Romania stands at a cultural crossroads — modern in law, traditional in spirit, and still deciding which part of itself will define the future. The Contradiction at the Heart of Modern Romania At first glance, Romania seems firmly part of the European modern project. It is a member of the European Union, bound by human-rights conventions, and home to a young generation that travels, studies, and works across a continent that increasingly values equality. Yet beneath that Euro

When most people think of Transylvanian folklore, they picture a world of haunted castles, wandering spirits, and ancient Christian rituals. The stories that were shaped by Romanian peasants, Saxon settlers, and Hungarian nobility. Yet there is another, quieter current that runs through the same mountains and valleys: the folklore of the Roma. Unlike the fixed traditions of the villages, Roma stories move. They travel from place to place, changing shape like smoke in the wind

When autumn arrives in Transylvania, the air grows sharp and metallic, and the forests shed their color until only the stone of the mountains seems alive. Smoke rises from the first hearth fires, curling above tiled roofs and lingering with its sweet scent in the cold. In the West, this is the season of Halloween I am familiar with - a celebration of ghosts, costumes, and death. In Romania, the same chill carries something older. There are no pumpkin lanterns or suburban tric

Before the word “vampire” ever reached Western Europe and long before Bram Stoker turned Transylvania into a gothic legend, Romanians were already telling stories about the strigoi — spirits that slipped between the worlds of the living and the dead. These were not imagined monsters from distant castles but familiar faces: neighbors, relatives, and townspeople whose souls could not find rest. In traditional belief, a strigoi was not born from evil so much as imbalance. It was

The Keeper of the Flame In every culture, there are keepers of the flame—those who carry the memory of a people across generations, adapting it to new languages, new screens, and new worlds. In Romania, one of those keepers is Corneliu Țepeluș, a filmmaker, storyteller, and cultural ambassador whose life has been shaped by the timeless human pursuit of immortality—not the kind that denies death, but the kind that ensures meaning endures. His work bridges the mystical and the

In the heart of Brașov’s old town, framed by the Carpathian foothills, stands a monument that has watched over centuries of change: wars, fires, reformations, and rebirth. Locals call it Biserica Neagră — The Black Church. Its stone walls rise like memory itself, weathered and immovable, carrying the spirit of a people who refused to vanish. A Church Born of the Saxons Construction of the Black Church began around 1380, when Brașov, known then as Kronstadt, was one of the mos

Walk through any Transylvanian town and you’ll find echoes of another world such as fortified churches, cobbled squares, pastel guild houses, Latin inscriptions, and names like Kronstadt, Hermannstadt, and Schäßburg. These are traces of the Transylvanian Saxons, the German settlers who came nearly nine centuries ago and shaped the cultural heart of the region. Arrival of the Saxons The story begins in the 12th century, when the Hungarian kings invited German colonists to sett

Many Americans grow up believing the United States is the safest place on earth. We picture flashing sirens, neighborhood watch signs, and the comfort of knowing that law and order are part of who we are. And we grow up assuming that many far away countries are dangerous, corrupt, and unpredictable. But as I started learning about Romania, I found the truth is practically the opposite. When you compare the numbers and the everyday lived experience, Romania is statistically sa

In Transylvania, as November dies and winter gathers on the hills, there comes a night when the old beliefs stir again. Between November 29 and 30, the feast of Saint Andrew, the veil between worlds is said to thin. It is a time when wolves speak, spirits wander, and villagers once guarded their homes with garlic and prayer. Known as Noaptea Sfântului Andrei, this night marks one of Romania’s most mysterious folk observances, a blend of Christian feast and pre-Christian ritua

Perched above the Târnava Mare River, the citadel of Sighișoara has never been only a Saxon fortress. Its towers, stairways, and houses...

Perched on a rocky outcrop at the edge of the Carpathians, Bran Castle looks as though it was built for legend. Its towers and courtyards...

Sighișoara rises from the Târnava Mare valley like something pulled from a medieval manuscript — pastel houses pressed close, cobbled...

Every city carries its stories, but in Brașov, legends feel as present as the cobblestones beneath your feet. Nestled in the Carpathians,...

Brașov sits at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, surrounded by forests so lush they seem to breathe. Today it is one of Romania’s...

Here are just a few of the amazing things that make Transylvania the hidden gem that it is: 1. A Living Medieval Town Sighișoara is one...

There’s something about Transylvania that you can’t quite capture in a photograph or even in words. The mountains stand heavy with...