Iași is the second largest city of Romania, nearing 400.000 people and even surpassing half of million when including the metropolitan area. Over 56.000 of them are the students of the six universities in town. And almost as young are the employees of numerous IT corporations present, that make the economy dynamic and the area […]

It’s clearly not as iconic as the Tower Bridge, with its hydraulic flipping deck, nor does it have the impressive scenery of the City behind, like other crossing points have, but Albert Bridge can stand out through its own aspect alone. Well, at least two other bridges in the capital share a similar architecture (Chelsea […]

In the north-western end of Romania lies a special land who’s fame turned into legend. Historic Maramureș extends a bit into today Ukraine, but is a region where genuine Romanian spirit is preserved as a valuable heritage. Locals return from hundreds of kilometers from their workplaces in Spain, Italy, England or Holland to wear folkloric […]

The centuries old landmark buildings of Venice are a part of this city’s appeal, just as the water channels are. Cathedrals have the richest history behind and were crucial in developing the representative local style – the Venetian Gothic. In this style traces of foreign influences from the Byzantine Empire and Islamic art of the […]

Two centuries after the Italian Renaissance and at a much lower scale, Romanian County experienced its own period of blooming arts. Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu assumed the role of “The Magnificent” Lorenzo de Medici as protector of arts, commissioner of great buildings and patron of a new original style in architecture that bears his name. And […]

Brașov is just another town of Transylvania established by the Germans, in this case, the Teutons, who were defending this regional periphery. The necessity for defense walls grew in the 13 century with the invasions of the Tatars (Mongols), but the constructions were extended and improved for almost six centuries after. In the 15 century, […]

This stronghold is outside the walls of the fortified city, but it is now right in the center of the modern town of Brașov. You get to it very simple, coming from Calea București, the main road to the capital of Romania, than taking the boulevard Iuliu Maniu from the round about, than follow the […]

This rocky hill has been defended since the time of the Dacians, more than two thousand years ago, according to some archeological findings. The Teuton knights, who were under a contract with the Hungarian king to defend this border region of Transylvania, also built some fortification here in the 14 century. But we have no […]

Apparently without any useful purpose, this large construction or sculpture in one of Seville’s public squares is bound to make people curious and not easily forgotten. Usually, this sort of constructions are experimented for some international exhibitions, such was the case with the Eiffel Tower in Paris or the local buildings in Plaza de Espana. […]

Brașov is rapidly catching up on the race for the unofficial title of Transylvania’s most important town. Sibiu had a head start after gaining the European Cultural Capital title, which came with heavy investments in restoring landmark buildings and museums. And Cluj secured its name as Transylvania’s business hub. But Brașov has on its side […]

German settlers built a lot of fortified churches allover Transylvania, but what makes Prejmer stand out from other similar monuments from UNESCO World Heritage list is the strength of the defense walls and the quality of the recent restoration. The styles and craftsmanship may vary from one construction to another, but you can still see […]

The oldest site in the city of Făgăraș is not the most famous castle in Romania but can offer some of the best exterior images, thanks to the way it is maintained by the local authorities. It does not rest on a high hill with romantic towers emerging from a rock like the Hunyadi Castle, […]

Founded in 1919, U Cluj is one of the oldest and popular football teams in Romania and now has the most modern stadium in the country. The choice for innovative architecture may come as a surprise for an almost centennial club, that is one of the emblems of Cluj, the largest city of Transylvania, known […]

Some of the few tourist attractions offered by Târgoviște, a city 80 km NW of capital Bucharest, are found in Chindia Park. Here are grouped the ruins of the former royal residence, a watchtower, that is the emblem of the city, an Italian garden with a small lake and a modest zoo garden, that used […]

The Hunyad or Corvin dynasty is as disputed among Romanians and Hungarians as Transylvania itself. This North-Western province of Romania was for many centuries either part of Hungary or subject to the Hungarian crown, but is demographically vastly Romanian. As was the case with Britain under the Normans, Transylvania had a Romanian population and a […]

This is the best preserved Roman building in Italy’s capital, used almost without interruption since 123 AD, when emperor Hadrian commissioned it as a personal tomb. Very short after, the beautiful bridge over Tiber was built. It connects the mausoleum with the center of Rome, and also offers an easy access from the city to […]

This long bridge was a much needed practical solution for the notorious traffic problem of Bucharest. Though it also crosses the small Dâmbovița river, its aim was to help cars get over the railroad lines that go to the central station (Gara de Nord), close to city center. The railroad lines divide the city in […]

For the large public, Antoni Gaudi is the name associated with Spanish modernism in architecture. But the brilliant builder of Sagrada Familia was part of a larger generation of intellectuals, that marked a Rebirth in Catalonia, in the decades at the end of XIX, beginning of XX century. They were very interested in modern ideas […]

The Papal residence is not a palace in the traditional understanding of the term, but rather a collection of villas, palaces and other interconnecting buildings, constructed in different centuries. The oldest, the Belvedere, dates from 1484. At that time it was the first major villa built in Rome not out of necessity, but for the […]

This palace is almost glued to St Mark’s Basilica, the only building that surpasses it in beauty and fame in the city on the lagoon. Doge’s Palace has on its side the advantage of being right next to the canal, which gives it an even more poetic look and emphasizes the floating effect that the […]