Interesting facts about Romania

The city of Brasov is home to the largest Gothic church between Vienna, Austria and Istanbul, Turkey.

Peles Castle was the first European castle entirely lit by electrical current. The electricity was produced by the castle’s own plant.The castle’s central heating system, built in 1888, is still functional and in use today.

Europe’s second largest underground glacier, the Scarisoara glacier, is found underneath the Bihor Mountains in Romania. It has a volume of 75,000 cubic meters and has existed for more than 3,500 years.

 In 1889 the Romanian city of Timisoara became the first in Europe to have electric street lighting.

Timisoara was also the first European city to introduce horse-drawn trams, also in 1869.

The tallest wooden church in the world, and the second tallest wooden structure in Europe, can be found in Sapanta Peri, Maramures of northwestern Romania. It has a 23 foot tall cross that weighs 1,000 lbs, on top of the 257 foot tall church.

The Danube to Black Sea canal in southeast Romania, is world’s third longest man-made navigation route, after the Suez and the Panama Canals.

The Carpathian Mountains are home to one of the largest virgin forests in Europe. 400 unique species of mammals, including the Carpathian chamois, call the Carpathian Mountains home. 60% of European brown bear population lives in the Carpathian Mountains.

The statue of Dacian king Decebal, carved in the rocky bank of the Danube river, is the tallest rock sculpture in Europe (135 feet tall).

Romania’s Astra Museum in Sibiu is the second-largest outdoor museum in the world. It features more than 300 buildings as well as watermills and windmills, gigantic presses for wine, fruit and oil, hydraulic forges and more. 

It also is Europe’s richest country in gold resources.