In Bucharest there is one for every resident. In Bucharest, stray dogs can bite to death. National cuisine of Romania

Romania, one of the poorest countries in Europe, is slowly getting back on its feet after the 1989 revolution.

Romania is a Romanesque island among the Slavic states; Thus, Romanian is the only Balkan language that comes from Latin.

The arrival of the long-awaited spring is celebrated beautifully and always cheerfully in Romania. There is a tradition here of giving martisors - small dolls made independently from red and white threads, they symbolize the victory of heat over cold. It is customary to wear such dolls on clothes throughout the first month of March, and then solemnly hang them on trees, mentally wishing for wishes to come true.

President Nicolae Ceausescu's rule was based on a grotesque cult of his personality. “The Fount of Wisdom”, “the first thinker on this Earth” or “giant of the New Age” - these are the titles with which the Romanian ruler loved to call himself and demanded the same from his people. However, only his megalomania and the party building, which pleased historical Center Bucharest. After coming to power in 1965, Ciesescu established a totalitarian regime with the help of the Securitate, a Gestapo-like organization that brutally persecuted all dissidents. However, the economic crisis that broke out in 1980 shook the dictator's position. Hunger and power shortages turned the wrath of the people against him. Ceausescu reacted in his own way: state broadcasting broadcast a weather forecast at any time of the year, which constantly announced an air temperature of about +20°C, so as not to heat too much even in the harshest winters. If the deception failed, the heat supply lines were simply cut off at night. The dictator's policy resulted, first of all, in the international isolation of Romania, as well as colossal violations of human rights. During the 1989 revolution, Chasescu was overthrown and, after a closed trial, executed. A sociological survey was recently conducted which showed that now more than 84% of Romanians regret the death of the dictator, and 41% of respondents would vote for him in the next elections if he were alive!

Oskar Schindler, an internationally recognized hero, has been immortalized in history for his great achievements. His figure is presented in history as one of the most noble, although the unknown Romanian lawyer Traian Popovich saved many more lives. He was born in small town Suceava, which became the territory of Romania after the First World War, and during the Second World War this land was under control Austria . The thought that thousands of innocent people would be killed haunted him, and, risking his life, he convinced the military commander of Romania (who supported the Nazis) Jon Antonescu that Jewish workers were badly needed in his city. The plan worked, senior management gave the go-ahead.

Romania has its own mud volcanoes, in the eastern part of the country, near the town of Buzu, dwarf volcanoes erupt from the ground and mud, which some consider healing. Sometimes mud emissions are also accompanied by oil and water flows.

The capital of Romania, Bucharest, has long been famous for its cultural heritage and luxury attractions. That is why the city is often called the “Little Paris of the East”.

Romanians descend primarily from the Dacian people, who settled in Romania around 2 thousand years BC. Romanians owe their Romanesque roots to the long-term Roman occupation.

Published in Romania new law, which caused indignation in the ranks of Romanian magicians and clairvoyants, since they do not want to pay taxes to the state on the income from their craft. The law also affects those who are involved in the occult, predictors of the future, who, for some reason, were unable to foresee the impending innovations. New laws came into force on January 1, 2011, and now services provided by sorcerers and seers are considered official income. Soothsayers and witches, believing that such innovations would bankrupt them, even tried to bring damage to the government.

At one time, “number one” in the list of the best tennis players in the world was a Romanian, Ilie Nastase.

The discoverer of insulin was probably the Romanian professor of physiology Nicolae Paulescu, and not the Canadians Banting and Best, as is commonly believed.

The fountain pen was invented by the Romanian student Poenaru during his studies in Paris.

A cave in northwestern Romania has become an anthropological treasure, preserving human history. A discovery made in 2002 showed that people lived on this land even earlier than expected; the age of the found remains is more than 40,000 years (!!!). The bones exhibit features of early and later hominid species. This discovery was a real success; it allows us to slightly lift the veil of secrecy about where the first people appeared. For example, the lower jaw found in the cave belongs to Neanderthals. Although scientists are not entirely sure of the relationship between modern humans and Neanderthals, some of the discovered bones indicate that representatives of these two different groups found each other in this cave.

Since 1991, Romania has been a presidential republic. The highest executive power is vested in the President, and the legislative body is the National Assembly.

The most popular view The sport in Romania is football. Throughout its history, the national team has qualified for the finals of the World Championship 7 times. Their greatest achievement was the quarterfinals of the 1994 tournament. The Romanian club Steaua in 1986 became the first winner of the Champions League (European Cup) in Eastern Europe.

There are many bears in Romania. Some tourists even buy very expensive tours, where a guide takes a group through the forest and shows how local clubfoot live in wildlife. Love for this animal is reflected in many aspects - there is even a holiday dedicated to bears, and it is very similar to the famous American Groundhog Day. Before emerging from hibernation, the bear briefly leaves the den to water procedures. And his behavior suggests whether winter will continue or whether spring will come soon.

First European city, where electric street lighting appeared was the Romanian city of Timisoara. It was in Timisoara that trams were born, which were initially pulled by horses.

Transylvania is the birthplace of the legendary Count Dracula. The prototype of the character from Bram Stoker's novel, who became the hero of many films about vampires, was the count who lived here in the Middle Ages. Prince Vlad Dracula and his son Vlad the Impaler were born here, who in the 15th century killed their enemies by impaling them on wooden stakes. They say that those killed on these stakes were placed along the road that leads from Snagov (near Bucharest) to Tirgovishte.

The colorful outfits of the Semigorsk Saxons belong to the classic German national costumes. One of the “trademarks” is the richly embroidered upper part of the apron.

The first actor invited to play the role of Tarzan in a Hollywood film was Romanian. Johnny Weissmuller, who first played the role of Tarzan, the Ape Man in 1932, was born near Timisoara in Romania.

Romanian Nadia Comaneci is a rhythmic gymnast who was the first in the world to receive a score of 10 points for her performance. She won this top score at the 1976 Montreal Olympics.

There are many balneological resorts in the north-west of the historical region of Moldova. The most famous of them is called Slanic-Moldova, it was founded in 1877.

The Romanian language is very similar to Moldavian. The Romanian language is very strange. It sounds approximately like Spanish, it seems to go back more to Italian, while, yes - there will be yes, shop - shop, shawarma - shawarma, potatoes - potatoes, sour cream - smantana and so on. Children in Romanian will be copies.

Romania is famous for its scientists. For example, a professor at the Faculty of Medicine in Bucharest, Gheorghe Marinescu, was the first in the world to see nerve cells under a microscope. This was a big breakthrough in the history of mankind!

Voronet Monastery, located in Romania, is considered the Romanian equivalent of the Sistine Chapel due to the paintings decorating it inside and out.

The Carpathians still remain a little-studied area; however, this perfect place for walks and excursions. The barns of local peasants are often used to accommodate tourists.

There are very few in Romania beautiful girls. If a Romanian woman is beautiful, her fate is practically predetermined: a rich husband, an even richer lover, yachts, money, a career and everything that goes with it.

The narrowest street in Europe, about a meter wide, is located in Romania, in the city of Brasov. The width of this street is a little more than 100 centimeters.

There is a funny cemetery in Romania. On each cross there are funny pictures with verses, which show the main character traits of the deceased.

Strong alcohol is sold in Romania in ordinary stalls and small shops. At the same time, the supermarket may not have an alcohol section at all.

The architectural expression of the Ceausescu regime in Bucharest is the impressive Palace of the Republic, which served as the dictator's residence. In order to make way for the construction of this huge palace with hundreds of luxuriously furnished rooms, entire neighborhoods were demolished. Construction was carried out in a strictly nationalistic spirit: only Romanians could participate in construction work and create works of art to decorate the palace. Ceausescu did not forget to provide himself with protection in case of war: a huge bunker was built under the palace, which would serve the head of state as a safe refuge in the event of an atomic bomb explosion.

Red, yellow and blue are the main colors of the national flag. The color red is believed to represent the blood of the people who fought for their country; yellow – the grain that people eat; blue color - blue sky.

In the 17th century, Bucharest was the capital of the Danube principality of Wallachia, and since 1861 it has been the capital of Romania.

Trovants remain a big mystery for scientists. After rain, these stones located in Romania begin to grow like mushrooms. In 2 - 3 rainy months they can add several hundred kilograms to their weight.

Romanians rarely fly by plane within the country; the main flow of residents travel by rail.

The Romanian national sport is called "oina" and is similar to rounders or the game of baseball.

The second largest glacier in Europe is located in Romania. It's called Scarisoara.

The Palace of the Republic in Bucharest is the second largest administrative building in the world, second only in size to the Pentagon.

The founder of the musical group “Enigma” is from Romania. Romania is also one of the trendsetters in pop music in Europe.

The communist government limited the size of living space, introducing 12 m² per person as the norm. The population of Bucharest still suffers from a lack of housing.

There are a lot of gypsies here, but not the kind that residents of Russia are used to meeting in their homeland. Romanian gypsies, although they wear bright clothes, sell all sorts of things on the beaches, sometimes steal, but never touch tourists. The word “police” is sacred to them, and they are very afraid of it.

Bucharest produces one fifth of all industrial goods in Romania.

One of scary places in the world - a forest in the center of Transylvania, locals say that it is a portal for the arrival of spirits or aliens.

The largest Gothic church in the world is located in Romania, in Brasov. It was built over almost a hundred years at the turn of the 14th - 15th centuries.

Until 1878, Constanta belonged to Bulgaria , but then the Berlin Congress recognized Romania as independent state. Together with the Dobrogea region, Constanta became part of the new kingdom.

Transylvania was first mentioned in a medieval Latin document dating from 1075 and called "Ultra Silvam". "Ultra" means "behind" or "on the far side" and "Silvam" means "tree" or "forest".

In the Romanian city of Pecica there is an unusual road sign - “drunk pedestrian”, the sign warns drivers that local residents drunks wander around at night.

The Carpathians, one of the most sparsely populated areas in Europe, have long been a natural border between
by different states. Of the five countries on whose territory the Carpathians are located, only in Slovakia and Romania they represent a significant part of the landscape, and in Ukraine , V Poland And Hungary they are nothing more than border mountains. Between these countries, the Carpathians stretch in the shape of a crescent from northwest to southeast.

A good dozen Danube tributaries originate in the Carpathians.

The basis of most Romanian dishes is lamb.

Romanian money is of interest - the famous lei, which are made in a special way. This paper money is quite difficult to crumple, almost impossible to tear, it can be washed in an automatic machine and nothing will happen to it. This is the material inventors came up with for money! Lei are printed on special paper, each bill contains a transparent window, which is depicted in the form of an eagle holding a cross in its teeth. When banknotes go out of circulation, they are recycled into special plastic pellets, which are then turned into the basis for modern, lightweight and beautiful waste bins.

Romania's entry into the First World War sent Kaiser Wilhelm into a state of panic: the Central Powers were virtually defeated on both fronts and captured by British and Russian troops. When Romanian troops entered the war, they opened a new line of defense along the Transylvanian border. But they were few in number and soon began to carry larger and larger big losses. In addition, Russia plunged into revolution and could no longer provide support. Romania had to surrender, with total losses of about 300,000 soldiers. The coastal territories fell under the control of Austria and Hungary until the end of the war. True, after its end, the borders were restored and even expanded by the annexation of the notorious Transylvania.

Most tourists coming to Romania strive to get to Transylvania and the castle of this province, known as Bran. It was built in the 14th century.

This the place is considered the residence of the famous Count Dracula, invented by Irish writer Bram Stoker.

The mysterious place is not the only mystery of the country. Located on the territory of Romania 7 objects world heritage UNESCO.

One of them is the natural Danube Delta. The place where the river flows into the Black Sea is considered one of the most beautiful places Europe.

The country is the 9th largest in Europe in terms of its territory, and the 7th in terms of population. In Romania you can find a lot of interesting and original things.

The country is considered one of the least criminal, and its presidents can come to the store without security.

For a long time, Romanian lands were part of the great Roman Empire. Romanians claim that the name of their country has Roman roots.

Majority historical areas at certain periods they were part of different states.

The country is very picturesque nature. The beauty of the Carpathians is difficult to over-praise. These mountains contain magnificent beech forests and juniper groves, and on the peaks you can find a large number of stone sculptures that are the creation of time, wind and rain.

The most terrible and mysterious forest in Europe, Hoya Baciu is located in the center of Transylvania. Romanians claim that it contains a portal of spirits and aliens.

In no less creepy place this land of vampires is Church of Biserica Neagra. The date of its construction dates back to the 15th century. This is the largest and most famous European church built in the Gothic style.

The second in Europe is Romanian museum under open air— “Astra” in Sibiu. It includes more than 300 historical buildings and structures. These include ancient mills, wine and oil presses.

The most unusual thing in Europe the merry cemetery is located in the region of Maramures. Each of his tombstones has a witty, humorous rhyme engraved on them.

In the city of Brasov The narrowest street in Europe is located. Its width is only 100 cm.

According to many tourists who have visited the country, Romania can easily be called an exotic European country.

The Bihor Mountains are home to the second largest glacier in Europe, known as Scarisoara.. Its age is estimated at 3500 years.

The surprising fact is that The country's territory is constantly increasing in size naturally. This increase in land occurs thanks to the Danube.

Sand and shells lifted from the bottom by the river waters are carried to the mouth, expanding its area.

Romanian city Timisoara became the first in Europe to install street lighting and launch a horse-drawn tram.

Bucharest. Not to be confused with Budapest!

Translated into Russian the name of the capital of Romania means “joy”. The founder of Bucharest was an ordinary Romanian peasant.

In terms of the number of inhabitants, the modern capital of the country is the sixth in the European Union. 1/10 of the country's total population lives here.

On the streets of the city you can meet people of different nationalities and religions. Many come to the city to find work in Bucharest enterprises. A third of the country's industrial potential is concentrated here.

In the vicinity of the city there is old fortress, which was founded by Vlad the Impaler himself - a descendant of Count Dracula.

Often tourists coming to the city call it the Paris of the East. This is explained by the fact that many buildings were created by Romanian architects who were trained in France and adopted the traditions of its builders and architects.

Modern Bucharest does not have a single appearance and style. Old buildings alternate with modern buildings.

The city has its own Triumphal Arch and seven hills, like Rome. The Parliamentary Palace of the capital is the largest building in Europe.

In recent years the city has become a real capital nightlife Europe. Not only citizens of EU member countries come to have fun in the nightclubs of Bucharest.

Of the 2 million inhabitants of the Romanian capital, 300 thousand people are students.

There are 16 universities in Bucharest. As throughout the country, the roads in the city are not of the best quality.

One of the city's attractions is "Rural Museum". More than 300 peasant houses and other buildings are collected on its territory. He was the first to receive the title " best museum of the year".

Bucharest is often confused with the capital of Hungary. At one of his concerts in the Romanian capital, Michael Jackson called it Budapest.

National cuisine of Romania

Romanians use corn tortillas instead of bread., they are called here hominy. Mititei are very popular among the people.— this dish is reminiscent of lula kebab.

Romanian sarma is similar to Russian cabbage rolls. The difference between the Romanian and Russian dishes is that in the first version they use grape or sauerkraut leaves.

A traditional Romanian drink is considered tsuika - plum vodka. They drink it warmed up and add various spices to the drink.

Like Moldovans, Romanians love to make their own wine at home. Each specialist has his own secrets of preparing the drink and family recipes.

In public catering, Romanians prefer nourishing food, not expensive and without frills. Most often they eat fast food.

Football fans, gypsies and inventors

What Romanians love most is football. This sport can safely be called a national game. During matches, the streets of the country are quiet, but the pubs are filled.

Romanians love to cheer for their team in a friendly group over a glass of beer. The victory of the favorites ends with mass celebrations. Crowds of fans wander around the city singing and shouting.

Among the population you can find a large number of gypsies. They are different from those who live in Russian cities and villages.

Romanian gypsies wear bright clothes, trade, but are very afraid of the police, so they never rob tourists who come to the country on vacation.

Romanians love clear license plates and big black cars. The most popular car brands in the country are German Mercedes jeeps. They are most often parked here on the sidewalks.

Romanian drivers are not very disciplined. They are big fans of driving into oncoming traffic and running red lights.

They almost never allow pedestrians to pass and are ready to run over them anywhere.

In terms of hospitality, Romanians resemble the inhabitants of the Caucasus. They are very smart and never panic. It’s not for nothing that Romania is a country of inventors.

In a multinational country you can meet not only gypsies, Moldovans and Hungarians. A large number of Poles live in Bukovina, and Russian Old Believers settled in the east of the country.

Interesting traditions, habits, holidays

Romanians love and know how to celebrate. They have a large number of folk holidays. The most revered of them is “Plugoshor”. It is dedicated to the future harvest and is celebrated on the first day of the New Year.

Christmas in Romania is celebrated in December. They celebrate Easter Monday in the spring and Independence Day in December.

Romanians celebrate the first day of spring with special solemnity (Mărtisor).. It is believed that this is due to the period in the country's history when it was part of the Roman Empire.

According to the Roman calendar, this day was the beginning of the new year. On this holiday, residents of the country give each other flowers made from white and red threads.

Romanians also know a large number of rituals. One of them Kaloyan: performed during drought to bring rain.

A dressed-up goat is paraded through Romanian streets on New Year and Maslenitsa. It symbolizes fertility.

On Christmastide they dress a bear in clothes. It serves as a talisman for livestock.

Riddles and secrets

There are a large number of stray dogs walking on the streets of Bucharest. There is one animal for every 30 residents of the capital.

The country is not famous for cleanliness and order. But the low cost of living in the country attracts crowds of tourists.

In 1999, a large number of foreigners rushed into the country. They all wanted to see the solar eclipse, which was best observed in these places.

In honor of this event, the Government of the country issued a banknote of 2000 Romanian lei.

The outline of the country depicted on the world map resembles a fish. Near the coast of Romania you can catch one of these - Serpas. When eaten it may cause a person to hallucinate.

Romanian legislation allows its citizens to eavesdrop and spy with impunity. But it does not allow the use of video and audio recordings in court.

The most interesting place to visit Romania was and remains Transylvania. This area of the country has the largest number of villages lost in the valleys and buildings of amazing architecture.

It is very difficult to distinguish fact from fiction in these places. Not all of Dracula's secrets have been solved. The indigenous people of Transelvania have no doubt about the veracity of the Count of Darkness's story.

Trovants remain a big mystery for scientists. After rain, these stones located in this part of the country begin to grow like mushrooms. In 2-3 rainy months they can add several hundred kilograms to their weight.

2016-12-01

The poor district of Ferentari on the outskirts of Bucharest, populated mainly by gypsies, is usually not shown to tourists. Guests of the city are simply not brought here, and the locals themselves try to avoid this place. The area with small five-story buildings is literally buried in garbage, and it is also overrun with drug addicts and drug dealers, as well as mired in prostitution. Next, we suggest going to virtual tour in this creepy area.

Littered courtyards, crowds of unkemptly dressed people on the streets, shabby gray five-story buildings, vaguely reminiscent of our Khrushchev buildings, only with small windows and tightly barred balconies. Several thousand people live in Ferentari in appalling conditions, in poverty and extreme unsanitary conditions.

How will locals behave when they see strangers with a camera? The reaction can be completely unpredictable. We needed a person fluent in Romanian, who could resolve a potential conflict and help us get into apartments. Three tour guides immediately refused via Skype: “You have nothing to do there,” “You can wait for anything,” “Go on your own, no one will give such an excursion in Bucharest.” And yet, a guide was found: a female guide agreed to accompany us. The car will be driven by a police driver, she said, and first asked for €100, but then she gave up almost half of this amount.

“This is a zone of complete despair. There are only two professions available to children here: selling drugs and selling sex. Many do both already at the age of 11-12 years old.”

The block of five-story buildings where we are going was built in the 1970s as dormitories for workers. Part of the housing stock was occupied by the military. After the 1989 revolution, industrial enterprises in the area closed and houses began to empty. Social outcasts quickly settled in the vacated apartments. Housing was simply seized without permission. Gradually, the stigma of a “gypsy ghetto” stuck to Ferentari. Even today, many of its inhabitants live in the apartments illegally, without any documents. Without documents, people cannot get an official job. And they don't want to. Many earn a living by doing odd jobs, selling metal, theft, drug trafficking and prostitution,” the guide describes the picture of what is happening that she knows. - Girls are sold for pennies - 10-15 lei, which is about €2-3. Sometimes a prostitute daughter supports the whole family. But in terms of the level of burglaries, the area is relatively calm. Apparently due to poverty.

Ferentari appeared to us not as dirty as in the photographs. All the same shabby houses, but between them there are no stinking mountains of garbage and garbage puddles. Recently they carried out a general cleaning here. In the courtyards there are large metal bins for household waste. The electrical substation was decorated with bright graffiti.

The garbage we noticed under the windows is nothing compared to what was happening here at the beginning of summer.

Most of the windows on the first floors are barred. The cramped spaces and overcrowding force residents to extend their rooms by several square meters - the facades are gradually overgrown with extensions that look like birdhouses.

In some places there are homemade loggias with loophole windows.

It is impossible not to notice that many residents have satellite dishes and air conditioners, some balconies are landscaped with flower beds. Still, it cannot be said that hopeless poverty and desolation reign in Ferentari.

Colorfully dressed children started playing with a deflated ball. Literally at each entrance there are several adults sitting. Somewhere they just smoke, somewhere they engage in expressive chatter. Our appearance did not go unnoticed. As soon as you take a few shots, an “untranslatable play on words” rushes behind you.

A guy with glassy eyes extends his swollen palm for a handshake. We are helped out by the pack of cigarettes offered in response. Two rumpled types are also not averse to smoking. Having easily gotten what they wanted, they smile and are even ready to pose for the camera. “Bani-bani,” the gypsy woman shoots a cigarette and offers to buy something in her store on the corner of the house. The environment gradually begins to seem less hostile.

The most neglected houses have no access doors, and there is no staircase railing on the ground floor. The walls, which have not been washed for years, are covered with inscriptions, spitting and streaks of vomit. Huddled under the stairs, the drug addict injects himself somewhere in the thigh.

On the top floor, another guy smiles, pointing his finger at the corner where used syringes are scattered (there are dozens of them). By showing off his arms with invisible veins, he makes it clear that he is fed up with this crap.

The technology for disposing of garbage here has not changed since the Middle Ages. The contents of the buckets are simply thrown out of the window openings on the staircase. Rats swarm in the backyard, which has been turned into a landfill.

A blond boy of about five, who came from nowhere in the gypsy quarter, runs up the stairs, for some reason with a pacifier in his mouth.

For a small fee, a guy named Floren agrees to show us his apartment.

A girl lies half asleep on a dirty mattress. Three days ago she gave birth. The baby sleeps next to him, moving his arms chaotically in his sleep and frowning on his tiny forehead. A confused one-year-old daughter sits next to her mother.

There is nothing edible in the refrigerator except a few jars of baby food, butter, jam and yoghurt.

The only living room is combined with a micro-kitchen. Next to it is a bathroom, where Floren has already done a decent renovation. Against the general background, the living conditions in this apartment can be called tolerable. It could be worse.

Floren's wife allows her and the children to be photographed. Perhaps the family hopes that somehow, with our help, the authorities will pay attention to their situation and provide assistance.

He doesn't have a permanent job. I’ve been working at a construction site for the last three days,” our guide translates the words of the not-too-talkative Floren. - He says he pays rent €100 per month. They are not afraid here, they are in their own environment, but they are still afraid of violent drug addicts.

They blame anyone for their misfortunes, but not themselves. Personality degradation begins from an early age: parents do not want to send their children to school. When a person grows up, he can neither write nor read. Then they cry that they don’t hire them. And who needs an illiterate? - says the guide. - They tried to restore order here. Nothing changes. They will take out the garbage - after some time it will be a pigsty again. They cannot live another life. Although Floren doesn't seem to be like that. At least he swears that he will send his children to school...

Later, in search of more complete information about the Roma quarter, we found a study on the Internet by the Danish University of Roskilde, dated September 2012. The report states that many apartments in Ferentari are squatted by rural migrants. Most of the living Roma and Romanians settled here after 2000. 98% of apartments have access to electricity and water. Only every fifth apartment has hot water, and every sixth apartment has a gas stove. 30% of households have a computer with an Internet connection. The living space of most studio apartments does not exceed 17 square meters. Often three or four people live in such rooms, sometimes more.

Drugs remain a huge problem: about 70% of the neighborhood's residents use them, the report says. A group of Danish researchers recorded cases where people on the streets injected themselves in plain sight. People are on the needle as early as adolescence. The social environment leaves them no other choice, throwing them out of civilized society. The use of heroin and other substances in itself is perceived as nothing other than the norm, part of Everyday life. Unsanitary conditions at home, a shortage of medicines, and sometimes even sterile needles give rise to a number of diseases: AIDS, syphilis, all forms of hepatitis.

“This is a zone of complete despair,” this is how Valeriu Nicolae, a well-known Roma human rights activist in the Balkans, who now serves as the representative of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on Roma issues, described the ghetto in Ferentari several years ago. - There are only two professions available to children here: selling drugs and selling sex. Many people do both by the age of 11 or 12.”

It cannot be said that people living in the ghetto are abandoned to their fate. Various charitable non-profit organizations help with medicines and syringes, there are educational programs, and there is funding from the European Union. But these funds are still not enough.

That day we visited several more “despair zones.” One of the gypsy quarters in the Rakhiv region resembles a slum. Residents of the first floors built additional rooms for themselves and separated themselves from the street with high fences. The width of the corridor between such fences is only a couple of meters.

Some extensions are not extensions of apartments, but separate isolated rooms. We managed to look into one of these outbuildings, where a large family of seven lives. It’s not even clear how they fit in the same room. The hostess hesitated to answer the question about the cost of utilities.

These extensions are illegal; the residents are most likely connected to communications illegally, which is why they don’t want to talk,” the guide clarified the situation.

And here’s another place - literally a couple of days before our arrival, there were still homemade shacks put together from boards, metal profiles and cardboard. Not finding empty apartments, the gypsies simply took over the courtyard space. The life of the camp was supported by a heating main running nearby, where it was possible to warm up in the cold. Local television recently filmed a story about this.

And so the authorities restored order. Where the gypsies went is unknown. Perhaps they have already established a settlement in the next quarter?

The disgusting walls of the entrances, drug syringes and garbage under the windows - the houses of the Gypsy ghetto leave a painful impression. But here’s what’s interesting: the people inhabiting this quarter seemed friendly and conflict-free to us. No one tried to strangle or rob us. In response to a smile, we did not meet frowning glances from under our brows. Not a single child was seen in dirty clothes.

The Ferentar people seem quite happy with their situation. Maybe they are so used to it that they don’t want to change anything? And yet the area is changing. On the day of our walk, a red carpet was rolled out in the courtyard of one of the five-story buildings and a tent was erected. Smiling sweetly, the women on the steps of the entrance showed us with their hands two kissing figures. A wedding will be held today in the place where a couple of months ago there was a terrible garbage dump. Symbolic transformation. How long will it last?

I lived in Bucharest for about a week, and during these days I walked around almost the entire city center with a camera, and also visited the outskirts of the city in . If we talk about general impressions about the city - I didn’t like Bucharest at all, it contrasts very much with the rest of Romania, differing from it not for the better.

So, this post contains a story about Bucharest as I saw it in the fall of 2016.

02. First, a few words about the architecture of the city. Many people consider the architecture of Bucharest to be something outstanding, but I didn’t like it - perhaps it’s the poor condition of the buildings, as well as the mixture of architectural styles. In some places in the city you can see beautiful old buildings in the Art Nouveau or eclectic style:

03. But most often they are adjacent to nondescript buildings from the Ceausescu era, which is why they somehow get lost and fade. Typical buildings from Ceausescu's time look like the house in the middle of this shot - a narrow strip of open balconies in the middle of the building and the obligatory arcade or rotunda on the roof.

04. These are also very typical Romanian projects - a colonnade on the ground floor, a large number of balconies, superstructures on the roof. These projects are still nothing, but often buildings built in the 70s look tatty and shapeless.

05. Another problem in the town is the external condition of the buildings. Look, that's enough interesting building, but pay attention to the condition of the building - it has not been cleaned or plastered since the time of Tsar Pea.

06. From the windows of my apartment I had a view of the United Nations Square - one of the central squares of Bucharest. The square is built up with quite interesting buildings - on the left is a post-war project, and the two buildings to the right are old, pre-war.

07. The same buildings from a different angle. The architecture is expressive, but very quickly becomes boring to the eye due to the abundance of non-functional details. The general feeling of the architecture of Bucharest can be compared to the taste sensations of Chinese fast food - at first it seems delicious, but already on the third day it becomes terribly boring.

08. And this is what typical residential buildings look like away from the city center. The projects are similar to the Minsk ones, with the exception of the height of the windows - in Romanian buildings the windows are very small, often no more than a meter high.

09. Perhaps most of all from the city architecture I liked some of the buildings of the interwar period - they carry the features of typical Romanian projects, but at the same time they look strict and stylish - for example, this hotel building with very beautiful rounded balconies.

10. Surprisingly, such a beautiful hotel Almost in the very center of the city it is now abandoned, and abandoned for a very long time - small trees have even managed to grow on the balconies. I hope that in the end there will be an investor who will restore such a wonderful building.

11. And detached pre-war buildings look even more or less good - some projects are reminiscent of Lviv and Vienna.

12. Another architectural interest - in Bucharest there are many buildings reminiscent of Russian pre-revolutionary projects, but here they were built in the period 20-40. In fact, those architectural styles, as well as building codes and regulations, which disappeared in Russia (and the countries of the former USSR) in 1917-1918, continued to exist here until the 1940s.

In Bucharest, you can often find a house built in the 1930s, which will at the same time resemble a Russian pre-revolutionary one - with a huge entrance, spacious multi-room apartments and 4-meter ceilings.

13. At the same time, like other buildings in the city center, many of these houses are in poor condition. Here, for example, is the entrance beautiful home 1930s - the doors are wide open, the entrance is literally pissed, there are puddles on the floor.

14. And this is what the courtyard of the house looks like - apparently, garbage is thrown directly from the windows.

15. And the residents of this house sometimes attach some unimaginable structures to the windows. What is this? Greenhouse, seaming warehouse, chicken coop?

16. It’s a shame that such a beautiful house is in such a state...

17. Bucharest is literally a city of contrasts. Here on the left side of the frame is a very cool restored building - with restored stucco, new forged balcony grilles and wooden windows. And right there on the right are terrible ruins, from where it smells of many years of dampness and decay.

18. Or do you see a beautiful and clean alley, in which everything sparkles, there are cafe tables and people relaxing?

19. As soon as you step back literally 10 steps, you will see an abandoned building with black windows and everything covered with clumsy “tags”. Optionally, a homeless person can sleep on the porch - the juxtaposition of luxury and poverty here does not surprise anyone.

20. But such a dump could be on the corner of a house, 5 meters from which there will be an entrance to an expensive restaurant.

21. The examples of the urban environment of Bucharest clearly show how the “broken windows rule” works. For those who don’t know what this is, I’ll briefly tell you that the spitting and pollution of the environment tends to increase, as people unconsciously begin to perceive this as the norm. For example, at a stop littered with cigarette butts, even someone who would otherwise take it to the trash will throw it on the ground.

Here is a good example - there is some old electrical cabinet. The cabinet had not been painted for a long time, it was peeling and covered in dirt. Then someone broke open the doors and tried to tear off the "dangerous voltage" sign, causing the cabinet to look even more dented. And now everyone perceives the closet as a garbage dump - abandoned cigarette butts and cups begin to appear around.

22. Here’s another good example: a car drove into the decorative side of a fountain in the city center, breaking the barrier and leaving fragments of the bumper. Nobody cleaned up the garbage, and empty bottles and cigarette butts are already starting to appear around - everyone began to perceive this place as a garbage dump.

23. Here’s another example - an old telephone booth. First they covered her from head to toe with advertisements, then they broke the glass. Someone threw a couple of bulls and cups, and now the booth has turned into a real garbage dump, where they literally bring bags of garbage. And nearby, crooked scribbles of “tags” began to appear on the wall.

24. What’s interesting is that people don’t litter everywhere, for example the neighborhoods in the center where order and cleanliness are maintained. In such an environment, people often try to carry a bottle or glass to the trash rather than simply throw it on the ground.

25. According to my observations, city residents are not very bothered by this situation with garbage and dirt - they simply do not notice it and perceive it as part of the city background. Even the residents of a prestigious building in the center are not embarrassed by the façade walls covered in spit and graffiti:

26. And the gateway in such a prestigious central house may look like this:

27. And in the center of Bucharest you can see quite a lot of abandoned shops, abandoned for a very long time - judging by the design, this shop has not been open almost since the time of Ceausescu:

28. So, now I need to write about something good. Bucharest has very cool playgrounds - they are often surrounded by fences (to prevent cars from parking there) and are well equipped. In some places in the city there are street parks, which are also quite good:

29. The parks have outdoor exercise equipment and free Wi-Fi - something that Minsk really lacks.

30. There are many benches on the streets where older people can relax:

32. There are also bicycle paths (though there are very few of them) and they only pass along some central streets:

33. Street trading looks like this -

34. In Bucharest, I liked the SIM card vending machines with the Internet:

35. And street book stalls, where books about Dracula side by side with books about the “great conductor” Ceausescu.

36. But in general, Bucharest is dirty, noisy and crowded Southern City, which you don’t want to return to.

I liked Bucharest. This, of course, is not yet Prague, but it is no longer Sofia - something between Europe and Asia. In this episode of the vlog: the airport, attractions, city center, video selfies, snow removal, brothels, courtesans and the oldest pub in Bucharest.

Below the cut is a separate post for those who are more accustomed to reading text and looking at photos...

My first Bucharest

A dull morning at a dull Sofia airport. All flights here fit on two small monitors. The airport can hardly be called busy - two cafes plus three shops and half-empty halls:

The flight is about an hour and I’m in Bucharest. I remember when I was a child there was some kind of joke related to the name of this city, but I can’t remember. Remind me!

Bucharest, like most other European cities, Orthodox Christmas covered by the strongest in several recent years snowfalls:

They don’t know how to deal with snow here, like in Moscow, but they learn quickly. At first, all the snow was simply moved from the center of the streets and carefully piled into piles:

Local Red Light Street. About her below:

It’s good that there are a lot of ATMs, otherwise you’d have to climb through a snowdrift:

The oldest church in Bucharest. An excavator is working nearby, “rising on its hind legs” and loading snow from piles into fitted trucks:

Firefighters were closely involved in cleaning the city. I saw several cars in the center at once, which were clearing snow from the roofs so that it would not fall on the heads of passers-by:

River Dambovita. According to legend, in ancient times a shepherd named Bukur came across it. He liked it and named the river “Dambovita” in honor of his wife, and he founded the city, which is now called Bucharest:

10.

Statue on the steps historical museum. They say that this is the most photographed statue in Bucharest. I also took a selfie with her. I will not show:

11.

Brave monument:

12.

In Bucharest, I tried walking around the city with an audio guide. This is an application on my phone that determines my geolocation and gives me a story through my headphones about what I see. So I know what it is Orthodox Church Nicholas the Wonderworker, which was built in 1905 at the suggestion of the Russian ambassador in Bucharest. The cost of the project cost the treasury 600,000 gold rubles:

13.

University Square. It's not only central square city, but also an important symbol for the residents of Bucharest: it was here that the Romanian revolution of 1989 began and triumphantly ended, which put an end to the dictatorial regime of Ceausescu:

14.

National Theatre:

15.

Sculptural composition Caruta cu paiate. It was opened at the very end of 2010 National Theater cities. The composition is dedicated to the famous Romanian playwright Ion Luca Caragiala, its 16 characters are the heroes of his plays, traveling somewhere on a huge cart:

16.

The oldest coffee shop in Bucharest:

17.

Red Street. All the main brothels used to be located here:

18.

Now there is also some left, but, as far as I understand, this is more entertainment for tourists. Although, I didn’t look here at night:

19.

Inside the establishments there are photographs of former courtesans, the most famous of whom was named Zaraza, and in her honor the Romanian singer Cristian Vasile named his famous tango: “Zaraza”. I wonder if in our country the tradition of calling capricious girls “Infections” comes from this love story?

20.

More brothel interiors:

21.

Entrance to the hotel. Very cute in my opinion. Judging by the poster, women are much more forgetful than men:

22.

The She-Wolf Monument is an exact copy of the monument in Rome, donated by Rome to Bucharest. Here it is called a traveling monument, because over the past few years it has already moved from place to place 6 times:

23.

Roman Square. At one time, when they began to dig a metro in Bucharest, Nicolae Ceausescu's wife Elena decided that the metro stations were too close to each other and the working class began to get fat because of this. She was also a healthy lifestyle specialist. As a result, she banned the construction of a metro station under Roman Square.

However, the metro builders understood that a station was still needed here, they built it secretly and closed it off from trains with a thick wall. A couple of years after the opening of the metro line, the Ceausescu realized that a station was still needed here, and then the builders admitted that they had actually already built it:

24.

In the very center stands a huge shopping mall. At least it seemed like that to me, but when I tried to go inside, it turned out to be only small shops on the ground floor with a giant sign:

25.

Zero kilometer of Bucharest:

26.

And also in Bucharest great amount posters. They covered all the passages and all the free spaces in the city. Moreover, pasters rarely bother and remove previous posters. They glue directly on top of the old ones. In the cold it all fluffed up, froze and became covered with a cap of snow:

27.