HistoricalSites, Suceava

Neamt Monastery was first mentioned in the XIV century and it’s the oldest religious settlement in this area – it’s also known as “The Jerusalem of the Romanian Orthodoxy”. We don’t know for sure who was the main founder of Neamt monastery and at what date but among the rulers that contributed to the rising of this church there are Petru Musat (1375-1391), Alexandru cel Bun (1400-1432) and Stefan cel Mare (1457-1504). http://www.visitneamt.com/2009/09/monastery-neamt-neamt-county/

Iancu de Hunedoara House was built in 1446, it is part of the old medieval castle built by Iancu for his wife Elisabeta. https://www.baiamare.ro/ro/Descopera-Baia-Mare/Obiective-turistice-si-atractii/Atractii-turistice/Casa-Iancu-de-Hunedoara/

The Stefan Tower is the bell tower of the former church dedicated to "Saint King Stephen of Baia Mare. The tower is located between Crișan and 1 Mai streets, in the immediate vicinity of Liberty Square - Central Square (Circulus fori) - of the old city. It was built The first documentary attestation of the "Sfântul Ștefan" church dates from 1347, but the construction was officially inaugurated only in 1387. The tower, built of solid stone, was built at the initiative of Prince Ioan de Hunedoara, to mark the victory. from Ialomita (1442) against the Ottomans. The construction of the tower begins after 1446 but is completed only in 1468, under the reign of Matthias Corvinus. In 1619, the upper part was rebuilt, having the shape of a pyramid with a square base, with four turrets and is endowed with bells. Nine years later, a moon clock is set. Repeatedly affected by lightning and fire, the two buildings underwent several major repairs, but in 1763 only the tower was rebuilt. On this occasion, the porch at the top is built. https://www.baiamare.ro/ro/Descopera-Baia-Mare/Obiective-turistice-si-atractii/Atractii-turistice/Turnul-Stefan/

It is one of the most famous monuments of Sibiu. It bears this name because it used to defend the entrance gate into the second precinct, situated in the immediate vicinity of the building which once hosted the City Hall of Sibiu, mentioned in the documents for the first time in 1324 (no. 31, Small Square, recently rehabilitated). http://www.turism.sibiu.ro/index.php/en/fortificatie/164

THE BLACK EAGLE COMPLEX is probably the most monumental architectural accomplishment in Oradea and in Transylvania, as far as the Secession building style is concerned. The contest to build this architectural complex was won by architects Komor Marcell and Jakab Dezső. http://oradea.travel/en/?p=1913

Rivne is famous for being the city with tough and tragic fate, which haunted it over the whole history of its existence. However, the darkest pages in city’s history were entered by the 20th century: during the World War II, Rivne’s territory was occupied by the German-fascist invaders and concentration camps, where people were massively annihilated, were created there. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/western-ukraine/rivne/1061

Stretching over the western outskirts of Bila Tserkva, not far from Kyiv, the Dendropark Oleksandriya is considered to be one of the most beautiful and charming landscape parks in the country. Created by the best European architects and gardeners, it is a vivid monument of landscape art of the 18th-19th centuries. Oleksandriya occupies a territory of 200 hectares and is, therefore, the largest landscape park in Ukraine and one of the largest ones in Eastern Europe. It is always full of guests, who are attracted by special atmosphere and an opportunity to escape the urban hustle and bustle in splendid natural surroundings. The landscape park was named after Aleksandra von Engelhardt, the own niece of the Prince Grigory Potyomkin and the lady-in-waiting of Catherine the Great, who received the mansion in Bila Tserkva as a present from her husband, crown hetman of Poland Ksawery Branicki. Being amazed by luxurious parks in European capitals, she decided to create an as beautiful and elegant landscape park in her residence. However, on the contrary to prim park complexes of the Old World with stiffly cut trees and ideally straight lanes, the countess wanted to make the landscape of her park as close to natural as possible. She didn’t strive to change local nature, rather to bring some order in it, highlighting its beauty and richness. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/kyiv/kyiv/2342

The historical and cultural complex “Castle Radomysl” is a private museum complex located in the town of Radomyshl in the Zhytomyr region, about 100 km from Kiev. It was created by the Ukrainian medical doctor Olga Bogomolets. http://ukrainetrek.com/blog/entertainment/historical-and-cultural-complex-castle-radomysl/

The Citadel of Soimos was built after the first invasion of the Tatars and documented since 1278. Soimos Citadel is on the list of historical monuments. From 1278 until 1509, the city was ruled by Ladislau Kan II and Iancu of Hunedoara. In 1509 the citadel and the domain become the property of Gheorghe Hohenzollern of Brandenburg. It was besieged in 1514 by Romanian and Hungarian rebels, led by Gheorghe Doja. After a brief resistance, the garrison of citadel led by Prince of Ciuci is an uprising against people of Gheorghe Hohenzollern and joins the rebels. Turks occupied the citadel in 1552, after repeated sieges, and in 1595 was recaptured by György Borbély - Captain of Stephen Bathory - reaching into custody rulers of Transylvania. In 1599-1600 pass under the rule of Michael the Brave (Mihai Viteazul). The citadel was finally liberated from Turkish domination in 1688. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/arad/soimos-citadel-id535

The Purgly Castle is a historic monument located in Şofronea, Arad county. Based on documents is believed the castle construction date would be around 1789. However, the first documentary mention is in 1889, the building appears in a document that mentions an exchange of land. Baron Janos Purgly is one that has transformed the old castle giving her current appearance. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/arad/purgly-castle-id547

The Fortress of Arad is a solid fortification system which was built in the 18th century at the orders of, and with the funding from, the Habsburg Empress, Maria Theresa. The cost to complete and erect the fortress reached 3 million Gulden (the currency used by the Habsburg Monarchy at the time). The fortress was built as an inner fortification system to protect the outer region of the Habsburg empire from conflicts in the area. The main conflicts at the time were the ongoing wars between the Habsburgs and the Turkish Ottomans. The location for the fortress was chosen strategically to be at the crossroads of two very important trade routes of the day. It lies in the middle of the trade routes that led from the West to the Transylvania Region, and from the North, Oradea, and Satu Mare, to Timisoara, and down to the Danube waterway. http://roamingromania.com/fortress-of-arad/

The Administrative Palace of Arad is a building built between 1872-1875, which today houses the Arad City Hall. Architectural gem, shaped in "U", with 90 rooms, a true "Palazzo del Municipio", the building reflects the possibilities and also the willingness of citizens to keep up with European modernization. http://www.uvisitromania.com/tourist-attractions/arad/the-administrative-palace-id533

Lubomirski Summer Palace in Rzeszów is one of the most valuable architectural city preserved to our times. Located in close proximity to the Castle of the Lubomirski, over the centuries, it has undergone many reconstructions. He did not keep their original architectural garments, as well as the baroque gardens that stretched around. Despite this, the testimony of a former glory still patronage of the Lubomirski family, then owners latifundium. Currently, the Summer Palace of Lubomirski houses the seat of the Regional Medical Chamber. Some rooms on the second floor are for rent. The basements described earlier were adapted as restaurant and catering facilities. http://www.rzeszow.pl/miasto-rzeszow/historia/zabytki-rzeszowa/palac-letni-lubomirskich

The Rzeszów castle is undoubtedly one of the most interesting monuments of the city - not only because of its history, but also because of the fact that it is an interesting testimony to conservation thought from the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, when its present form was created. The castle was located south of the city, in the village of Staroniwa, at the end of an elongated loess headland surrounded on three sides by water obstacles: the Wisłok River and ponds or swamps. The intersection of this promontory with a moat substantially strengthened the defense of this place. In this area, during archaeological research, traces of prehistoric settlement (in the area of ​​the northern curtain of the bastion fortifications) and late-medieval (on the southeast bastion) were found. At present, the hypothesis about the existence of a defensive court, mentioned in the document from 1447, regarding the division of property between Jan and Stanisław Rzeszowski is unlikely to be verified, but this hypothesis is very likely. http://www.rzeszow.pl/miasto-rzeszow/historia/zabytki-rzeszowa/zamek-w-rzeszowie

The first town hall in Rzeszów probably existed in the 14th century. The town foundation act from 1427 issued by Piotr Lunak from Wiśnicz and Stoigniew from Szumsko confirms the existence of the town hall together with cellars at that time, where wine and honey were sold. Further history of the village is unknown, probably during fights with invaders and in city fires it was destroyed many times. The new town hall was built on the order of Mikołaj Spytek Ligęza before 1591. It was a small stone building with a porch, a vestibule and a tower, surrounded by numerous stalls. This building was destroyed during the invasion of Jerzy Rakoczy in 1657. The building of the town hall is mentioned in documents only at the end of the 17th century. 1730 it was renovated and expanded under the leadership of KH Wiedemann. It was a building of various shapes, with a clock tower. http://www.rzeszow.pl/miasto-rzeszow/historia/zabytki-rzeszowa/ratusz

The Art Museum of Craiova is located in Jean Mihail palace – built in late XIX century https://romaniadacia.wordpress.com/2013/08/13/art-museum-in-craiova-jean-mihail-palace/

The Cosuna – Bucovatu Vechi Monastery is an orthodox monastery situated in Craiova, Dolj county. It is the oldest religious edifice from the city of Craiova, being built in 1483. The Monastery`s church was built between 1506 – 1512 and the actual church in 1572, by the Boyar Stephan and his son. http://www.informatii-romania.ro/en/listing/manastirea-cosuna/

The Roman-Catholic Episcopacy Palace is one of the most representative Baroque buildings in Timişoara. http://www.timisoara-info.ro/en/sightseeing/historical-quarters/cetate/tours/240-palatul-episcopiei-romano-catolice.html

The monument has two names – both used: “St. Mary monument” and “St. Nepomuk monument". Both are (and were) correct, but could cause confusion: there was another “Mary”, quite famous, and it is in the namesake square from Iosefin, and there is also another Nepomuk near the Millennium Church in Fabric. http://www.timisoara-info.ro/en/sightseeing/historical-quarters/cetate/tours/230-monumentul-sfintei-maria.html

Libertăţii Square is undoubtedly the oldest of the Timişoara squares. Libertăţii Square’s location is also the site of the original nucleus from which Timişoara’s evolution started, the first place where people settled and lived continuously in the hearth of today’s city. http://www.timisoara-info.ro/en/sightseeing/historical-quarters/cetate/tours/250-piata-libertatii.html

The Kyiv Fortress is one of the most important and interesting military monuments in the Ukrainian capital, well-known far beyond the country’s borders. It is the largest earthen fortress in Europe and the second-largest earthen fortress in the world. The museum exhibitions housed there and the fortification complex itself are among the most visited places of interest in Kyiv – every year it welcomes about one hundred thousand tourists. The Kyiv Fortress, also known as Nova Pechersk Fortress, was built on a site of Old Pechersk Fortress, walled around the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. It was erected by the order of Emperor Peter the Great in the first half of the 18th century. It contained four main fortifications, as well as dozens of defensive areas such as towers, walls, underground passages, powder warehouses, arsenals, barracks, and even the castle prison. Then the Kyiv Fortress featured the so-called hand-made tsunamis for city defence from the riverside. It was composed of two dams and two large pits, which could be filled with water within hours to defeat the enemy fleet with a powerful wave. https://discover-ukraine.info/places/kyiv/kyiv/2539

The neighbouring building is the Town Hall built by the plans of Ödön Lechner and Gyula Pártos. The 150-year-old building of the City Hall was demolished in 1892. József Katona, the writer of our national drama worked there for 10 years. He collapsed and died at the entrance. The cracked stone monument set up at the scene of his heart attack in front of the building reminds us of this tragic event. The notice on this monument says: „The heart of the son of Kecskemét broke here.” In 1895 the offices moved into the building of which area is 5534 m2 and has 174 rooms. On the 8th July, 1911 there was a huge earthquake in the city which did not spare the City Hall either. Its collapsed chimneys and cracked walls were soon reconstructed under the direction of Ödön Lechner. The style of the building with its nearly rectangle-shaped ground-plan mixes the forms of the French Renaissance architecture and the elements of our popular art. The Ceremonial Hall is the venue of the General Assembly meetings of the city, national and international conferences, wedding ceremonies and ceremonial receptions. The period furniture of the Ceremonial Hall is handicraft work. The wooden furniture and the printed leather backed chairs were made in Szeged according to the design of Lechner and Pártos. The beautiful and richly coloured glass windows were made in the workshop of the famous Miksa Róth. The decorative wall-painting was made by Adolf Götz, the wall-candlesticks and the chandelier were made by Sándor Árkay, Imperial and Royal locksmith upon the basis of the designs of Szilárd Várady. The paintings were made by the famous Hungarian painter Bertalan Székely. These paintings show some periods of the Hungarian history embracing one thousand years. https://www.budapest.com/hungary/kecskemet/sights/town_hall.en.html

The hill was named after bishop Gellért (Gerard), who was thrown to death from the hill by pagans in the fight against Christianity in 1046. His statue, which faces Elizabeth Bridge (Erzsébet hid) and holds a cross, can be seen from many parts of Pest. At the top of the hill is the Citadel (Citadella), a fortress built by the Habsburgs after defeating Hungary's War of Independence in 1849. It was a prime, strategic site for shelling both Buda and Pest in the event of a future rebellion. In the 18th century, the slopes of Gellért Hill were covered with vineyards. The Tabán district at the foot of the hill was an important center of winemaking in Buda. Gellért Hill was a strategic military position in the Second World War as well as the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, when Soviet tanks bombarded the city from here. Budapest's Statue of Liberty stands on top of the hill, and she can be seen from all parts of the city. Liberty was erected during the Communist era, commemorating the liberation from Nazi rule. Now a residential area, private homes and embassies line the streets winding up the hill. Since 1987, Gellért Hill has been listed as a world heritage site, as part of "the Banks of the Danube" area. The famous Hotel Gellért and the Gellért Baths can be found in Gellért Square at the foot of the hill. http://visitbudapest.travel/guide/budapest-attractions/gellert-hill/

Belgrade Fortress stands on top of a cliff overlooking the confluence of the Sava and the Danube. This is the last raised ground in the Balkan Peninsula before the vast stretch of flatland of the Pannonian Basin, extending all the way to Central Europe. The Fortress controls the access to the Pannonian Basin and the navigation on the Sava and the Danube, a position of outstanding strategic importance, accounting for its role as a border fortress throughout much of its history. It served to guard the border between the Roman Empire and barbarian lands across the Danube and the border between the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires, to name a few, which explains why it was so often destroyed, rebuilt and redesigned. The Romans were the first to build a fort at this site in the late 1st century as the HQ for the IV Roman Legion - Flavia Felix. Its remnants are barely visible today. Belgrade Fortress consists of the Upper Town, Lower (or Water) Town and Kalemegdan Park. The present layout of the Fortress took shape in the late 18th century, but there used to be many more buildings within its walls that had perished in different battles. http://www.beligrad.com/fortress.htm

The place brings together the rich history, and attracts its visitors with many different possibilities for relaxation and entertainment. The archaeological values found on that place such as the fortress walls of the ancient city of Terme (Thermopolis), the Roman baths of the 1st century AD with a warm and cold swimming pool, and various medieval rooms are accessible to tourists through the modern footbridges that facilitate their passage and viewing. The complex allows citizens and guests of Burgas to visit the fully renovated bathroom of Suleiman the Magnificent. Upon restoration, the original vision is strictly adhered, lined with marble and typical oriental ceramics. The authenticity is complemented by natural and artistic lightning that performs the act of a functioning museum where visitors can watch a movie based on 3D mapping. It leads the tourists to a virtual walk from the Thracian times and the Sacred Spring of the Three nymphs-healers through the Roman period, the Crusades – until the time of Suleiman the Magnificent. https://www.gotoburgas.com/en/places-to-go/view/496

From the first glance, the Castle is made in the style of the classic Western European castles combining various styles from the Renaissance and Romantic periods – but this comes not to be true! The style of the Castle is one and only – the unique Fairy style. This is the secret of its magic impact – the dream that came true to make a castle existing only in fairy-tales. https://www.gotoburgas.com/en/places-to-go/view/507

3 Maja Street (former paniaga) is one of the oldest and prettiest streets downtown. An elegant promenade of our city, a place of family and friendly meetings. This oldest city route was created shortly after Rzeszów was granted city rights (in 1354). He connected the headquarters of the then owners of the city (the area of ​​the later built Lubomirski Castle) with the Parish Church and the Bernardine Fathers' Monastery. It begins at Farny Square and the intersection with Kościuszki Street, and ends at the branch where the Lubomirskich Avenue and Zamkowa Street start. The current street name was given to it in 1891 on the occasion of the centenary of the 3rd May Constitution. Initially it was Zamkowa Street, then Pijarska Street, then Pańska Street, it was called Paniaga in the dialect of Rzeszów. In the buildings on the east side of the street behind the building of the "Galeria Paniaga", a large section of the street is occupied by the frontage of the complex of the former Piarist convent, and then two banking buildings. A statue of Stanisław Konarski, unveiled in 1989, by Kazimierz Mierczyński is standing in front of the building of the former college, now I LO. The buildings on the west side of the street, from Farny Square, are opened by a corner tenement house No. 2 built around 1840, which once housed the printing house and the first Andrzej Pelar bookstore in Rzeszów. Further, behind the branch of Jagiellońska Street, there are two stately Art Nouveau tenement houses. http://www.rzeszow.pl/miasto-rzeszow/historia/zabytki-rzeszowa/ulica-3-maja

It is interesting to know when and where was the ancient town of Plovdiv founded. What is the place where the people settled and remained to live there for 8 millennia? This place is the hill known today as Nebet tepe situated on the hilltop plateau in the northern part of the three hills (Trimontium). The earliest settlements on the territory of the city are dated back to the 6th millennium BC. There were several prehistoric settlements on this territory, but the oldest and most important one was located on hill known as Nebet tepe. Initially the village was situated in a naturally sheltered and consolidated place on the front side of the northern hill. It gradually expanded towards the other hills to become the most significant Thracian city on the territory of Bulgaria. At that time the lands of today's Plovdiv were inhabited by the Thracian tribe Bessi. The scientists are still not sure if the name of the city at that time was Eumolpia or Pulpudeva. The complex of Nebet tepe continued to play an important role as an element of the fortification system of the city until the 14th century, with lots of improvements and supplements during the Antiquity and the Middle Ages. A notable finding of that later period is a reservoir of 350 cubic meters. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/521

Croatia State Archives in Osijek is a public institution founded by the Republic of Croatia and the territorial jurisdiction now extends to the area of ​​Osijek-Baranja County and is one of 18 regional archives. http://osijek-culture.eu/en_UK/cultural-locations-and-facilities/cultural-facilities/croatian-state-archives-in-osijek

Ancient Plovdiv Architectural and Historical Reserve (The Old Town) is located in the Central part of the city of Plovdiv on the Three Hills (Nebet Tepe, Taksim Tepe and Dzhambaz Tepe) and covers an area of about 35 ha. It was formed due to the continuous life over the centuries – from Prehistoric, Thracian, Hellenic, Roman, Late-ancient, Medieval, National Revival, and Post-Liberation periods to present days. The combination of the prevailing Antiquity, Middle Ages and Revival in an independent core within the modern city is one of a kind for our country. From the Roman and the Late-ancient period in the Old Town have been best preserved the Ancient Theatre, the Ancient Forum, the Roman Stadium, Early Christian basilicas, public and private buildings, pipelines, street network and parts of the fortress walls, constructed in the Antiquity and the Middle Ages. From the National Revival period the authentic architecture of houses as well as several churches and school buildings have been preserved. The residential buildings are divided into two main groups. The first group of houses corresponds to the mountain asymmetrical type, but it has been expanded and enriched for the needs of the urban life. The second group is the so-called “Plovdiv symmetrical urban house”. This group of buildings is characterized by a unique national interpretation of the European baroque. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/676

On the territory to the East and Northeast of the Forum (Agora) of Philippopolis in the years of Early Christianity were formed neighborhoods where several Christian churches were built. In the same area were found also the ruins of a synagogue - a unique building from that period. The ruins of the Small Early Christian basilica were found during the construction works of "Maria Louisa" Blvd. The Small basilica is situated in the eastern outskirts of the Ancient city, next to the fortification wall with a tower from 2nd - 4th century AD. The basilica has a central nave, flanked by two aisles. It is with one apse and with a narthex. A small chapel was built to the South and a baptistery is erected just next to the Northern aisle. The overall length of the basilica, including the apse, is 20 meters, and the width is 13 meters. The basilica was built in the second half of 5th century AD with rich architectural decorations – marble colonnades separating the aisles, marble altar wall, pulpit and synthronos. The floors were covered with rich multicolour mosaic with geometrical motifs. The mosaic includes a panel with donor inscription. Remnants of an altar table were found. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/675

The Stadium of Philippopolis was built in the beginning of 2nd century AD during the reign Emperor Hadrian. It is situated in the Northern part of the fortified city surrounded by defence walls, in the natural terrain between Taksim Tepe and Sahat Tepe. The facility, approximately 240 meters long and 50 meters wide, could seat up to 30 000 spectators. According to the epigraphic and numismatic monuments games similar to the Pythian Games in Greece were held in the town. To honour the visit of the Roman emperor Caracalla in 214 the games were called Alexandrian while the games for the visit of emperor Elagabalus in 218 were called Kedrisian Games. There you can dive underground at the original level of the Ancient town. The space open for visitors includes a part of the track, the semi-circular part of the spectator seats (sfendona) and a panoramic wall with hypothetical reconstruction of the missing space of the facility. Some of the discovered elements of the Stadium are identified along the main street of Plovdiv. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/523

The Ancient theatre of Philipoppol is one of the best-preserved ancient theatres in the World. It is located on the Southern slope of the Three Hills, in the saddle between Taksim and Dzhambaz tepe. Discovered by archaeologists from Plovdiv and reconstructed in the beginning of the 80s of XX century, the Ancient theatre of Philipoppol is among the most significant findings from the Roman period. Recently found and deciphered inscription on a monumental pedestal reveals that the theatre has been constructed in the 90s of I century A.D., when Philippolol was under the rulership of Titus Flavius Cotis – an heir of a Thracian Royal Dynasty, the high priest of the Tracian province, representative of the Metropolitan Court of Justice and a person in charge of the construction sites. Nowadays, the Ancient theatre is symbolical for Plovdiv and adjusted to the city’s modern cultural life. It is operating as a stage of opera, music and drama. Some of the best annual events are the International Folklore Festival, the Opera Festival "Opera Open", the Rock Festival "Sounds of Ages" and many others. http://www.visitplovdiv.com/en/node/522