This is our story about going to
Romania’s famous region Transylvania. It’s renowned as the home of Dracula,
but there is more to see than vampires. We'll look into the cooking pots
and try out Romanian flavors. We'll be transported back in time
to a hundred years ago. We'll discover
beautiful landscapes … cities … culture … and we'll see the people
and their way of life. – Hello Chester! Our journey starts in Brasov,
where we rented a holiday apartment. We are surprised to find out that the
biggest festival in Romania is ongoing. The Brasov Oktoberfest. Every year during 10 days in September
up to 350,000 visitors come here to have fun and feast on German
and Romanian culinary delights. The Brasov Oktoberfest is very similar
to the Oktoberfest in Munich. The great interest in German culture
does not come by chance. Since the 12th century, the so-called
Transylvanian German-Saxons have had a home here and are today
one of the national minorities in Romania. [traditional Romanian folk music] When you see the appreciation for beer and traditional
costumes, you might think you are in Bavaria. [traditional Romanian folk music] Just like Germans,
Romanians are huge meat lovers. Every tourist in Romania wants to see
Dracula's castle from Bram Stoker's novel. It’s the most visited sight in Romania,
with about 560,000 tourists per year. [speaking Romanian] – This is Constantin from Constanta,
by the sea in Romania. – And this is Count Dracul. Tourists coming to Bran
should not forget a clove of garlic because the place is haunted
by Count Dracula and other ghosts. Bran is a very commercial place
and vampire tourism is fostered here although neither Bram Stoker's fictional
Dracula nor the real count Vlad Dracul who had tens of thousands of Turkish prisoners
impaled and inspired Stoker's novel, lived here. [traditional music] [traditional music] [scary laughter] The so called Kürtöskalacs, a traditional
tube-shaped sweet pastry made from raised dough and coated in sugar,
nuts and cinnamon is a must-try. – Mmmhhh … oh my god, how is it? – Mmmhhh … Delicious! – It looks delicious! – Cinnamon and nuts … – I need to try it! – And still a lot … to go here! In the evening, mystical silence awakens
but the castle is not a place to be afraid of. It only resembles the
description in the novel and was cleverly declared as Dracula's
castle by the Romanian Tourist Board. Now we would like to discover
the rural side of Transylvania. It's nice to see that traditional life here is being kept alive
by a determined group of locals and organizations. – Now we have real homemade bread …
from this lady here … – What's your name? – Your name? I'm Nicole … – Your name is …? – Name?
[in German] – No problem … Viscri or also called Deutsch-Weißkirch in German
is one of the most famous villages in Transylvania. It’s one of the many former Saxon villages that
were founded by the medieval German colonists who settled there to help defend the borders
against the Tatars and Turks in exchange for rights. Before the First World War, more than
800,000 people of the German-speaking minority lived throughout Romania,
a large part in Transylvania. Under communism,
many left the country. Today, there are about 30,000
Transylvanian Saxons still living here. Transylvania in German is called Siebenbürgen,
which means seven fortified towns built by the Germans along with hundreds of
impressive fortified churches like this one in Viscri. A big fan of Viscri is also Prince Charles,
who came here for the first time in 1998 and since then has been involved in the
preservation of this and other villages in Transylvania. In the evening we admire one of the many
fortresses here in the Transylvania region. Rupea Fortress is one of the oldest medieval
fortresses in Romania, located close to Viscri. We are in Hărman or also called Honigberg.
Yes, the village name is German again. The influence of the German settlers who came
about 800 years ago is clearly visible everywhere. We are curious to find out how this nice UNESCO
Saxon fortified church looks like from the inside. We are welcomed in German by a friendly person
from the local Transylvanian Saxon community. Amazing how the inner
compound looks like. The former rooms are showcased as a small
museum. Here a traditional Saxon bedroom. These rooms were used in the past to house not only the
local garrison, but also the citizens in times of war. The fortified church is surrounded by a 12-meters
high inner wall and seven defensive towers. The church itself is lovely, the pillows,
blankets and wooden benches make it really cosy. Turning away from the historical side,
we see the real, present-day side of Romania. Romania's EU presidency has raised
awareness of the millions of Roma, many of whom live on the
outskirts of towns and villages. They are often discriminated against and lack
access to jobs, housing, health care and education. Many of them are day laborers. Also poverty and hunger are
still a problem in Romania where around 10% of the population
lives on less than 5.50 USD a day! Romania's economic situation
is poor and EU funds are crucial even though it has achieved impressive
growth over the past two decades. In 2022, Austria voted against Romania joining the
Schengen area due to the increase in illegal migration. This was a big disappointment for Romania,
which wanted to be part of the Schengen zone without stationary border controls and
thus could have benefited economically. There are many Romanian families with
children living in difficult circumstances. [speaking German] To find out more about life in Romania check out
our second video where we go on a road trip throughout the country and also meet
a family in a precarious situation. We explore more of the rural area until we reach this
quiet little provincial town of Rasnov or Rosenau in German. The real highlight of Rasnov
is its beautiful fortress. At the parking, it was so nice to see the locals with
their kids who also like to come here on weekends. – Two tickets to the fortress. – With the tractor? – Can we also walk? – 10 minutes. – Mhhmmm … it smells so good …
it smells like sugar and cinnamon … The sweet temptations, the little trains
that take you up to the fortress, the tractors and the largest dinosaur theme park in
East Europe are an attraction for young and old. [playing guitar] The Rasnov Citadel is an impressive
thirteenth-century fortress built on the top of the mountain from where
you can see the mountainous region. And it’s located at an elevation of
200 meters above the town of Rasnov. We are on the way to Magura,
a sweet escape from the city. To reach this place in the mountains, we pass near
poor residential areas and traditional villages. Here we are, Romanians say that if heaven
were a place on earth, it would look like this. A Romanian dinner completes
the heavenly feeling. We are back in Brasov or Kronstadt in German
that was originally founded by German knights. The pretty town has 250,000 inhabitants and is
located about two hours' drive north of Bucharest. The center of the old town is the Piata Sfatului
square with the Black Church in the middle. Of course, the Dracula cult is also well used
here to catch the attention of tourists. The city life of Brasov is vibrant, with many
cafés, stores, bars and good restaurants. We discover more of Brasov and are reminded
of the many conquests the city has gone through. This Statue commemorates
the end of the First World War. Romania is considered one of the
most religious countries in Europe. This gothic Orthodox Church of
St. Nicholas of Myra is truly magical. Magical is also the panoramic view that awaits us
after a one-hour hike up the city’s mountain Tampa. From there you can see
the Eastern Carpathians. And the lovely city with the Black Church
and the City Hall in the center. We are in the Brasov Hollywood Hills,
as the locals humorously call them. One of the most expensive
residential areas in Romania. On the side walks we often see these rat traps,
apparently there is a problem with them. Nevertheless, Brasov is considered one of
Romania's cities with the highest quality of life. The city enjoys great popularity not only
among Romanians but also among tourists from all over the world and in winter
there is ski tourism in the mountains. Tourism alone accounts for 40% of the
economic performance in Kronstadt County. In addition, many German companies have
settled here after Romania joined the EU in 2007. Although Romania is still one
of the poorest EU countries, the example of Brasov shows how a region
can catch up with the European average. If you enjoyed this video please like and subscribe
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