Tourist attractions in Bihor County

tourist attractions in bihor county Today you are invited to join us in the northwest of Romania, in Bihor County.

Today you are invited to join us in the northwest of Romania, in Bihor County. We start in the city of Oradea, which has a surprising architecture. It lies only 20 km away from the border with Hungary, at a distance relatively equal from Vienna, Prague and Bucharest. It is a city of narrow, medieval streets, and is the perfect romantic destination. The buildings, while not impressive in size or opulence, are nevertheless beautiful and charming.


Dumitru Nanes is a historian, and he told us that for several centuries, Oradea has been the most important trade and cultural centre in the area. In the Middle Ages, the city had an astronomical observatory, and astronomers there used Oradea's meridian as their zero meridian:


"This is the monument that is representative for Oradea, for the city's historical development, as well as for the county's. A significant part of the city's history gravitated around this ensemble, both in the early centuries, around the 11th century, and in the 16th century, when it was a spiritual and religious centre. Then it became the Renaissance cultural centre, also acting as an important military centre, with its fortress."


The architectural jewel of Oradea is the Moon Church built in 1784. The Cathedral of the Dormition, fondly nicknamed the Moon Church by the locals, has a steeple rising 55 meters above ground. Beneath the tower's clock there is a sphere, 3 meters in diameter. It is painted half black and half gold, representing the moon. It has a mechanism unique in Europe, which replicates the Moon's rotation around the Earth, representing all the phases of the Moon. Going around the centre of the town you can admire the beautiful buildings housing the State Theatre and the Philharmonic Orchestra. In the evening, performances are held here, continuing a long tradition. Music is universal, while theatre shows are in both Romanian and Hungarian. Adrian Dubere, the head of the National Tourist Information and Promotion Centre of Bihor, told us about the possibilities for tourism and the reasons for which tourists should definitely make this a major destination:


"Tourists should come here first and foremost for the thermal baths, as well as for the historical buildings, which have been restored. Oradea has undergone an architectural rebirth. Visitors have plenty to see: the Art Nouveau architecture and its churches, which are testimony to its multiculturality. It has the biggest Roman Catholic cathedral in southeast Europe, outside of Hungary. You can also see the former Cris Museum, a beautiful Baroque mansion. The Moon Church in Oradea mimics the phases of the Moon with a very old clockwork system, still functional. We also have great destinations around the county, such as Vartop holiday village, Stana de Vale, as well as the Karst highland in Padis. We also have plenty of old wooden churches."


We continue our trip in the mountain area of Bihor county. Speleologist Viorel Lascu is also an entrepreneur, who started restoring very old houses in the Padurea Craiului Mountains. It is a project aiming at starting a rebirth of Romanian villages:


"Around the 1980s, I was exploring the Padurea Craiului area, around the village of Rosia. Some of the caves there are known as prehistoric dwellings, with some of the oldest traces of human habitation in Romania. In addition to the impressive scenery, we were impressed by the centuries-old houses with thatched roofs, with roof beams and clay hearths. We renovated based on experience gained with house renovation in Alsace, in France. We started with the first house, which was the same way it had been when it was built 200 years ago, flanked by two cherry trees which are probably older than the house itself. We restored the houses to their original appearance, with the old type of furniture, with their simplicity of atmosphere, adapting them to modern needs with minimal intrusion upon the environment, fitting them with running water, a heating system, and cooking facilities."


Since the winter holidays are almost upon us, don't hesitate to get in touch with your travel agent and look up tourism offers for Bihor County around the holidays. In the rural area the holiday traditions are exceptional, and not to be missed. 



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Publicat: 2017-11-09 13:09:00
Vizualizari: 1993
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