Streets squares and districts to visit Romania

From the first glance, this large paved and grassy square, surrounded by colourful buildings, seduces by its elegance. Entirely pedestrian, it is a popular meeting place: people come here to chat, play football, meet around the small circular fountain in the centre or have a drink at one of its many terraces. Union Square has been the scene of many important events for Banat. For example, it was here that the region's attachment to Romania was celebrated, hence its name. In the center stands the statue of the Holy Trinity (1740), which recalls the plague epidemic that devastated Timişoara. Created in Vienna, in the purest Baroque style, the statue was transported by river. It was renovated in 1995.

Piața Unirii is surrounded by many remarkable buildings, most of them of Baroque architecture, but also classical or eclectic: the Baroque Palace, which houses the Museum of Art, the Serbian Catholic and Orthodox Cathedrals, the Episcopal Palace. Note also the amazing Casa Brück, at No. 2, built in 1910 in the Art Nouveau style. Or, in a corner, at the very beginning of the rue Gheorghe Lazăr, a jewel of Art Nouveau architecture from 1908, with wavy shapes and glazed ceramic ornaments. The beautiful building is reminiscent of those designed by the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. A little further on, by taking the Augustin Pasha street, you will see at n° 6 the house "au Trompettiste", surmounted by a baroque bulb.

Surrounding these two long squares, bordered and crossed by major roads, are a number of important administrative buildings, all erected in the ^19th or early ^20th century: prefecture, courthouse, Orthodox theological institute and finance palace. They are also home to the Orthodox cathedral and the opera house, which face each other and between which stands a statue of Avram Iancu, a figure of the Romanian revolution of 1848.

A decisive moment in the 1989 revolution was played out here. On December 21, from the balcony of the Communist Party, Ceaușescu delivered a speech - his last. Interrupted by protests from the crowd, he fled by helicopter the following day, after a night of bloody repression. In the center of the square, the Renaissance Memorial pays tribute to the victims. In one corner, you'll also see the remains of a beautiful building burnt down during the revolution, reputed to have housed Securitate services. Renovated, a glass tower has been added.

Long and lined with colorful houses surrounding a large square, it's the heart of the town. It is home to a number of fine buildings, including the Catholic Cathedral, built in the ^18th century in the Baroque style, and the former girls' school, a beautiful pink-orange building (at no. 22), also in the Baroque style. To the far east of the square is a yellow eclectic building called Reduta (1889). At the other end, continuing westwards, the Gothic-style Reformed Church adjoins the former Prefecture, a ^17th-century red-and-yellow Baroque building.

Quiet and charming, this is one of the city's prettiest districts, where the streets bear the names of great doctors and researchers. It's a pleasant place to stroll, especially along Sfântul Elefterie, Joseph Lister and Romniceanu streets. This is a residential district, with no shops apart from a few good cafés, and often very large mansions built from the late ^19th century onwards in a variety of styles: neo-Romanesque, neo-Moorish and Art Deco. The streets, all lined with plane trees, are shaded in summer.

South of the river Săsar, around the piața Libertății, the old town is not lacking in charm. There are some imposing buildings and beautiful late-Gothic medieval structures. From the piața Libertății starts the pretty Vasile Lucaciu street, partly pedestrianized, as well as the lively Gheorghe Șincai street. To the south, take Rue 1 Mai or Rue Crișan, and you'll come across the pleasant, recently rehabilitated piața Cetății. In addition to the Etienne Tower, you'll see the Church of the Holy Trinity. Baroque in style, it dates back to 1720.

Located between Piața Unirii and the park Cișmigiu, it is the historical heart and the starting point of the development of Bucharest. Around the princely court, of which only ruins remain, this district attracted merchants and craftsmen from the 15th century onwards. Ravaged by a fire in 1847, foreign architects, mostly French, helped to give it a European look. The district is crossed by Lipscani Street, once the most commercial street in the city. Its name comes from Lipsca, or Leipzig. The streets Şelari (des Selliers) and Blănari (des Fourreurs), which bear witness to the age-old trading and craft activities in the district, are also interesting to walk along. To go from Lipscani to Blănari, you can take the Hanul cu Tei (Lime Tree Inn) street, lined with art and antique shops. Other points of interest include the Hanul lui Manuc caravanserai, the bookshop Cărturești and the Caru' cu Bere brewery. Having miraculously escaped the destructive madness of Ceaușescu, people now come to Lipscani to stroll along its lively pedestrian streets with numerous terraces. In recent years it has become one of the trendiest areas of the city, where tourists and Bucharesters mingle. It has in passing gained in glitz and lost some of its soul, but remains one of the most interesting to visit. The streets have a very special charm, where ruins and decayed buildings stand side by side with beautifully renovated buildings. A true concentrate of Bucharest.

The immense Place de la Victoire forms a kind of gateway to the city's upscale northern districts. It's surrounded by buildings in a variety of styles which, however tall and massive they may be, in no way detract from the square's appearance as an enormous crossroads. To the east, you'll notice the columns of the austere Palatul Victoriei, a rigid building designed by Duiliu Marcu. Built in 1944, it housed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before becoming the seat of the Romanian government. To the south are buildings typical of the Ceaușescu era.

To the south of Piaţa Mare, this lively pedestrian shopping street is a beautiful row of old houses with thick walls, some of which date back more than two centuries. In summer, the terraces blossom. At this time of year, you'll also notice the presence of unusual inhabitants: storks, who have taken up residence on the town's rooftops. At the beginning of the street, you'll find the striking Hotel Împăratul Românilor, housed in an imposing ^19th-century building that has welcomed the likes of Franz Liszt, Johann Strauss and King Carol ^I.

This is the heart of the old town. Council Square takes its name from the Council of One Hundred Citizens, which once governed the city and met here. Called Marktplatz by the Saxons, it's probably one of the most beautiful pedestrian squares in Romania, beautifully paved and with a fountain. It's surrounded by solid, colorful houses, each with a shop or restaurant on the first floor, some with pleasant terraces. In the center, the Council House(Casa Sfatului) dates back to 1420, but has undergone numerous alterations over the centuries. Badly damaged by the great fire of 1689, it underwent major restoration work at the end of the 18th^century , and was remodeled in the Baroque style it retains today. The 48-meter-high tower was added in 1528 and restored in 1910. This former town hall now houses temporary exhibitions, as well as the History Museum. Here, you can familiarize yourself with the town's history, through medieval documents relating to the various trade guilds, while contemplating the square from above. Back on the cobblestones, notice the vast orange medieval-style building, whose color contrasts so well with the dark green backdrop of the Tâmpa hill forest. Known as Casa Hirscher (or Casa Negustorilor, the Merchants' House), it was built in 1545 by the widow of a nobleman, Apollonia Hirscher, who turned it into the town's covered market.

This vast square is equipped with a fountain to match its size. Built in the 1980s, the fountain was renovated in 2018 and now offers beautiful night-time shows with water jets, light shows, projections and music. A free "symphony of waters" that is played every weekend from May to October. The buildings, which are clad with pubs, are identical on three sides, only the northern part having survived the destruction. The Unirea shopping centre, created in 1976, saw the opening of the country's first McDonald's in 1995, an emblem of emerging capitalism.

This "Roman square" is an important crossroads for roads and urban transport, served by metro lines 1 and 2. The long boulevard Dacia runs right through it, and the boulevards Magheru and Lascăr Catargiu end here. It is surrounded by several fine buildings, such as the palace of the Commercial Academy, occupied by the Academy of Economic Sciences, to the north. Several facades are adorned with advertising. The most notable, emblematic of the premises, is the huge bottle of a well-known soda, which lights up at night.

Connecting Piața Universității and Piața Romană, they are one of the city's most important roads and commercial thoroughfares, making them busy and often congested. Built at the beginning of the ^20th century, these rectilinear axes stand in stark contrast to the surrounding winding streets. Many of their buildings date from the interwar period, in Art Deco or modern styles. Among the most noteworthy are the Ambasador and Lido hotels, and the astonishing Ciclop garage (no. 6).

Dominated by the Grand Hotel (formerly the Intercontinental), University Square is one of the emblematic sites of the 1989 revolution and the mini-mergerades of the 1990s, as witnessed by the many crosses, plaques and mausoleums that pay tribute to their victims. At its center stands the equestrian statue of national hero Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave), erected in 1876. Today, the square and its surroundings are a lively place where local youth gather around a small fountain. It also remains a focal point for demonstrators.

Colorful and surrounded by pleasant terraces, the Place de la Citadelle(piața Cetății) is the heart of the old town. It was here that markets were held, judgments handed down and executions carried out. Note the stag house(casa cu Cerb), with its animal fresco topped by a trophy. This ^17th-century residence, a perfect example of the Transylvanian Renaissance style, is one of the city's most beautiful. Recently renovated, it is now occupied by a pension-restaurant.

Other houses in the area are well worth a look. A little further down, on the way back down to the Clock Tower, you'll see the yellow casa Vlad Dracul on your right, named after the father of the man who inspired the character of Dracula, the voivode Vlad Țepeș. This is the house where the aforementioned Țepeș is said to have been born and raised, between 1431 and 1435. Today, it houses a medieval restaurant with, upstairs, a very kitschy attraction for tourists in search of the vampire (admission €2). If you eat there, you can also see a beautiful ^15th-century fresco depicting Vlad Dracul. A little further down, opposite the monastery church, the Venetian House, built in the ^17th century and renovated in a neo-Gothic Venetian style in the ^19th century, is easily identifiable, with its window frames imitating the Venetian style.

At the end of Strada Bastionului, you'll find the Catholic church. Dating from 1894, its style is eclectic, both neo-Gothic and neo-Romanesque.

The heart of the city, it's a good place to start your exploration. In addition to the Catholic cathedral and the statue of Matei Corvin, you'll find pleasant terraces to contemplate the local entertainment. You can reach Avram Iancu and Ștefan cel Mare squares via strada Iuliu Maniu, also known as rue Miroir because the two buildings that mark the beginning of the street on either side are perfectly identical. They date back to 1899. Attractive side streets include strada Dávid Ferenc and strada Tipografiei.

Colorful, lively and picturesque, the lower part of Sibiu(orașul de jos) is well worth a visit. It includes buildings that have preserved medieval features, mostly located on May 9th and Ocnei streets. You can get there by taking one of the medieval staircases, notably from Piața Huet or Piața Mică.

Place Dragoner, considered the center of the lower town, dates back to the ^12th and ^13th centuries, making it the oldest in the city. The surrounding houses were built between the ^15th and ^19th centuries. Until 1976, a Baroque and neoclassical building dating from 1800 stood in its middle, housing the headquarters of the Austrian dragoons.

Rue du 9 Mai is Sibiu's oldest street. It features seven listed buildings, including a ^16th-century house at no. 43. The architecture is typical of Transylvanian Saxon towns, with low, tiled-roofed houses. Unfortunately, heavy traffic spoils its charm.

Goldsmiths' Square (Piața Aurarilor) is one of Sibiu's most romantic squares. This small, cobbled square is surrounded by a number of colorful ^16th-century houses, some with German inscriptions. As its name suggests, silversmiths had their workshops here. The stairway leading up to it from Piața Mică is lined with beautiful houses. The oldest date back to the end of the ^15th century.

In Piața Cibin, on the banks of the river of the same name, a market is held, much appreciated for the quality of its produce and its popular atmosphere.

This covered passage, designed by architect Felix Xenopol and opened in 1891, is divided into two branches (Macca and Vilacrosse), which meet under an elegant rotunda. Both passages are occupied by boutiques and cafés. The yellow vaulted windows create a very special lighting ambience, whatever the time of day. A calm and pleasant place, which bears witness to a time when Bucharest shone and imitated the great capitals of Europe.

This large village-like district is different from the medieval Saxon center, and for good reason. It was the only part of the city where, for centuries, the Romanians of Brașov were allowed to live, while the Saxons had most of the city. Romanians could only enter the center at certain times, subject to a toll. The fairly straight streets of the Saxon quarters are contrasted by narrow lanes winding between the hills, lined with small houses. To get there, pass through Poarta Șchei, at the end of the street of the same name.

Located 6 km from Mediaș, this beautiful village of 2,000 inhabitants, called Prețai in German, features a beautiful Gothic basilica. Dating from the ^14th century, it was extensively remodeled and fortified in the ^15th century. Among other modifications, a wooden parapet walk was added to the bell tower. The church served as a training center for craftsmen specializing in the renovation of fortified churches, but work was interrupted during the pandemic and never resumed. Today, the village's population is predominantly Roma. You can get there by train.