The capital of Romania, Bucharest, the Paris of the East. Founded by Prince Dracula and transformed from a dictatorship into a fine metropolis. In between embellished Classical and Baroque facades, as well as playful Art Nouveau, are many splendid historic buildings.

In Bucharest’s Old Town are the ruins of the Old Royal Court in which Vlad Tepes resided. In 1456, Vlad The Impaler, also known as Dracula, came to power as Prince Of The Walachei.

On the other side of the Dâmboviţa River is Romania’s last dictator’s impressive and once-fearsome building, the Palace Of Parliament. Close by is the National Opera House which was founded in 1998 and created as a multi-functional complex.

The Templul Coral is the largest and most beautiful synagogue in Bucharest where more than a hundred thousand Jews once lived. The Jewish Cemetery is now a sad sight as it has become overgrown and neglected.

The large cemetery in the south of the city is an impressive symbol of death and a work of emotion and nostalgia. Monumental mausoleums, artistic wooden crosses and touching sculptures decorate the final resting place of prominent personages.

The historic Orthodox Cemetery is the national pantheon that Baron Bellu had designed in the mid-nineteenth century. Bellu, who also became Romania’s Minister Of Culture And Justice, donated his garden in which the foundation of the cemetery was laid in November, 1852.

Situated at the intersection of East and West, Bucharest is a pulsating city, a cosmopolitan metropolis with abundant art and culture, churches, museums and palaces: the pride of the nation’s honour regained!