Whether in legends like that of Count Dracula, or in the real life exploits of national heroes, Romania has had an exciting past. This heritage comes alive when you visit the turreted castles and high-roofed wooden churches of Transylvania, admire the 16th century artistic treasures of the Bucovina Monasteries, or listen spellbound to the composer George Enescu's "Romanian Rhapsody". But above all the very name "Romania" tells us that ancient Rome exercised the most decisive influence on this country's development, giving it a warm Latin inheritance.
Six hundred thousand years of history: There has been human habitation in the Carpathian mountains since around 600,000 BC, although the first centralised kingdom was of the Dacians in the first century AD. Roman colonisation began in 106 AD, inter-marriage followed and the resultant population became Christian. In 271 the Legions withdrew and 1,000 years of sporadic invasions ensued. Somehow the Daco-Roman civilisation survived.
"Romanians" were first documented in the 1160, soon after which Wallachia and Moldavia emerged as principalities. A succession of noble leaders held off Turkish attackers, notable Prince Vlad Tepes (the Impaler) the inspiration for "Dracula". In the 16th century Michael the Brave united all three provinces and expelled the Turks. In many respects the 15th and 16th centuries were a golden age of architecture and art.
Emergence of a nation: After Michael the Brave's death in 1601, two and a half centuries of conflicts followed, until in 1862 Wallachia and Moldavia were recognized as Romania, becoming a monarchy under Carol I in 1866. Transylvania only joined them in 1918. The monarchy collapsed in 1947. Communist government then took over until the dictator Ceausescu was overthrown in the revolution of December 1989, which brought Romania firmly back into democratic Europe. Today the age-old friendliness and open-hearted generosity of Romanians have re-asserted themselves, as visitors quickly appreciate.
The noble families of Romania were great builders and patrons. There are countless medieval castles, some fairy tale as Bran is, others fancifully French like Corvin, and others more firmly defensive. Churches are notable too, from the massive fortified churches of Transylvania to the delicately ornamented Bucovina Monasteries.
The playwright Eugen Ionesco,the sculptor Constantin Brancusi, and the composer George Enescu, are just three internationally respected Romanians. The talents of their successors are given free range in the country's concerts, operas, galleries and exhibitions. Romania's cultural heritage is nothing if not a living one.