How Romania Got Its Name…and Lost Its Historic Treasures

I’m in Romania — home of the descendants of ancient Roman soldiers and young Dacian widows. Join me with my guide in Bucharest as we learn how Romanians were born out of a horrible slaughter. I said the soldiers “made love” to the widows of the locals they killed…on further consideration, it was more likely rape.


This is Day 53 of my 100 Days in Europe series. As I research my guidebooks and make new TV shows, I’m reporting on my experiences and lessons learned in Portugal, Spain, Italy, France, Bulgaria, Romania, and beyond. Find more at blog.ricksteves.com.

Comments

4 Replies to “How Romania Got Its Name…and Lost Its Historic Treasures”

  1. … and also why Romanian is one of the four Romance languages. I have never heard the language spoken, so it would be interesting to see if it sounds like Italian!

  2. Romanian is a latin language, similar with italian, french, spanish…It is very close to italian, but the accent is a little different. Romanian is NOT similar with Russian!

  3. Great to see you in Romania. I hope you get a chance to visit Transylvania and see the amazing re-genesis of cities like Brasov, Sibiu, Sigisoara, Cluj, Alba Iulia, Medias, etc. That region has really come alive after a long communist sleep.

  4. There is further problem with your view of Ro-an history. You repeat the widely used, but never confirmed theory, that today’s Romanians were descendants of the Dac population which was exterminated by Roman legions of Traian. I visited several museums of history in Transylvania and there is no trace of a continuous population between 3 ct. AD. (when Romans adandoned the province Dacia Superior) and the 7 ct. when Avars appeared in the territory. There is continuous excavated material since the arrival of Hungarians in late 9th ct. You should study the history of a place if you are reporting on it!

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