World Heritage Sites of Romania
Romania has joined the UNESCO convention on 16 May 1990, so far it has 32 attractions recognized
located in 7 regions of Romania. 6 of them are cultural sites and the 7th is the Danube Delta recognized
for her natural beauty and importance.
I. Churches of Moldavia
The Churches of Moldavia are Byzantine churches with painted exterior walls. They were built between
ca. 1487 and 1532, as a protective barrier against the Muslim Ottoman conquerors from the East.
The following individual churches are part of this site:
1. Church of the Beheading of St John the Baptist, Arbore
2. Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of the former Monastery of Humor
3. Church of the Annunciation of the Monastery of Moldovita
4. Church of the Holy Rood, Patrauti
5. Church of St Nicholas and the Catholicon of the Monastery of Probota
6. Church of St George, Suceava
7. Church of St George of the former Voronet Monastery.
8. Church of the Resurrection of Sucevita Monastery
II. Dacian Fortresses
The Dacian Fortresses of the Orastie Mountains are Iron Age defense works built as protection against
Roman conquest.
They were built between the 1st centuries B.C. and A.D. by the Dacians, who lived in what is now
Romania (between the Carpathians and the Danube).
Sarmizegetusa Regia was the Dacian capital and the center of its political and religious power. It was
built on a fortified mountain. The other sites formed a system of defense works to defend the capital.
After their destruction by the Romans in 106, the sites were never reoccupied.
Six locations are part of this site:
1. Sarmizegetusa Regia
2. Costesti-Cetatuie
3. Costesti-Blidaru
4. Luncani-Piatra Rosie
5. Bãnita
6. Cãpâlna
III. Danube Delta
The Danube Delta is the largest continuous marshland in Europe and a critical site for bird conservation.
The Delta is on the flyway between central and Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean and Middle East
and Africa. It is also the major site for two threatened species, the pygmy cormorant and the red-
breasted goose.
The area consists of a low alluvial plain, mostly covered by wetlands and water. There is an intricate
pattern of marshes, channels, streamlets and lakes.
At inscription, IUCN suggested that the site should be extended with the Ukrainian part of the Delta (the
Dunay Ramsar site).
IV. Monastery of Horezu
The Monastery of Horezu is considered the masterpiece of the Brancovan style that influenced art
across the region in the 18th and 19th century.
The monastery was founded in 1690 by Prince Constantin Brancovan, who let it be adorned with wall
paintings and other rich decorations. The interior work was done by the Greek artist Constantinos, who
also founded an acclaimed school of painting in Horezu.
The tradition of Mount Athos, which artistic creations were made possible by a system of patronage,
was an example for Wallachia and Brancovan.
The Brancovan style that developed under these circumstances is a synthesis of Byzantine and Northern
Italian Renaissance architecture.
The main monastery consists of the central main church (catholicon), around which the other buildings
are grouped: a refectory, two-storey monk’s cells, bell-tower and the prince’s residence. They are
enclosed behind a wall. The designated area also holds another church (Bolnitei) and two hermitages
outside the walls.
Since 1872 this Monastery is in use as a Nunnery.
V. Sighisoara
The Historic Centre of Sighisoara is a well preserved small medieval city built by Saxon settlers. It was
strategically placed on a hill, City Hill, as protection against Tatars and other invaders from the steppes
in the East.
The city played an important commercial role due to its guilds of craftsmen and its position on the trade
routes between Central Europe and the Ottoman Empire. It is estimated that during the 16th and the
17th centuries Sighisoara had as many as 15 guilds and 20 handicraft branches.
Both the Upper Town (Citadel) and Lower Town are included. The Citadel is surrounded by a wall with
watchtowers, of which 9 out of the original 14 are still standing. A Clock Tower guards the stairway that
connects the Lower with the Upper Town.
VI. Villages with Fortified Churches
The Villages with Fortified Churches in Transylvania are examples of defensive vernacular architecture
made by Saxon settlers.
They date from the 13th to the 16th century. Transylvanian villages were often organised around a
fortified church, to protect them from invading Mongols and Turks.
The following six former Saxon and one Székely villages comprise this WHS:
1. Biertan
2. Câlnic
3. Dârjiu
4. Prejmer
5. Saschiz
6. Valea Viilor
7. Viscri
VII. Wooden Churches of Maramures
The Wooden Churches of Maramures are a selection of eight examples of traditional wooden
architecture.
They were (re)built in the 18th and 19th centuries, after the last great Tatar invasions ended in 1717.
They are a response to a Hungarian prohibition against stone Orthodox churches. The churches are
made of thick logs, are quite small and dark inside, and painted with rather 'naïve' Biblical scenes. The
most characteristic features are the tall tower above the entrance and the massive roof that seems to
dwarf the main body of the church.
The 8 churches included are located in:
1. Barsana
2. Budesti
3. Desesti
4. Ieud Deal
5. Plopis
6. Poienile Izei
7. Rogos
8. Surdesti
