ABCs of Romania

A is for Antipa (Teacher)................................................................................. 4

B is for Bucharest (Ileana) ............................................................................ 5

C is for the Carpathians (Carla)..................................................................... 6

D is for the Danube (Nicholas)....................................................................... 7

E is for Eminescu (Mara)................................................................................. 8

F is for Football (Eric)...................................................................................... 9

G is for Grigorescu (Victor)............................................................................. 10

H is for Halep & Hagi (Mircea)...................................................................... 11

I is for Inna (Ilinca).......................................................................................... 12

J is for Jocuri (Vlad)......................................................................................... 13

K is for Klaus Iohannis (Andrei)..................................................................... 14

L is for Leu (Anastasia) .................................................................................. 15

M is for Moldoveanu (Mario).............................................................................................16

N is for the National Arena (Alex)..................................................................................17

O is for Orthodox (Isabella)...............................................................................................18

P is for Palace of the Parliament (Paul).........................................................................19

Q is for Queen Mary of Romania (Patricia)...................................................................20

R is for Romania (Amalia).................................................................................................21

S is for Stephen the Great (Maria)..................................................................................22

T is for Tănase (Răzvan)....................................................................................................23

U is for the Union (1918, December 1st) (Corina).........................................................24

V is for Vlaicu and Vuia (Mihai)........................................................................................25

W is for Wiesel (Rareș)........................................................................................................26

X is for eXcellence (Tudor).................................................................................................27

Y is for Yummies! (Ioan)....................................................................................................28

Z is for Zamfir (Aida)..........................................................................................................29

is for ANTIPA

"Grigore Antipa" National Museum of Natural History bears the name of Grigore Antipa (1867-1944), the most famous Romanian biologist whose achievements in the field were amazing. He was the first Romanian who reached the North Pole and the first person to modernize the diorama* by emphasizing the three-dimensional aspect and first to use it in a museum setting.

The Museum has zoological collections of most of the animal groups, as well as collections of compared anatomy, geology and anthropology. There are over 2 million exhibits. 

* a spatial representation of a landscape in a museum where stuffed animals, mannequins and various other objects are exposed to create a real landscape impression.

is for BUCHAREST

    Bucharest (București) is the capital of Romania. It is located in the south-east of the country and has a population of 2 million people. According to legend, the name of Bucharest comes from Bucur, its founder. It also means the "City of Joy". Bucharest has many landmarks and tourist attractions, such as the Palace of the Parliament, the Village Museum,  The Arch of Triumph, The Romanian Atheneum and Cișmigiu Park. 

    Did you know that back in 1857 Bucharest made history as the first city in the world illuminated with kerosene lamps?

    Bucharest is an old and interesting town. You should visit it!

is for the CARPATHIANS

The Carpathian Mountains stretch over eight countries: Hungary, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Slovakia. The Carpathians are the second longest mountain range in Europe. They are about 1500 km long, after the Scandinavian Mountains with 1700 km. The highest peak in the whole Carpathian chain is found in the Tatra mountains of Slovakia and has an altitude of 2600 m. It is called Gerlachovsky. The Carpathian Mountains are populated with the largest number of brown bears, wolves and lynxes in Europe. From the Carpathians spring large rivers such as Nistru, Tisa, Prut, Siret, Mureș, Olt.

is for the DANUBE

The Danube river is Europe's second longest river after Volga. It is 2,860 km long. The Danube is an important international shipping lane, flowing through ten countries (Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine). It passes through four state capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest and Belgrad. Napoleon called the Danube "the King of the European rivers" and Nicolae Iorga "the richest in gifts".

Once on a time, as poets sing   

High tales with fancy laden,   

Born of a very noble king   

There lived a wondrous maiden.  

An only child, her kinsfolk boon,   

So fair, imagination faints ;   

As though amidst the stars the moon,   

Or Mary amidst the saints.  

Mihai Eminescu (1850-1889) is the most famous Romanian poet. „Luceafărul” is a narrative poem which is considered Eminescu's masterpiece.

The poem, with all his 98 stanzas, has been endorsed as the longest love poem in the world by World Records Academy.

is for EMINESCU

A fost odată ca-n poveşti,

A fost ca niciodată.

Din rude mari împărăteşti,

O prea frumoasă fată.

Şi era una la părinţi

Şi mândră-n toate cele,

Cum e Fecioara între sfinţi

Şi luna între stele.

The best translator of Eminescu's work in English was Corneliu M. Popescu, a 19-year-old student, who died in the Earthquake of 1977.

is for FOOTBALL

Football is one of the most popular sports in Romania. The first official Romanian football match took place in October 1909, which was the first official national cup, too.

The most famous football team was and still is, STEAUA BUCUREȘTI, the only Romanian club which won the CHAMPIONS LEAGUE cup in 1986.

Gheorghe Hagi, also called "Gică", is the greatest Romanian football players of all times. He played for Steaua București, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Galatasaray.

is for GRIGORESCU

Nicolae Grigorescu (1838-1907) was the founder of the Romanian modern painting. The painter studied in France at Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts and was named honorary member of the Romanian Academy.

The painter looked for new means of expression and followed the trend of "en plein air" painting which was important in Impressionism. Grigorescu depicted landscapes of the Romanian space and its people caught in their daily activities, portraits of peasant girls and pictures of ox carts on dusty country roads.

is for HAGI

Gheorghe "Gică" Hagi is a Romanian former professional footballer, considered one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe during the 1980s and '90s and the greatest Romanian footballer of all time. Galatasaray fans called him "Comandante" and Romanians call him "Regele" ("the King"). 

Nicknamed "The Maradona of the Carpathians", Hagi is considered a hero in his homeland. He was named Romanian Footballer of the Year seven times, and is regarded as one of the best football players of his generation. As a creative advanced playmaker, he was renowned for his dribbling, technique, vision, passing and finishing.

Inna or by her real name Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu is one of the best Romanian singers. She adopted the stage name ''Alessandra'' in 2008 and adopted a pop-rock style; later that year she changed her stage name to ''Inna'' and started releasing house music. Inna has held about 800 concerts all over the world, so she is very popular.

Her first album is called ''Hot'' followed by 8 more albums : ''I Am the Club Rocker'', ''Party Never Ends'', ''Summer Days'', ''Body and the Sun'', ''INNA'', ''The Romantic Collection'', ''LatINNA'' and ''Nirvana''.

Did you know that Inna loves photography, hates maths and she did athletics when she was a kid?

is for INNA

is for JOCURI

The translation of the word JOCURI from romanian to english is Games

Romanian children play game just like children everywhere else in the world. In fact, some of these games are very similar to the games played in other countries.

"Water and Fire" is the name of a popular game among children in Romania. It is almost identical to the American game "Hot and Cold". One player is chosen to hide an object while the others wait outside the room. When the object is hidden, the seekers come back inside trying to find the hidden object, being guided by clues such as ''Fire" or "Water".

"The blind Old Woman": In this game, a child is blindfolded. The other players form a circle around the child whose nickname is "The Blind Old Woman". The person inside the circle must try to recognize one of the players only by touching them. The players that

have been recognized join the person inside the circle and the game continues.

is for KLAUS Iohannis

Klaus Iohannis is the current President of Romania. He was born on 13th June 1959 in Sibiu and he comes from a family of Germans who emigrated in 1992 to Sibiu, a city of Romania. He graduated the Faculty of Physics and in 1983 he started teaching Physics. He is married with Carmen Iohannis, an English teacher. In 2000 he was elected as Mayor of Sibiu exceeding 70% of the votes and won four mandates until 2014 when he was elected President of Romania with 54.43% of votes.

The Romanian leu, plural lei, is the currency of Romania.

The 1 leu banknote has the historian Nicolae Iorga on it,

the 5 lei banknote has the composer George Enescu on it,

the 10 lei banknote has the painter Nicolae Grigorescu on it, the 50 lei banknote has the pilot Aurel Vlaicu on it,

the 100 lei banknote has the writer Ion Luca Caragiale on it, the 200 lei banknote has the poet Lucian Blaga on it and

the 500 lei banknote has the poet Mihai Eminescu on it.

is for LEU

is for MOLDOVEANU

Moldoveanu Peak at 2,544 meters is the highest mountain peak in Romania. It is located in the Făgăraș Mountains of

the Southern Carpathians.

One notable fact about Moldoveanu is that it lies a good distance from the road head and would require a good four-day-round trip from Braşov. The mountain can be climbed all year round but, in the season of deep freezes, and like any mountain range, tread carefully if plastered with snow. Summer is a good period, but sudden rain, thunder, lightning and hail can make ascending tough.

In winter make sure you read the avalanche report before proceeding. This report is updated every two days.

is for the NATIONAL ARENA

With 55.600 seats and 200 parking lots, National Arena is the biggest stadium in Romania. The construction of the stadium started in 2008 and ended in 2011. It cost 234 million euros.

In 2012, the arena hosted Uefa Europa League final: Atletico Madrid against Atletico Bilbao. In the end, Atletico Madrid won with a 3-0 victory. Also, many well-known football clubs played here, such as: Chelsea FC, Ajax FC.

No doubts that National Arena is one of the most spectacular stadiums in Europe!

is for ORTHODOX

Most Romanians belong to the Romanian Orthodox Church. Orthodox Christians believe in a single God who is three in one: the Father, the Son and the Holy Sprit, one in essence and undivided.

The Romanian Orthodox Church observes seven sacraments, venerates icons, prays to Mary - the Mother of God - and other saints, prays for the dead and teaches that salvation is works-based. 

is for the PALACE of the PARLIAMENT

Situated in the central part of Bucharest, the Palace of the Parliament is between the most expensive and heavy buildings in the world, was built by the communist regime.

It has 9 underground floors and 9 above and a large garden around. The beautiful conference rooms, with marble, carved wood, chandeliers and elegant carpets, are visited by a lot of tourists.

One of the most popular characters in the history of Romania is Queen Mary. Born in the British Royal Family, she was titled Princess Mary of Edinburgh. After refusing a proposal from her cousin, future King George V, she got married with the future King Ferdinand of Romania. They ruled from 1914 to 1927 until Ferdinand's death, and they both loved nature and photography.

As a child, Mary was taught punctuality, table manners, the art of conversation and how to hide emotions. She loved art, music, foreign languages, horse-riding and reading, and her head was filled with dreams of handsome princes and happy endings.

is for QUEEN Mary of Romania

is for ROMANIA

Romania is a big and beautiful country with great views. It is located in Europe. Romania is the thirteenth country in Europe by surface and the tenth country for population.

Romania is popular not only for its athletes - Nadia Comăneci, Ilie Năstase, Simona Halep - who made history in the sport world, but also for its singers, inventors and natural beauty. In this country you can't get bored because you can do lots of activities, from visiting the splendid parks to having a meal in the sky.

Romania is an amazing country for all ages and the mild temperature encourages you to do many outdoor activities! Don't forget to visit ROMANIA!

is for STEPHEN the GREAT

    Ștefan cel Mare, or Stephen the Great, was the ruler of Moldovia between 1457 and 1504. Stephen ruled for 47 years, the longest reign in the Romanian Countries.

    Stephen the Great had 36 battles, out of which 34 were victorious. We say that after each important victory he had a church built. That is why Stephen the Great was declared to be a saint in 1992.

    Did you know that very many colleges in Romania bear the name of „Ștefan cel Mare”? And almost every town in Romania has a street with his name?

is for Maria TĂNASE

Maria Tănase was a Romanian singer and actress. Her music ranged from traditional Romanian music to romance, tango, chanson and operetta. Tănase has a similar importance in Romania as Edith Piaf in France or Amália Rodrigues in Portugal. In her thirty-year-long career, she was regarded as Romania's national diva, being admired for her originality, voice, physical beauty and charisma. In Romania, she is still regarded as a major cultural icon of the 20th century. In 2006 she was included to the list of the 100 Greatest Romanians of all time by a nationwide poll.

"For the flute to have a sweet sound, pour honey into it."

(Gheorghe Zamfir)

Gheorghe ZAMFIR is known as the Master of the pan flute. He modifies its shape, construction and technique and he introduces it in all musical genres, from classical music (Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi etc.) to contemporary music signed by John Lenon, Paul McCartney, Elton John.

Zamfir has recorded 160 albums and has sold over 120 million records all over the world. He is the only European artist to win two US gold discs.

is for ZAMFIR

is for the UNION

The Union of Transylvania, Bukovina and Bessarabia with the Romanian Kingdom was declared on December 1, 1918.

Greater Romania, as the new political entity came to be known, was the 10th largest of the 28 countries of what was then Europe. It was a democratic state whose Constitution, adopted in 1923, was one of the most liberal constitutions of the time.

The National Day of Romania takes place on December 1st and celebrates the Great Union.

is for VLAICU & VUIA

    Aurel Vlaicu (1882-1913) was an inventor, pioneer of Romanian aviation and a pilot. He invented the airplanes called Vlaicu I, Vlaicu II and Vlaicu III. In 1907 he got the engineer degree. After that he worked at Opel plants.In 1909 he came in Romania and he built the airplane ,,Vlaicu I”, that works without any changes.In 1912 he built the second plane ,,Vlaicu II” and  he took first place one time and second place four times. In 1913, during an attempt to cross the Carpathians with Vlaicu II his plane crashed near Campina, due to a heart attack.

Traian Vuia (1872-1950) was a pioneer of Romanian aviation and he performed the first self-propelled flight in 1906 with a device heavier than the air. He invented the steam generator and the helicopter. In 1901 he started to create first flight device ,,aeroplan automobil”. He sent the project at Academy of Paris, they did not accept the project and said "it is just a dream". He manages to complete the project with patent on it.

Wiesel was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1986. He believed that "the opposite of love is not hate, but indifference."

is for WIESEL

Elie Wiesel (September 30th, 1928 – July 2nd, 2016) was a Romanian-born American Jewish writer, professor, political activist, Nobel Laureate, and Holocaust survivor. He authored 57 books, written mostly in French and English, including Night, a work based on his experiences as a prisoner in the  Auschwitz  and  Buchenwald concentration camps.

Along with writing, he was a professor of the humanities at Boston University, which created the Elie Wiesel Center for Jewish Studies in his honor. 

is for eXcellence

Nadia Comăneci is the first and the youngest (14 years old) gymnast in the world who received the perfect 10 in an Olympic Gymnastics Contest. She is the winner of 5 Olympic gold medals.

Simona Halep is a Romanian professional tennis player. She is the current world No. 1 on the WTA Tour, a ranking she first achieved in October 2017, and has won 18 WTA singles title and one WTA doubles title.

Romanian cuisine has many yummies. One of them is "sarmale''. "Sarmale'' are made with sour cabbage stuffed with pork and beef and they taste better with cream on top.

Another popular food, especially in the countryside, is polenta. Polenta is made of corn flour and replaces bread.

For barbecues Romanians have "mici'', grilled ground meat rolls made from a mixture of beef, lamb and pork with spices, such as garlic and black pepper.

And, last but not least, Romanians have "papanași''. This dessert are donuts with cheese in their composition and are served with cream and jam on top .

is for YUMMIES