the end of the stairs one can find the Suter rotunda and the building of the former Suter palace, more than a century old.

In 1895 the swamps surrounding the site were turned into a park, to mark the General Romanian Exhibition of 1906. Swiss architect Adolf Suter worked on designing and building the park and bought the land on the top of the Filaret hill to build a small palace here. The palace is called today Carol Park Hotel. It accommodates one of the largest Murano crystal chandeliers in the world, stretching over four stories tall.

Xenofon street unpaintedLast year, the street got a facelift when, as part of a socio-cultural project, painter Eva Radu colored the street with eight images of some of Bucharest’s cultural and historical landmarks. The steps leading up to the Carol Park hotel were painted with representations of the Romanian Atheneum, the Triumph Arch, the Carol Park Mausoleum, the People’s Palace, the National Art Museum, the Romanian Peasant Museum, the National Theater and the National Opera. The paint used was meant to last at least a year so you can still check them out and see how it compares with Rio de Janeiro’s Selaron or San Francisco’s 16th Avenue Tiled Steps.

 

Bucharest film viewing: where to get the retro experience?

Up until 1990, there were approximately 450 cinemas in Romania in the publicly-owned network. After the revolution many of them were closed for lack of funding, their locations were turned into supermarkets or gaming venues, and they started to loose viewers to the recently developed multiplexes inside of malls. Some estimates say less than 30 such cinemas can be found throughout Romania today. Consequently, the distribution of local or independent films remains limited as mall cinemas distribute mostly international releases. Last year the organizers of the Transylvania International Film Festival started the Save the Silver Screen campaign, trying to prevent the further closure of older cinema in neighborhoods and raise funding for their modernization. You can still support the initiative by choosing to see films at any of these non-mall venues, where in most cases tickets are priced about half of what they do at a mall cinema.

Cinema Europa is one of the longest-standing cinema halls in Bucharest, having been built 1935. Standing at 127 Calea Mosilor, the 274 seats cinema is now part of the Europa cinemas network, which distributes European films. The building was refurbished and the viewing conditions have improved with a dolby stereo sound system, upgraded heating system and air conditioning. A Facebook page was recently created to support this place.

Cinema Corso, located close to the Cismigiu park, was also refurbished in 2009. With a 273 seats capacity, it draws an audience looking for a more intimate and welcoming atmosphere. It usually runs local and European films.

The Patria Cinema on Magheru boulevard adds to the list of the traditional cinemas still standing in the capital city. It accommodates 1,014 seats and offers special tickets for the elderly, children under 14 and people with disabilities. It also features a 3D Caffe Cinema and a 50 seats VIP room.

Known as the venue hosting most of the film festivals in Bucharest, Cinema Studio is located in one of Bucharest’s art-deco buildings. It is equipped with a digital projector, a new screen and its surround sound system was also refurbished.

If you’re more into modern cinema, or you’d like an alternative, here’s a list of cinemas, including multiplexes, across Bucharest.

(photo source: Cinema Europa)

Train stations to visit in Bucharest

Whether for a historical curiosity, an interest in the capital’s less visited sights or a search for good photo opportunities, a tour of Bucharest’s train stations has something to offer to everyone.

The oldest train station in the capital is Gara Filaret. It was inaugurated in 1869 as the capital’s first and the only one until 1872, when the Gara de Nord station opened. In 1960 its use was changed into a bus station but since its establishment, the area surrounding Gara Filaret was one of flourishing trade. In its close vicinity one can find the Carol Park but also many other industrial-purpose sites such as the Matches Factory, the National Minting and the Stamps Plant. The first train to leave the Filaret station had King Carol I of Romania as passenger.

Gara de NordThe construction of Bucharest’s and the country’s largest train station – Gara de Nord – kicked off in 1868. When it opened in 1872 so did the Roman-Galati-Bucuresti-Pitesti route. The building of the station combines classical architecture elements with ArtDeco details. The area itself where the station stands is filled with ArtDeco and Modernist-style buildings. Initially the station was called Gara Targovistei as one of the streets upon which the building overlooks today – Calea Grivitei – was called Calea Targovistei. The building is U shaped and made of two parallel buildings linked through a corridor. Nowadays, almost 200 trains make their way in and out of the station. There is a direct link from here to the Henri Coanda International Airport, through a train operated by the Romanian Railways Company CFR Calatori. Around 10,000 people are estimated to pass through the station daily. When getting to and departing the station beware of over-priced cabs parked in the area and offering transport.

Very close to Gara de Nord stands Gara Basarab. Built in 1959, it is used mainly as a railway node for short-distance running trains. It is served by the Basarab subway stations and several bus lines. A visit there can be a good opportunity to admire the views from the recently built Basarab overpass to which it links.

Also in the historical sites series is Gara Baneasa. Although rarely used today, it remains known as the Royal Train station because it was built in 1936 with the purpose of accommodating guests of the royal family of Romania. It had this purpose until 1947 when it was turned into a presidential station. After 1950, the communist authorities used it to welcome foreign dignitaries here. You can find it close to the Miorita fountain and Miorita bridge in Northern Bucharest, to which it shares common architectural elements. Another royal train station is to be found in Sinaia, the city accommodating the Peles castle.

And for the ultimate railways enthusiast, the tour of Bucharest train stations can be expanded with visits to sites out of use or of changed used today. The two now-extinct stations of the capital are Gara Herastrau, which used to stand close to the Herastrau park and Gara Dealul Spirii. The latter was part of the destroyed Uranus neighborhood.  Currently under renovation works is Gara Progresul, hosting the rail link of the country to Bulgaria. A transformed station is Gara Cotroceni, which lends its name to two train stations in the capital city. The first one used to stand close to the Cotroceni palace and was used by royal trains. After 1950 it was put out of use and turned into an entrance building for the Cotroceni palace.

 

Festivals in Romania to go to this year

Besides the upsurge of festivals that Bucharest has seen over the past years, Romania is home to many other arts& music festivals catering to the hippest and edgiest of audiences.

One of the oldest-standing such event is the Transylvania International Film Festival, scheduled to take place this year between May 29th and June 7th in Cluj Napoca. Established in 2002, it was the first international film festival in Romania and has its 14th edition approaching. The multitude of screenings, events and concerts, outstanding films selection and high-spirited atmosphere make it a go-to event each year for cinema die-hards and newbies alike. It is the event at which the most important domestic productions are released nationally, from Cristi Puiu’s The Death of Mr. Lazarescu to Alexandru Maftei’s Miss Christina. Over the years, it awarded many personalities of European and worldwide film, such as Julie Delpy, Vanessa Redgrave, Catherine Deneuve, Claudia Cardinale, Wim Wenders, Jacqueline Bisset, Geraldine Chaplin or Jiri Menzel, who came to Cluj to collect their distinction.

Classical music lovers will get their share of entertainment when the George Enescu Festival begins in Bucharest in September. Running once every two years, the festival is expected to bring this year around 2,500 foreign artists and 500 national artists at 58 concerts. The Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra will play at this year’s event for the first time, led by conductor Sir Simon Rattle. Other top orchestra lined up for the 2015 edition are: London Philharmonic Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Amsterdam, San Francisco Symphony, Munchen Opera Orchestra, Staatskapelle Dresden, Sankt Petersburg Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Bayerische Staatoper, Royal Liverpool Symphony Orchestra and Monte Carlo Philharmonic while the Romanian side will be represented by the National Youth Orchestra, George Enescu Choir and Orchestra Philharmonic and the Radio Hall National Orchestra with the Radio Academic Choir. Among artists headlining the event are: Anne Sophie Mutter, Fazil Say, Murray Perahia, Yfrem Bronfman, Andras Schiff, Pierre Laurent Aimard, Maria Joao Pires, Renaud and Gautier Capucon, David Garett, Alexandra Dariescu and Janine Jansen. Subscriptions to the event sold out the day they were put on sale but individual tickets are still available on eventim.ro.

On the other side of the musical spectrum comes the Electric Castle Festival, getting ready for is third run this year. It is held on the domain of the Bontida Banffy Castle, close to Cluj-Napoca, and documented since the 16th century. It offers participants all-day urban activities, ranging from extreme sports to audio-video production workshops, and a variety of electronic music, all set in a historical location. This year over 150 artists are expected to line up. You can get there by car, with buses running from Cluj to the location over the duration of the festival or by train (to Cluj-Napoca).

As far as theater experiences are concerned, the Sibiu International Theater Festival has become, during the 19 years since its establishment, a landmark for attendees in more than 68 countries. This year the festival is scheduled to run from June 12th to the 21st. Besides the performances shown over the span of ten days, the festival hosts the Sibiu BookFest fair and the Visual Arts Platform supported by Romanian graphic artist Dan Perjovschi.

A similarly long tradition has the Garana Jazz Festival, taking place for 18 years now in the village of Garana, in Caras-Severin county. It is Europe’s only open-air jazz festival and the lineups worth the travel. The location can be reached by car, within 50 Km from the Timisoara airport, or by train, within 20 minutes from the Resita train station. Artists stopping so far at Garana included: Eberhard Weber, Mike Stern, Jan Garbarek, Charles Lloyd, John Abercrombie, Miroslav Vitous, Zakir Hussain, Bugge Wesseltoft, Lars Danielsson, Avishay Cohen or Nils Petter Molvær

Another open-air festival, this time of alternative music and located close to Bucharest, on the Stirbey domain, is Summer Well. It is at about half-an-hour drive from the capital and usually gathers top names, as previous years’ Bastille or Placebo. The two day event is set for August 8th and 9th of this year.

And to cover even more of musical tastes comes Rokolective, at its tenth edition this year. Focused on abstract electronic music, the festival will run from April 23rd to April 26th and line up around 25 artists. The opening night is taken by Aisha Devi (previously known as Kate Wax) and other confirmed artists are Fatima Al Qadiri, Objektand Abdulla Rashim, and appearances by Ninos Du Brasil, Lena Willikens and Mondkopf. The event is set in venues such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art MNAC or Halele Carol.