Whereas the Icelandic parliament is the oldest in the world, the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest, Romania, is arguably a defining feature in Romania. With a Guinness World Record, the world’s heaviest building is constructed from 700,000 tonnes of steel and bronze combined with 1 million cubic meters of marble, 3500 tonnes of crystal glass, and 900,000 cubic meters of wood.
Romania boasts Transfagarasan Road, one of the most scenic roads on the planet. The beautiful road is named after Faragas mountain through which it passes. Tourists who visit Transfaragan highway are privileged with a spectacular view of Lake Vidraru and mountain Balea lake.
Romanian Facts Trivia Questions and Answers
If you’re an outdoor enthusiast quench your wanderlust by experiencing the funicular line to the waterfall and Moldoveanu Peak – the highest point in Romania. Tourists use this scenic road to visit the Bran Castle, where Count Dracula once spent the night, and to admire the medieval architecture of Wallachia.
Below is Romanian trivia to test your elf and how well you know this country.
1. Romania is situated in Eastern Europe and shares land borders with five other sovereign countries. Which sea does it border? Your options: [ Tyrrhenian Sea ] [ Mediterranean Sea ] [ Black Sea ] [ Azov Sea ]
2. Now you want to go to a famous square, where you can find four statues of famous Romanians. You can also find one of the tallest buildings in Romania near this square.
3. What is Romania’s major port city?
4. What major Romanian city is located on the Olt River?
5. In the 2nd century A.D., the Roman Empire reached its greatest extent under the Emperor Trajan. His army conquered a kingdom that had its capital at Sarmizegetusa, and many Romanians claim that their identity as a separate culture began when the Romans left and Daco-Roman peasants and shepherds remained. What was this kingdom called?
6. This city, which used to be called Hermannstadt under the Austro-Hungarian administration, is the city where Samuel von Hahnemann, in 1797, established his first homeopathic laboratory. What is the name of the city? Your options: [ Sibiu ] [ Brasov ] [ Cluj Napoca ] [ Galati ]
7. In 1884, this city was the first eastern European city to have its streets electrically lit. What is the name of the city?
8. Which mountains run through the center of Romania? Your options: [ Carpathian Mountains ] [ Karavanke Mountains ] [ Balkan Mountains ] [ Pyrenee Mountains ]
9. Which Romanian town is located at the highest altitude? Your options: [ Predeal ] [ București ] [ Brasov ] [ Busteni ]
10. What is the Romanian currency?
11. Which of these is the Romanian language closest? Your options: [ Latin ] [ Greek ] [ Ukrainian ] [ Turkish ]
12. What is the approximate population of Bucharest (official EU 2015 estimate)?
13. What does “Trãiascã România!” mean?
14. In what continent is Romania located?
15. What is the Romanian capital?
16. Bucharest, Romania’s capital, is the country’s only city with a population exceeding 1 million. Upon which tributary of the Danube River does it stand? Your options: [ Velika Morava ] [ Enns ] [ Dambovita ] [ Grosse Laaber ]
17. You approach the airport in Bucharest. This airport is commonly known as Otopeni-Bucharest International Airport. What is its official name?
18. Transylvania is a region consisting of wonderfully scenic settings from deep valleys to snow-covered mountain peaks. It is an area surrounded by many mountains, which act as a natural barrier that separates it from the surrounding regions. Which large mountain range are its boundaries part of? Your options: [ Harz ] [ Urals ] [ Carpathians ] [ Pindus ]
19. Tuica clear beverage drink is made from?
20. Where in Romania is the Latin poet Publius Ovidius Nasso (Ovid) supposed to be buried?
21. In what month of what year did Romania have its transition of government from dictatorship (communism) to a parliamentary republic?
22. What international music festival is considered one of the most important music festivals of Romania? It began in 1968.
23. Romania’s terrain is almost equal to areas of mountains, plains, and hills. The Carpathian Mountains snake through the country in an approximate J shape. Which peak is Romania’s highest, situated in the Southern Carpathians? Your options: [ Drocea ] [ Musala ] [ Moldoveanu ] [ Jakupica ]
24. Next, you want to go to Spirii Hill to see an immense building. It is located on the west end of the Unirii Boulevarde.
25. One of the iconic scenes in Transylvania is the image of a cobbled street lined by pastel coloured houses with steeply sloping tiled roofs. This is part of the style to be found in the fortified towns of Saxon heritage that provide focal points for the Transylvanian region. Seven of these towns in particular give rise to the German name for Transylvania. What is this? Your options: [ Pomerania ] [ Westphalia ] [ Siebenbürgen ] [ Hesse ]
26. This city was known in 1332 as Novum Forum Siculorum. What is the actual name of the city?
27. What famous Romanian resort is located in Sibiu county?
28. Transylvania is now a region in Romania. Before World War I it belonged to which country? Your options: [ Hungary ] [ Ukraine ] [ Bulgaria ] [ Poland ]
29. There is something generally characteristic to the Romanian queues at banks, or post offices and such. What is it?
30. What are the colors appearing on the Romanian flag ?
31. What is the primary language spoken in Romania?
32. Where do you go if you are in Romania and you want to go to the seaside ?
33. Historically, Romania was divided into four regions. Although they are no longer relevant for administrative purposes, they are still generally known to the wider world, particularly Transylvania. Which of these is NOT one of the country’s historical regions? Your options: [ Dobrogea ] [ Wallachia ] [ Fennoscandia ] [ Moldavia ]
34. The fabled Count Dracula portrayed in Bram Stoker’s famous tale is actually based on a Romanian ruler. His name was:
35. What is Romania’s main mineral resource?
36. Baile Tusnad is the smallest town in Romania. What was the approximate population of this city at the beginning of the 21st century?
37. Thanks to the work of Bram Stoker, Count Dracula will forever be associated with Transylvania. The furore surrounding this fantastic character has led people to connect him to the 15th century historical figure that is popularly known as Vlad the Impaler. Vlad was born in which of the Saxon fortified towns that is also recognised by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site? Your options: [ Medias ] [ Cluj-Napoca ] [ Sighișoara ] [ Bistrita ]
38. What is the second largest city (population wise) in Romania?
39. This city is the headquarters of the well-known Romanian women’s gymnastics team. Which city is it? Your options: [ Deva ] [ București ] [ Timișoara ] [ Sibiu ]
40. To the east of Romania is the Black Sea. What is the name of its biggest sea resort?
41. Which was the largest ethnic minority in Romania in the late 20th century? Your options: [ Hungarians ] [ Ukrainians ] [ Jews ] [ Roma Gypsies ]
42. One episode of an internationally well-watched culinary show was shot in Romania. Unfortunately, it turned out to be one of the worst visits the crew experienced up till then. The episode was aired in February 2008 on the Travel Channel. What is the name of this culinary show and its host?
43. From the beaches of Constanta, you go to see the Danube River delta. What is the largest city in the delta area?
44. Romanian legend says that two brothers who fought each other were transformed into rivers. What are those two Romanian rivers called?
45. This city is surrounded by the Transylvanian Alps and the Carpathian Mountains. It is known for its ski resorts.
46. On what river is Bucharest?
47. It was in this town that the first Romanian university was founded in 1860 during the reign of Al.I. Cuza. What is the name of the city?
48. Although Transylvania is now part of Romania, it has a very strong connection to the Hungarians. One of the major ethnic groups in the region has significant Hungarian elements to it, with enough unique traits to be classed on their own. Which ethnic group does local legend claim to be directly descended from the Huns? Your options: [ Skarmory ] [ Skuhravy ] [ Székely ] [ Shqipëri ]
49. The northernmost point of Romania is a village named Horodistea, which borders Ukraine. In which county is it situated, whose capital city is rich in culture, containing many museums and famous as the birthplace of Romanian historian and politician Nicolae Iorga? Your options: [ Nyiregyhaza ] [ Iasi ] [ Botosani ] [ Voronezh ]
50. This medieval city is very well-preserved. In 2007 was dubbed ‘the cultural capital of the European Union’.
51. This city, known as Pelendava in Roman Period, was first documented on the 1st of June 1475 by Laiota Basarab Vaivode. What is the present name of the city?
52. Next, you want to go to visit a medieval castle. So, you go to Brasov County, the home of ‘Dracula’s Castle’ and you want to visit it. What is this castle’s actual name?
53. The second largest city in Romania is also one of the most important academic and economic centers in Romania. It is located in the northern part of Romania.
54. Who was elected president of Romania in 2004?
55. From the Danube River delta, you go to Iasi. You come here to look at the many museums all housed under one roof. What is the name of this structure?
56. Which ancient Greek colony, established on the Black Sea shore, has become modern-day Mangalia? Your options: [ Callatis ] [ Histria ] [ Tomis ] [ Herculanum ]
57. What is the Romanian equivalent of the well-known talent shows in the West, like “Idols” or “X-factor”?
58. One of the most popular tourist destinations in Romania is Bran Castle. It is set on a forested hill in a beautiful mountainous setting, and is a fine example of the many castles in the region. What name is it popularly known as?
59. One of the first universities in Romania is located in Brasov. What is it called?
60. Which of these cities, situated in Transylvania and home to the Church of St. Michael, is one of the biggest in Romania? It stands upon the Somesul Mic river. Your options: [ Constanta ] [ Tulcea ] [ Cluj-Napoca ] [ Oradea ]
61. The region of Transylvania contains hundreds of Saxon fortified churches. Some of the finest examples have even been added to UNESCO’s List of World Heritage Sites. Of these, one particularly fine example lies not far from Brasov and despite being under siege on numerous occasions in its history, it only actually fell once when it was taken by the Translyvanian Prince Gabriel Báthory. Where is this fortified church? Your options: [ Targoviste ] [ Timișoara ] [ Prejmer ] [ Iasi ]
62. Which is NOT a level of government in Romania? Your options: [ Chamber of Deputies ] [ Federation Council Assembly ] [ Senate ] [ Superior Council Magistrates ]
63. Romania and Ukraine disputed over the claim to an island close to the Danube delta. Named the White Island by the Greeks and Romans, it is named after which animal? Your options: [ Pike ] [ Elephant ] [ Snake ] [ Falcon ]
64. What family of languages does Romanian belong to?
65. What is the name of the currency used in Romania?
66. What are the highest mountains in Romania?
67. What is the largest religious denomination in Romania?
68. This Romanian region is known for its interesting and unique monasteries and churches painted with colorful frescoes. The capital of this region is the city of Iasi.
69. What is the biggest river bordering Romania?
70. In 2007, one of Transylvania’s cities was rewarded with the title of European Capital of Culture. It hosts an international film festival, is home to the Brukenthal Museum and is thought to be the place where Samuel Hahnemann invented homeopathy. It also claims one of the largest open-air museums in the world, where many buildings from all over Romania have been collected in one beautiful forested setting. Which city? Your options: [ Biertan ] [ Craiova ] [ Sibiu ] [ Fagaras ]
71. Next, you want to go to relax at some thermal spas in Bihor County. What are the names of these spas? Your options: [ Ștrandul Fagarasului ] [ Baile Herculane ] [ Baile Felix ] [ Strandul Victoriei ]
72. A common Romanian saying is: “to build something, you have to make a sacrifice”. Manole, a builder, killed his pregnant wife Ana by building the walls of a monastery around her. What is the monastery called?
73. What is the name for the dish that is traditionally made of minced meat and rice, rolled in white cabbage leaves?
74. Which Romanian boy band had a big hit in 2004 with their song “Dragostea din Tei” (known as: “Numa, numa” or “Maya Ee”)?
75. București (Bucharest), the capital of Romania, is situated in the historical country called Tara Romaneasca (or Valachia). Which city was the first capital of Tara Romaneasca? Your options: [ Campulung ] [ Targoviste ] [ Curtea de Arges ] [ Ramnicu Valcea ]
76. This city was founded under the name of Corona, and its German name is still currently Kronstadt (Crown City), while its coat of arms is topped by a crown. Which city is this, which staged a rebellion in 1987 against the policies of Nicolae Ceausescu? Your options: [ Timișoara ] [ Pitesti ] [ Brasov ] [ Drobeta-Turnu Severin ]
77. To get a feel for the rural, isolated life that exists in Transylvania, you could do worse than take a car off the main road down a rough dirt track for around 7km to the village of Viscri. Here you will find another of UNESCO’s wonderful fortified Saxon churches, but which personality was so enchanted by the area that they actually purchased a property here? Your options: [ Lindsay Lohan ] [ George Clooney ] [ Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales ] [ Hugo Chavez ]
78. An election took place in Romania on December 10, 2000. One candidate won by roughly 67 percent of the votes. Who is this person?
79. Romania is split into 41 counties, plus Bucharest, which has special administrative status. Which county, the country’s westernmost, is the largest? It contains the city of Lugoj, where Bela Lugosi was born. Your options: [ Buzau ] [ Constanta ] [ Timis ] [ Sibiu ]
80. Romania has various ethnic minorities. As far as can be established, which is the largest? Your options: [ Gypsies ] [ Hungarians ] [ Germans ] [ Turks ]
81. Has the population of Romania been rising or falling in the first decades of the 21st century?
82. What is Romania’s code on the internet?
83. In which neighboring country is Romanian widely spoken? Your options: [ Hungary ] [ Moldova ] [ Serbia ] [ Bulgaria ]
84. The first president of Romania after Communism fell in 1989 was:
85. What is the highest peak in Romania?
86. Which is the city that is known as “The City of the Great Unity”? The unity took place on the 1st of December 1918 at Horea`s Field. Your options: [ Alba Iulia ] [ Bucharest ] [ Blaj ] [ Brasov ]
87. The Bucovina region was once fully part of Romania. It was split after World War II when the borders were redrawn between Romanian and another country. To which country does the northern part belong? Your options: [ Ukraine ] [ Moldova ] [ Bulgaria ] [ Hungary ]
88. This city has the largest population in south-western Romania.
89. Which is the capital city of Maramures county? Your options: [ Baia Mare ] [ Zalau ] [ Satu Mare ] [ Deva ]
90. What is the name of the gorge along Romania’s border with Serbia, through which the Danube river passes? It is situated close to the port city of Orsova, and is an important source of hydroelectric power.
Your options: [ Silent Valley ] [ Ada Kaleh ] [ Iron Gates ] [ Golden Falls ]
91. Which of the following countries isn’t a neighbor of Romania? Your options: [ Moldova ] [ Bulgaria ] [ Hungary ] [ Russia ]
92. When was Romania proclaimed a ‘People’s Republic?’
93. The currency in Romania is the:
94. From AD106-271 the present territory of Romania was part of the Roman Empire. What did the Romans call it?
95. Which river flows through the city of Brezoi, in the county of Valcea? Your options: [ Lotru ] [ Cibin ] [ Olt ] [ Raul Mare ]
96. In 2007 Romania entered the European Union. In order to bring the country in line with other members of the economic block they passed a new law later that year. What type of transport was banned from Romania’s roads that would have been a regular sight when traveling across Transylvania?
97. This city was in one of the world ‘s most important regions for oil extraction and refining in the 1850s.
98. From a nice relaxation at the spas, you want to go to the city where the 1989 Revolution against Communism had begun.
99. From 1927-44 Romania had a powerful Fascist party officially called the ‘Legion of the Archangel Michael’. What was its paramilitary wing called?
100. Which of these Romanian cities was bombed by the Americans during World War II because of the oil refineries located there? Your options: [ Ploiești ] [ Bucharest ] [ Brasov ] [ Timișoara ]
101. A question on Romania in the two World Wars. Which of the following statements is correct? Your options: [ Romania fought on the side of Germany in both World Wars ] [ In WWI Romania fought on the side of the Entente but in WWII on the side of the Axis from 1941-44 and then switched sides ] [ Romania switched from the German to the Entente side in WWI and fought on the Allied side from 1942-5 ] [ Romania was neutral throughout both World Wars ]
102. This town was known as Varadinum in 1113. What is its present name?
103. What is the primary resource of Romania?
104. This city is located in western Romania. It is in the county of Timis.
105. When did Romania first achieve full, internationally recognized independence from the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire?
106. Next, you come back to Bucharest. Before you leave, you want to take a stroll in one of Bucharest’s many parks. You think a park near Herastrau Lake sounds nice. What is the name of this park?
107. Which of the following climates is the Romanian one? Your options: [ tropical ] [ Mediterranean ] [ polar ] [ temperate ]
108. Which Romanian musician has become world famous for playing the pan flute? You can answer by giving either the first and last name or by just typing his last name.
109. From 1966 onwards Ceausescu was worried about Romania’s falling population. What measure(s) did he take to boost the birthrate? Your options: [ A ban on abortions for women under 40 (later 45) ] [ All of these ] [ Contraceptives were made increasingly hard to obtain ] [ Married women aged under 40 (later 45) were not allowed contraceptives ]
110. Nicolae Ceausescu, the neo-Stalinist dictator of Romania from 1965-89, was overthrown in December 1989. Which Romanian city was most closely associated with the early protests against his regime? Your options: [ Arad ] [ Timișoara ] [ Brasov ] [ Constanza ]
111. This Romanian region is known for its interesting and unique monasteries and churches painted with colorful frescos. The capital of this region is the city of Iasi. Where is it located in Romania?
112. Which is the capital city of Neamt county, which for its architectural and natural beauty, earned it the nickname “Moldavian Pearl?
113. Who is considered the Protector of Moldavia and Bucovina, being the most popular of all the Saints whose relics are in Romania?
114. Who is a Romanian gymnast, born in the region of Moldavia, performing the floor exercise at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal and was first in obtaining the perfect score, 10?
115. Who is the current leader of Romania?
116. What is the last natural paradise in Romania, the only delta in the world that is declared a Biosphere Reserve?
117. In what year did Romania become part of the EU?
118. What is the biggest river that crosses Romania, the second in the whole of Europe and the only one on Earth that passes through 10 countries?
119. What is the largest religious denomination in Romania?
120. What sea borders the countries Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania?
121. Does the phrase ”Deșteaptă-te, române” mean ”wake up Romanian”?
122. What Pope visited Romania?
123. Was the Romanian national anthem composed during the 1948 revolution?
124. Who scored 10 in gymnastics in the Montreal Olympics 1976?
125. Is July 29th the national anthem day in Romania?
126. Who was the dictator of Romania from 1967 to 1989?
127. Does the Romanian anthem refer to Michael the great?
128. From which language has Romanian descended?
129. Who is the first King of Romania?
130. Which country annexed Bessarabia that was part of Romania during World War II?
131. When was the present constitution of Romania adopted?
132. When was modern Romania formed?
133. What was the name of the most famous ruler of Romania who was famous for his cruelty?
134. How many kilometers of coastline does Romania have?
135. How many percent of the Romanian territory are forests?
136. Where is Romania located?
137. In classical antiquity, what name did the Romans give to the present-day Romanians?
138. How big is Romania?
139. Which Roman emperor first conquered present-day Romania?
140. What is the climate of Romania?
141. Who was the leader of the ancient Romanians, who committed suicide rather than face defeat by the Romans?
142. What are some of the Romanian natural resources?
143. From about 1450 onwards much of what is now Romania was under the suzerainty of the Ottoman Empire, to which the various Romanian principalities had to pay tribute.
144. What percentage of Romania live in towns or cities?
145. Carol I and II are related to which European royal house?
146. Earthquakes and landslides are not particularly hazards in Romania?
147. Name the Romanian city renowned for its oil fields, which was heavily bombarded during WWII?
148. Which countries border Romania?
149. Which year did Ceausescu die?
150. Romania was an ally of the Soviet Union at the beginning of World War II.
151. Despite Romania’s name meaning “citizen of Rome,” Bucharest was only briefly part of the Roman Empire in the 4th century during the reign of which emperor?
152. Many Romanian soldiers served on the Russian Front during WWII.
153. During his reigns from 1775-1782 and 1796-1797, Alexander Ypsilantis (1725-1805) introduced structural and economic improvements to Bucharest as it started emerging as a powerful city in the region. But which ruler brought social and cultural changes, such as arts and theater, to Bucharest in the early 19th century?
154. Bucharest is named after its legendary (although unproven) founder, Bucur. Bucur is said to be a shepherd, but it is unlikely that he had that occupation for what historical reason?
155. On March 23, 1847, the Great Fire of Bucharest destroyed more than a third of the city. Which best describes the neighborhood where the fire started and received the most damage?
156. The first mention of the name Bucharest can be found in correspondence in 1459 written by which infamously cruel prince who built a summer home in the city?
157. Who is the Domnitor, a Romanian prince and ruler of Wallachia, who was overthrown in a coup in Bucharest on February 22, 1866 after he pushed land reform, angering many property owners?
158. Once the Ottomans invaded Bucharest and removed Mircea Ciobanul from power in 1554, the city saw an extended period of peacetime, a stark contrast to the usual violence it had experienced.
159. What was the name of the Holy Mountain of the Dacians?
160. When Bucharest was occupied by the Central Powers during World War I, to what city did the government temporarily relocate to?
161. Which king ruled over Dacia after Burebista was assassinated in 44 BC?
162. What were the “hunger circuses” set up by Nicolae Ceausescu during his Communist regime starting in 1967 and lasting until 1989?
163. What was the name of the Dacian aristocracy?
164. Which group of people initiated the Golaniad Protest in 1990?
165. What was the real name of King Decebalus?
166. Which Dacian king personally pursued and realized his life-time achievement, which was the unification of the divided Thracian population?
167. What is the name of Dacia’s main city that was conquered by Romans?
168. In which present-day city was the ancient capital of Burebista`s Kingdom, Argedava?
169. The colors of Steaua Bucharest in 2004 were what?
170. Who was the first Roman Emperor that tried to conquer Dacia, but was defeated by younger Decebalus – although the latter was yet a king?
171. What was the name of the national stadium of Romania in 2003?
172. Bendis was the Supreme Goddess of the Dacians.
173. Name the Romanian soccer player who joined Chelsea London in 2003 and was known as ‘The Brilliant.’
174. Was Comosicus a Dacian king?
175. Which of the following soccer players from the Romanian championship, died during a match after suffering cerebral damage, in 2000?
176. Which is the first Romanian team that won the UEFA Champions League trophy?
177. Which Romania coach won 2 consecutive titles with 2 different teams, Galatasaray 2002, and Besiktas 2003 in Turkey?
178. Which Romanian goalkeeper playing for Steaua Bucharest, entered the Guinness Book after opposing 4 consecutive penalty shots against Barcelona, in the 1986 UEFA Champions League final?
179. In which city was there a stadium named after Gheorghe Hagi, the greatest Romanian soccer player?
180. Which of the following coaches was not a candidate for coaching Romania, after Anghel Iordanescu quit during the qualifying games for the 2006 World Cup?
181. How many World Cups did Romania win in the twentieth century?
182. Romania played its first official international game in what year and against what country?
183. With which other country was Romania candidating for organizing the 2012 European Championship?
184. Who led FRF (the Romanian Soccer Federation) from 1986 until 1989?
185. Helmuth Duckadam, the goalkeeper of Steaua Bucharest during the 1980s joined which political party in 2004?
186. Claudiu Keseru, transferred from Dinamo Bucharest to ____________ in 2003?
187. Mircea Lucescu was appointed coach of Shakhtar Donetsk (a team in the Ukraine) in 2004. Which of the following Romanian players was NOT a member of this team at that time?
188. Who was the coach of Steaua Bucharest in the season 2004-05?
189. Which former football player and present businessman was appointed President of Otelul Galati in 2003?
190. Which team did CFR Cluj play in the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup Intertoto in 2005?
191. What are the colors of CFR Cluj?
192. Dorinel Munteanu left CFR Cluj in the middle of the night, and signed with another team. Which team?
193. Who was the goalkeeper of CFR in the Champions League?
194. At the end of the 2004-05 season, CFR was playing in the first division of the Romanian League. Where did they finish?
195. Who was the trainer of the team when CFR won the domestic double in 2008 (the Championship and the Romanian Cup)?
196. CFR Cluj played a match against RC Lens in UEFA Cup Intertoto. What was the final score of the first game?
197. Which player scored twice against AS Roma in a Champions League match?
198. Who was captain of the 2008 team?
199. Author of over 40 academic works and 20 novels, stories and short stories, this famous Romanian was Sewell Avery Distinguished Service Professor of the History of Religions at the University of Chicago. He is best known for his autobiographical novel “Bengal Nights” and his work “A History of Religious Ideas”.
200. One of the founders of “Dada” – the ‘anti-art’ cultural movement that developed in Western Europe during World War I – this Romanian poet and essayist lived in France for most of his life. In 1918 he wrote what is considered one of the most important of the Dada writings, the “Dada Manifesto”.
201. A well-known American, but Romanian-born, stage and film actor, who, in most of his roles, portrayed the “tough guy” or a gangster. Among the notable movies he had a part in, we have “A Hole in the Head” (1959) opposite Frank Sinatra, “The Cincinnati Kid” (1965), and “Key Largo” with Humphrey Bogart. He gave a sensational performance as the gangster Rico Bandello in “Little Caesar” (1931).
202. The daughter of a train driver, this Romanian singer was married to Italian tenor Roberto Alagna, is one of the most famous contemporary sopranos. She made her international debut as Zerlina (“Don Giovanni”) in 1992 at Covent Garden.
203. This Romanian cell biologist was a professor at University of California, San Diego, winner of a Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1974 (shared with two colleagues), for discoveries concerning the structural and functional organization of the cell. Who was it?
204. Born on Valentine’s Day in 1971, he started playing basketball at the age of 14 and was drafted by the Washington Bullets in 1993. One of the two tallest players in NBA history, we have to ‘look up’ to his 7’7″ (2.31 m). He was named the NBA’s Most Improved Player for the 1995-96 season and his career showed big signs of becoming a very promising one. Unfortunately, due to injuries he had to retire in 2003.
205. This famous Romanian sculptor, born in 1876 was one of the first great creators of modern art. In 1904 he left the country and went through Budapest, Vienna, Munich and Switzerland, he eventually arrived in Paris where he enrolled at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. In 1907 he was admitted for practicing at Rodin’s studio. Some of his well-known masterpieces are: “The Endless Column”, the series of “Bird in Space” and the ‘glossy’ “Miss Pogany”.
206. Born in Slatina, Romania in 1909 this dramatist, poet and literary critic spent most of his childhood in France, then returned to Romania to complete his studies and went back to France again, this time for good. He is one of the four main playwrights belonging to the movement called “Theater of the Absurd”. His most famous plays are “The Bald Soprano ”, “The Chairs” and “Rhinoceros”.
207. This Romanian conductor lived and worked for most of his life in Germany. His studies (in Bucharest, Paris and Berlin) included music, philosophy and mathematics. During his lifetime he was principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, music director of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, teacher at Mainz University in Germany and at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also worked with radio orchestras in Stockholm, Stuttgart and Paris.
208. Prince Vlad III Dracula was known as Vlad Tepes, meaning ‘Vlad the Impaler’. The Turks called him ‘the Impaler Prince’ or…
209. On how many occasions did Dracula rule as Prince of Wallachia?
210. This young American painter of Romanian origin is sometimes called “Little Picasso”. Her work is themed on issues regarding peace and the environment. She sold her first painting when she was 8 years old, for $50. Now her paintings sell for $200,000 and among the collectors we find famous names as Calvin Klein, Whoopi Goldberg, David Letterman, Phil Collins, and Oprah Winfrey.
211. The legend implies that Dracula, the Prince of Wallachia, was born in 1431. Where was he born?
212. Vlad later married a woman who was related to Matthias Corvinus, the king of Hungary. What was her name?
213. Dracula was well known throughout his land for his intense assertion on honesty and order. Impalement could be a punishment for every crime, from lying to stealing. He was so certain of the efficiency of his law, that he placed something valuable in the central square of Tirgoviste. What was this object?
214. Why was Dracula’s favorite punishment?
215. When Transylvania was invaded by the Turks in 1442, Vlad tried to stay neutral. The monarchs of Hungary accused him and drove him and his family out of Wallachia. One of the Hungarian generals, Janos Hunyadi, overthrew a Danesti named Basarab II in Walachia but one year later the sultan of Turkey helped and restored Vlad to his throne. To prove his loyalty to the sultan he sent in 1444 two of his sons in Turkey. Who did he send?
216. In Romania Vlad III is remembered as what?
217. It is said that Vlad the Impaler had a kind and respectful wife. One night an arrow entered through one of the windows of the fortress. There was a letter at the point of the arrow. The content of that letter made her so sad that she threw herself into the Arges River. What was said in that letter?
218. Vlad was killed in battle in a forest just north of Bucharest under unclear circumstances. A Russian source claims that he was mistaken by one of his own men for a Turk and consequently killed. Where was his body buried?
219. Vlad the Impaler is said to have married twice. He had a son with his first wife known as Mihnea Cel Rau. What does his name mean?
220. Vlad the Impaler is better known to the Western world by the name of Dracula. What does this name mean?
221. It is said that an invading Turkish army, led by Mohammed II, turned back in fright at the sight of these arranged impaled bodies. What was the name he gave to this grisly sight?
222. When was Vlad III born?
223. Impalement was by no means Vlad’s only form of torture and execution. Which of these is he NOT credited with?
224. What was Vlad’s official title during his reign?
225. Tales of vampire-like creatures are found in cultures from all over the world, but these tales are absent in Romanian culture.
226. What term was commonly used at the time of Vlad III for the ruler of a principality in Eastern Europe?
227. The novel “Dracula” by Bram Stoker is thought to have been inspired by not only about Vlad III but also by a 16th century Hungarian Countess who was rumoured to have murdered countless girls and young women, and bathed in their blood. What was her name?
228. How is Vlad largely regarded in modern-day Romania?
229. In Romania Vlad III is remembered as a national hero, as a man who defended Wallachia and kept out the Turkish invaders.