SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE 567

Bordered by Ukraine to the north,

Bulgaria to the south and Serbia and

Hungary to the west, Romania has

long been torn between its neigh-

bours, particularly during the 18th

and 19th centuries when the Russians

and Austrians waged war against the

Ottoman Empire on Romanian soil.

Despite its turbulent history,

Romania has retained much of its

traditional culture and a visit there

is a rewarding experience. In

Transylvania, the country’s largest

region, medieval castles neighbour

modern ski resorts. To the northeast,

Bukovina is home to beautiful mon-

as teries, and to the south, Bucharest,

the ancient capital of Wallachia, has

superb museums and gardens.

HISTORY

The earliest evidence of human

settlement in Romania is from the

Neolithic period around 5,000 BC.

Thracian tribes arrived in the first

millennium BC, followed by Greeks,

who settled along the Black Sea

coast in the 7th century BC. The

expanding Roman Empire conquered

the region in the 1st century AD and

named it Dacia. Subsequent centu-

ries saw Dacia gradually split into

three principalities – Transylvania,

Moldavia and Wallachia – which

were ruled by feudal leaders

throughout the Middle Ages.

Neighbouring Hungary conquered

and controlled Transylvania in the

10th century and by the 13th

ROMANIA

A

lthough the country is unlikely ever to disassociate itself

from the myth of Dracula, in recent years Romania

has certainly managed to shake off its Communist-era

image of grey uniformity. Beyond its prettily restored historic towns

and cities lie breathtaking mountains and scenes of rural

tranquillity that have changed little for generations.

Well-preserved frescoes on the exterior of the Orthodox Moldoviţa Monastery, Bucovina

The spectacular snow-laden Făgăraş Mountains, Transylvania