| Transylvania Transilvania, Ardeal | |
.jpg/250px-Bran_castle_(47626731362).jpg) Dracula's Castle in Bran | |
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| Information | |
| Country | Romania |
| Capital city | Cluj-Napoca |
| Population | 6.78 million (2011) |
| Tongue | Romanian, Hungarian |
| Car code | BN, AB, MS, CJ, SJ, SB, BV, HR, CV, HD, TM |
Transylvania - historical land in Romania, located in the Transylvanian Upland, between the Westorumun Mountains, the Southern Carpathians and the Eastern Carpathians. The main cities of the region are Brasov, Cluj-Napoca, Alba Iulia, Sibiu, Târgu Mureș and Bystrzyca.
name
Polish name Transylvania comes from a German word Siebenbürgen signifying seven strongholds, seven cities founded by German colonists (i.e. by the Transylvanian Saxons) in this region, then belonging to the Kingdom of Hungary: Kronstadt, Schäßburg, Mediasch, Hermannstadt, Mühlbach, Bistritz and Klausenburg.
Transylvania it first appeared in a medieval Latin document from 1075 as ultra silvam, meaning "behind the forest" or "outside the forest". Later version Transylvania means "on the other side of the forest". Hungarian historians are convinced that these Latin names are translations of Hungarian Erdő-elve.
Geography
The area of Transylvania is enclosed in an arch Carpathians and covers approximately 100,000 square kilometers. This area is mostly upland, unlike the surrounding Carpathian mountains. Several large rivers flow through Transylvania, including Marusza, Samosz, Aluta and Keresz.
The area is dominated by plateaus and undulating valleys. To the west there is a great plateau broken by numerous valleys. In the center of the region there are gentle peaks often covered with forests. The area is made of clay and sand. There are many deposits of gas and salt under the sediment layer.
Transylvania borders in the west with Krishana and Banate, in the north with Maramures, in the east with Moldova and in the south with Wallachia.
Drive
By car
The most convenient way to get here is via Slovakia and Hungarywhich is facilitated by good-quality road surface and efficiency of border crossings. Despite the closeness Ukraine, driving through its area does not necessarily make things easier. When planning to visit the southern areas of Transylvania, it is worth knowing that only a few roads lead there, including: A10 (Sebeș-Turda), DN13 (Braov-Târgu Mureș) and DN14 (Sibiu-Sighișoara).
By plane
There are 2 international airports in Transylvania: Cluj-Napoca and Sibiu. The first one has connections, among others Brussels, London, Paris, Madrid, Barcelona, Frankfurt, Vienna, Milan, Bologna, Munich, Budapest and Bucharest. The airport in Sibiu is smaller, which also affects the number of connections (flights from Germany, Austria and Spain). There are no direct flights from Polish to both airports.
By train
Cities
| No. | City | Population (2016) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cluj-Napoca | 324 576 |
| 2 | Brasov | 275 200 |
| 3 | Sibiu | 147 245 |
| 4 | Târgu Mureș | 134 290 |
| 5 | Bystrzyca | 75 076 |
| 6 | Alba Iulia | 63 536 |
| 7 | Deva | 61 123 |
| 8 | Hunedoara | 60 525 |
| 9 | Zalău | 56 202 |
| 10 | Sfântu Gheorghe | 56 006 |
Interesting places
- Baroque-Gothic buildings of Cluj-Napoca
- Sarmizegetusa Regia
- Transylvania fortified churches (UNESCO)
- Jiu Gorge National Park
- Retezat National Park
- Păltiniș ski resort
- Lacul Roșu