Visiting Brasov

Brasov is the capital city of the Romanian county that shares the same name. This city is situated at approximately 165 kilometers from Bucharest, towards the central area of Romania, and next to the Southern Carpathians, in Transylvania. This city counts with a population of approximately 285,000 inhabitants, and tourists who wish to visit it during their vacation in Romania should know that besides the name Brasov is often known as Corona Brassovia, Brassó, and Kronstadt.

The first mention of Brasov as a city dates from middles of the 13th century, when it was named as the Saxon Land of Baras or the Terra Saxonum de Barasu in a document of that époque. It might also be interesting to know that the name after which this city is known in Hungary, Barasu, means fortress and was born from the fact that that many centuries ago there used to be an important Romanian citadel towards its southern area.

According to historians and anthropologists, Brasov the first inhabitants of Brasov where the Vlachs, a group of people of Dacian and Roman origin. During the époque known as the Migration Period, which followed the ending of the Roman ruling in the year 270, many Romanians remained in this city and its surroundings. There are evidences that the settlements of that époque would count with their own organization in such a way that could be considered as small cities.

During the 15th and 16th centuries, Brasov became a wealthy city. This was reflected through the construction of many important buildings, such as, for example, a Library, a Church, as well as the establishment of the first printing press of Romania. At the same time, this was a very difficult époque for most of the citizens of this area of Transylvania due to the fact that this region became a German colony and its inhabitants lost many of their rights, without being able to maintain their former businesses or maintain their religious practices.

Nowadays, Brasov has become one of the most popular tourist destinations in Romania. Due to its location and transportation facilities, this city can be easily reached from several other destinations. Besides this, it counts with several interesting attractions, as well as with very appealing landscapes and surroundings, and is considered to be the largest city in its mountainous area.

Map of Brasov in Romania