The land of choice

Did you know … … Romania is the only country in the world with a perfect proportion of 33% mountains, 33% vales and dales and 33% plains?

..the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest is the world's largest civilian administrative building?

It is also the world’s third biggest building, after the space ship assembly building in Cape Canaveral, Florida and the pyramid of Quetzalcoatl in Mexico.

...Timişoara, western Romania, was the first city in mainland Europe to have electric public lighting?On November 12th, 1884, the first 731 lamps were used.

…The Danube Delta is the best preserved delta in Europe?Represents a favourable place for the development of highly diverse flora and fauna, unique in Europe, with numerous rare species. It hosts 23 natural ecosystems.

It is a World Heritage Site.

…Romania has a rich range of folk costumes? There are over 100 ethnographic zones.

Guess who is here?

…The Romanian language is closest to Latin of all Romance languages?

The jet plane was invented by the Romanian scientist Henri Coandă?

Do’s in Communicating with Romanians

DO choose a local intermediary who can leverage existing relationships to make the initial contact.Otherwise you will probably not meet the top executive of an organization at the first meeting, and will have to deal with the subordinates.

DO expect business dealings and discussions to take a long time.

There is an extensive system of rules and regulations.Bureaucracy is in charge and you may even have to go back where you started in the first place if you don’t know well the system.

Patience and relationships with “people who know people” are essential for successful business venture.

DO provide background information and detailed facts and figures for the masses.

Romanians like to have as much information as possible, even if sometimes it is not relevant or they do not understand them.

Giving lots of facts and figures makes one look professional.

Do clarify who is the team leader or the person who makes the decisions.

Maintain a relatively formal approach in communication with this person.Strong hierarchical system in place and decisions are rarely being questioned or challenged by those of lower rank.

Don’ts in communicating with Romanians

DON’T expect meetings to be a time for brainstorming and discussion.

During meetings the person with highest authority takes control over the discussion imposing his/her point of view.

Don’t inquire too deeply into a Romanian’s background or personal life

Wait until you get to know them well since Romanians are relatively private people.Otherwise you will seem suspicious and they will think there is something fishy about you.

Don’t underestimate Romanian tendency to take a direct approach.

Despite their reserved reputation, communication in business situations is more direct and succinct.

Reasons to come to Romania

Dracula?In fact, the actual Dracula was not a vampire.

Vlad III, Prince of Wallachia, more commonly known as Vlad the Impaler, was a ruler of Wallachia from 1456 to 1462.

• Vlad is best known for his resistance against the Ottoman Empire and its expansion and for the cruel punishments he imposed on his enemies.That is why he was named VLAD DRACUL (The Devil).

Romania is famous for the wooden churches in Maramureş, a county in the North of Romania.

Some of the 42 wooden churches have been listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999, for their religious architecture and traditions.

Maramureş

It is also in Maramureş that you can find a merry cemetery

It is famous for its colourful tombstones with naïve paintings describing the persons that are buried there as well as scenes from their lives.

Tourists can read funny epitaphs such as this:

...Now I will tell you a good oneI kind of liked the plum ţuicaWith my friends at the pubI used to forget what I came for

The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction.

Sighişoara (Schäßburg)

12th century German medieval walled city.The old centre is in the UNESCO world’s heritage list.

TransfagaraşanIt is the highest altitude road in Romania (2042 meters).The Top Gear team who drove on it in November 2009 said it is the most amazing road they have ever seen.

“Thank you, Romania! Can we stay here forever?”

See you there!