Today the people and government of Romania celebrate its Great Union Day commemorating the union of Transylvania and the provinces of Banat, Bessarabia, and Bukovina with Romania on December 1, 1918, proclaimed during an assembly of delegates and ethnic Romanians in Alba Lulia. Great Union Day is usually celebrated with speeches by the country’s government officials and a grand military parade in Bucharest. Various events are also organized in other parts of the country, including paying tribute to Romanians who died during the First World War and staging of concerts in some cities.

Romania is in the southeastern part of Central Europe. It is bordered by Bulgaria, Hungary, Moldova, Serbia, and Ukraine, with the Black Sea to the east. It has magnificent mountains, rolling hills, fertile plains, and pristine rivers and lakes. The Carpathian Mountains (also referred to as the Transylvanian Alps) run across the center of the country. Its fauna, which includes bears, lynx, chamois, and wolves, is considered among the richest in Europe. It hills and plateaus abound with orchards and vineyards.

Bucharest is the country’s capital and commercial center. It is famous for the Palace of the Parliament (communist-era Palatul Parlamentului government building), an iconic landmark, which has 1,100 rooms. It is considered the second largest administrative building in the world, after The Pentagon in the United States.

Romania has many interesting places to see, including the 14th century Bran Castle, former royal residence and associated with the Count Dracula legend; the Peles Castle, a Neo-Renaissance residence of King Charles I with a museum of national heritage artifacts; and the Corvin Castle, a Renaissance fortress rebuilt in the 19th century, with Gothic towers and a history museum.

We congratulate the people and government of Romania led by President Klaus Werner Iohannis on the occasion of its Great Union Day.