Wizz Air, the largest low-cost carrier in Central and Eastern Europe, inaugurated recently its 7^th base in Romania, in Sibiu, a press release informs. On this occasion, Hungarian company announced the introduction of four new routes from Sibiu to Nuremberg, Madrid, Milan Bergamo and Munich Memmingen.

Wizz Air started to operate flights to Nuremberg on August 19 and this will happen three times a week. The largest low-cost carrier in CEE started to operate the flights to Madrid and Milan Bergamo on August 20, and to Munich Memmingen on August 21.

On Friday, August 19, the airline also started operating the second route from the ninth airport in Romania, Suceava Airport to London Luton, with four flights a week.

With these four new flights inaugurated this weekend, Wizz allocated also an Airbus A320 on the new basis. Currently, Wizz Air offers 119 routes to 18 countries from nine Romanian airports.

The airline company is constantly investing in its operations in Romania and will increase the fleet to 20 aircrafts by the end of 2016, including four new Airbus A321 in November, with 230 seats.

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The record child allowance of EUR 35,000 per month has been suspended. The National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) is to conduct checks on the income, if it is real and if all taxes have been paid to the state. Other applications as well are targeted by controls. In Sibiu, the file for the allowance was filed by a man who has a business in agriculture.

The documents for the payment of the child allowance were submitted four months ago to the Department for Social Protection Sibiu. As it was a very large sum, the Labour Ministry has checked if the file has been completed in accordance with the law, tvr.ro informs.

There were no irregularities in this regard, but the Ministry has called on ANAF to check if the company in Sibiu has indeed registered the incomes they said and according to which the allowance was calculated.

Further checks will take place this month. So far, the man in Sibiu has not received any money for child care.

The budget has problems with allowances for mothers. The Ministry of Labour believes that the recent removing of the ceiling on child allowance was not a good solution and proposes to amend the law.

In one month, the ministry has spent RON 70 million (approx. EUR 15.7 million) for these allowances, by RON 20 million more than expected.

The Labour Minister said on Monday evening for a TV station that the Ciolos government will not cut the child allowances and there is no discussion on setting a ceiling for the allowances.

Dragos Pîslaru’s statements were made after the Ministry of Labour announced on Monday that only 0.17% of the beneficiaries of the child allowances, i.e. 242 people, consume a third of the budget for allowances.

The largest child allowances beneficiaries in July, according to Ministry of Labour statistics:

Sibiu County: RON 159,084 (approx. EUR 35,400);

Bucharest, District 1 – RON 94,168;

Constanţa County – RON 74,693;

Bucharest, District 5 – RON 56,132;

Bucharest, District 6 – RON 41,418;

Bucharest, District 3 – RON 39,166.

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President Iohannis’ wife, Carmen Iohannis, who is an English teacher at a high school in Sibiu, has been seen quite often in public since the new academic year has started.

The first lady was seen at the Media Music Awards (MMA) in Sibiu dancing and singing on Smiley and Voltaj music. Carmen Iohannis came to the Romanian music awards gala on Thursday night with her friends and watched the show from a tribune quite far away from the stage. The President’s wife dances and sang, while also taking photos during the recitals of some artists. She mainly enjoyed hearing songs by Smiley and Voltaj. 31 Romanian artists performed at Media Music Awards on Thursday, the second large musical event in Romania in 2016 after Untold in Cluj.

Asked by the Agerpres journalist how did she like the awards, Carmen Iohannis said “it was very nice”.

By far, the glamour boys of the MMA were Carla’s Dream that won no less than seven prizes for “the best song”, “the best band”, “the best video clip”, “the best stands on the first position”, “the most voted artist”, “the winter’s hit” and “the best YouTube”. Andra was awarded “the best female singer”, “the most appreciated artist on Facebook” and “the fastest number one”. Smiley was awarded the best male singer”, while Mihail “was the best new male artist”.

Convertible ride

Carmen Iohannis was also seen in the media driving a convertible during a trip to Cisnadioara next to her students from the 11^th grade, where she is form master.

“Gandul” daily released footage showing Carmen Iohannis driving a convertible, next to several high school girls, with one of them using a selfie stick to take a video coverage and photos.

One of the schoolgirls posted the video on Facebook with Carmen Iohannis driving and waving at the camera and the girls laughing and singing.

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On Tuesday we mark 42 years since the inauguration of Transfăgărăşan road. It is the most famous road in Romania, also known as the road between clouds, connecting Curtea de Arges to Sibiu, through the mountains. This national road became famous worldwide after it was featured in the British show ‘Top Gear’ as crossing the highest areas of the Carpathians.

It has a length of 90 kilometres and is located at the highest altitude in the country after the Transalpina road.

Transfăgărăşan was built upon the initiative of former communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. The aim was to provide a strategic road across the mountains, to be used mainly by the army. It was the context of the invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet troops in 1968, when Romania became a target for the Red Army. Until the construction of this highway, the Făgăras Mountains (southern Carpathians) could not be crossed even on horseback.

Fortunately, the USSR invasion did not take place. Instead, we have a spectacular road, but which required unimaginable human efforts.

Transfăgărăşan was build during 1970-1974 and connects the cities of Pitesti and Sibiu. During its construction were used mostly recruits.

According to the stories, the miners who dealt with the explosives were holding close to each other, building a human chain of around 30 people, in order not to be taken away by storm and thrown into the abyss.

Three million tons of rocks were dug with the help of six thousand tons of dynamite. Besides digging into the rock, most work has focused on the strengthening of the slopes. Officially, dozens were reported dead, unofficially there is rumour about hundreds.

Transfăgărăşan road was ranked, two years ago, on the first place among the most beautiful roads in the world. Jeremy Clarkson, one of the then producers of ‘Top Gear’ said, seven years ago, after driving on Transfăgărăşan road, that it is the “most spectacular road in the world.”

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The first snowfall of this season was reported at Bâlea Lac, in the mountain area of Sibiu county on Thursday. Weather forecasters announced that the temperature went bellow zero in Făgăraș Mountains, at over 2,000m altitude.

According to the meteorologist on duty at the Regional Transylvania South Sibiu weather forecast center, Adrian Pasol, it has snowed for one hour on Wednesday, while it was spitting on Thursday, with snow patches laying over.

“Snow patches laid down at Bâlea Lac, a very thin layer, it’s a snowfall under one liter per square meter,” Pasol said.

He said that on Wednesday nigh to Thursday minus 1 Celsius degree was reported at Bâlea Lac, while there will be maximum 1 Celsius degree on Thursday.

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The White Night of the Art Galleries (NAG) presents the latest Romanian and international contemporary art trends in Bucharest and, for the first time, in nine other cities across the country – Arad, Baia Mare, Brașov, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, Craiova, Sibiu, Târgu Mureș and Timișoara. More than 150 art galleries, alternative spaces, creative hubs and artists’ studios will open for one night to offer the audience a diverse and dynamic programme.

„After ten years, firstly I would like to thank all the people who have been supporting the White Night of the Art Galleries. We’ve built this event together – artists, curators, cultural managers, partners, audience. And it has had a wonderful evolution, and this year will take place in ten Romanian cities, on September 30th.

We would like to create a communication and collaboration platform between cultural centres in the country to raise attention regarding the importance of supporting the Romanian contemporary culture. The presence of foreign experts is another opportunity to create new relationships between the local and international art scene.

Therefore, NAG is not just a white night. NAG aims to create the map of the contemporary culture of the cities where it is held which we hope will include other cultural centres in the future,” said Suzana Dan, initiator of the White Night of the Art Galleries project.

No Man’s Land / Ten curatorial discourses on Romanian contemporary art

Scena9 Residence (RS9), Ion Luca Caragiale 32

Opening: Friday, September 30th, 2016, 7pm-4am

Runtime: October 5th-30th, Wed-Fri, 4-9pm / Sat-Sun, 12-9pm

The opening of the exhibition No Man’s Land / Ten curatorial discourses on Romanian contemporary art marks the start of NAG#10 in Bucharest, on September 30th, 7pm, at Scena9 Residence. The project, produced by Ephemair Association exclusively for the White Night of the Art Galleries, consists in the presence in the same territory of ten different exhibitions, generating through their random display both conflict and harmony in the discourses proposed by the curators invited to highlight the cultural profile of NAG 2016 participant cities.

On October 2nd, 4pm, a round table with international contemporary art experts will also take place at Scena9 Residence – Do You See What We See? Moderated by Erwin Kessler.

NAG RETROSPECT: MEMORY LEAKS

ARCUB – Gabroveni Inn, Lipscani 84-90

Opening: Thursday, September 29th, 2016, 7pm

Runtime: September 30th – October 30th, Monday-Sunday, 2pm-10pm

Thursday, September 29th, 7pm, ARCUB – The Cultural Centre of Bucharest Municipality and Ephemair Association present, on the White Night of the Art Galleries anniversary edition, the opening of the exhibition NAG RETROSPECT: MEMORY LEAKS. The retrospective group show covers the event’s first nine years and will feature both artworks presented in previous NAG editions and new works by 32 contemporary artists.

For ten years, including the current edition, NAG has provided an alternative network of connection and immersion through open exhibitions, thus amplifying the discourse and dialogue with the Romanian contemporary art. The present time and space are neutralized, abstracted, deterritorialized, leaving memory and fiction, the past and the future as sole discernible areas. NAG currently manifests itself as a series of unrelated and spontaneous visual experiences, which gain meaning and coherence through the visitor’s subjective interaction.

NAG#10 partner event: MAMUCA (More-than-abstract)

The Museum of Recent Art (MARe), Primăverii Avenue no. 15

Friday, September 30th, 2016, 9pm-4am

The Museum of Recent Art (MARe) opens for a visiting night. Friday, September 30th, 9pm, the opening of More-than-Abstract exhibition (MAMUCA) will take place at MARe headquarters. A one-night exhibition, presented in a building under construction. An ephemeral event from a project in progress.

Nothing describes the profile of MARe more adequately, for which the building site will be a pulse, especially after the museum’s official inauguration in the second half of 2017. The visitors who will enter its realm on the occasion of the White Night of Galleries will be, basically, the first visitors of the future MARe museum.

NAG#10 partner event: Pierre Alechinsky and the Writers

The National Museum of Art of Romania, Calea Victoriei 49-53

Friday, September 30th, 2016, 7pm-12am

Curated jointly with the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation and the Center for Engravings and Printed Image in La Louvière, the exhibition Pierre Alechinsky and the Writers brings forward the work of an artist of undisputed international profile, approached from the perspectives of the relationship between image and word. More precisely, it is a collection of 66 graphic artworks – book illustrations, posters and engravings – completed between 1967 and 2007 and centered on the artist’s involvement, both artistic and intellectual, with the work of several significant writers, such as Yves Bonnefoy, Michel Butor, Eugène Ionesco, Marcel Moreau, Emil Cioran among others. Aside from his collaboration, back in 1949-1951, with the famous international art group CoBra, Pierre Alechinsky (b. October 19, 1927) set himself on the contemporary art stage of the past half of century as a highly complex artist – painter, graphic designer, poet – preoccupied with the intimate association between form, configuration, sign and grapheme.

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Sibiu is the first county in Romania that has chances to become European Region of Gastronomy in 2019. The international jury’s decision is to be announced at Brukenthal Museum in Sibiu on September 29, according to the county authorities.

“No other city in Romania has held this title, which has been granted for first time in 2016 to a region in Spain and another one in Portugal,” Camelia Proca, the aide of the Sibiu county council leader told Agerpres.

The experts getting together in Sibiu next week will analyze the bids for the European Region of Gastronomy: Sibiu in Romania and South Aegean region in Greece.

The jury consists in foreign experts, selected by the International Institute for Gastronomy, Culture, Arts and Tourism.

If it obtains this statute, Sibiu, former European Cultural Capital in 2007, will be the first Romanian city ever holding this title and is expected to lure more tourists.

Minho region in Portugal and Catalonia in Spain are the European Regions for Gastronomy in 2016, while the awarded regions for 2017 are Aarhus/Central Denmark, East Lombardy 2017 and Riga-Gauja Region.

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Dutch tennis player Robin Haase won on Sunday the Challenger tournament in Sibiu, with total prizes of EUR42,500 after defeating in the final Italian Lorenzo Giustino 7-6 (2), 6-2.

Haase, ranked currently ranked 65th in the ATP rankings, is the highest ranked player in all five editions of the tennis tournament in Sibiu.

Lorenzo Giustino, 275^th ATP, was defeated in one hour and 33 minutes.

The Dutchman has changed his coach three weeks ago and during this period he played two finals and won two trophies.

Haase has received a check for EUR 6,150 and 90 ATP points, while Giustino has been awarded EUR 3,600 and 55 ATP points.

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The weather is getting worse, with snowfalls already seizing the mountain areas in Romania.

The snow layer has reached on Wednesday about 10 centimetres on DN 7C – Transfăgărăşan at altitudes higher than 1,700 meters, the traffic in the area being carried out in winter conditions.

“Following the snowfalls in the last 12 hours, the layer of snow on Transfăgărăşan is of 8-10 centimetres, which makes that on the section Cascada Capra (1,700 meters altitude) in Argeş County – Pillar 2 Cable Car (1,600 meters altitude) in Sibiu County, the traffic takes place in winter conditions,” a release issued by Ion Sanduloiu, Director of Public Service Rescue in Arges County reads.

Mountain rescuers recommend the drivers not to travel on Transfăgărăşan unless they have the car equipped for winter – winter tires, tire chains, shovel and sand.

The snowpack mounted to 15 centimeters at Balea Lake in Fagaras Mountains, Sibiu county, while further snowfalls and negative temperatures are still announced for the upcoming days.

“It’s snowing at Balea Lake, but it’s highly probable that snowfalls reach Paltinis resort in the upcoming days. The snowpack at Balea is 15 cm. Cold weather will prevail, with very low temperatures,” said the meteorologist on duty, Eugen Mitea.

According to the local weather forecast service, there were 6 Celsius degrees in Sibiu on Wednesday at 9 a.m., and -4 Celsius degrees and snowfall at Balea Lake.

Negative temperatures will register during the night, with -1 Celsius degree in Sibiu, -5 Celsius degrees at Paltinis and -8 Celsius degrees at Balea Lake.

Road traffic has been restricted on Transalpina alpine road, on the sector linking Ranca to Obarsia Lotrului (DN 67C,) due to snowfalls and blizzard. The snowpack here is 5 centimeter high. The DN 67C is  linking Alba, Valcea, Hunedoara and Gorj counties on the mountain route.

Heavy rainfalls are announced for Gorj county until October 6, and chill, heavy wind and snowfalls in the mountains.

Forecasters have also issued a nowcasting alert for strong wind and snowfalls in some mountain areas in Sibiu, Brașov, Bistrița-Năsăud, Maramureș and Caraș-Severin counties, valid today until noon.

Harsh winter ahead

European weather forecasters say that the winter to come in Europe will be the chilliest in the past 100 years. They argue that Europe will be crossed by an arctic air-mass, while the sun will be mostly covered by clouds.

The lowest temperatures will register in January and February, but March will be pretty chill, too, according to German meteorologist Dominik Jung to mesastuces.net, “Adevarul” daily says.

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President Klaus Iohannis’ mother-in-law, Carmen Iohannis’ mother, died in Sibiu on Sunday.

The Presidential Administration confirmed the death, with the Presidency’s spokesperson Madalina Dobrovolschi saying “this is a painful moment for the President’s family.”

At the same time, the spokesperson mentioned that President Iohannis expressed wish that this event should stay private.

Madalina Dobrovolschi also announced that the President’s schedule on Tuesday would be called off. The President was supposed to attend a business forum Romania-Slovakia in Bucharest next to the Slovak President Andrej Kiska, as well as to pay a visit to the Slovak community in Nadlac, Arad county in western Romania.

However, the Slovak President’s visit in Romania will be according to the announced timetable, the Romanian President’s spokesperson added.

Carmen Iohannis’ mom, octogenarian Georgeta Lazurca, has been living in the residence of the Iohannis couple in Sibiu for she was ill for quite some time. President Iohannis’ mother-in-law will be buried on Tuesday.

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A bear tracked down near the center of Sibiu city on Wednesday morning in a crowded area has been caught and shot.

According to the Sibiu Police’s spokesperson, Luciana Lazăr, a big size bear was seen near the center of the city, in a crowded area. The wild animal has been eventually caught on Lunga street, in a factory’s courtyard.

The experts initially tried to shot the animal with tranquilizers, but they failed, so, unfortunately they had to shot him with a hunting gun.

The bear was reported by a man who was taking his child to school. The man said that the bear had practically jumped in front of him, at about ten meters distance.

“It was a big bear, over one meter high. I was very scared, I reported the case and the school was closed down,” the man said, as Mediafax informed.

Later on, it was revealed it was a bear cub. Police officers from Sibiu opened a criminal record for gun use.

Over 50 persons form the Police, Gendarmerie, Local police and the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations intervened. The bear was very agile, he got over fences, entered in people’s courtyards, cross the entire city, the old center (…) We managed to block him over here and but he could have jumped off the fences and run. There was a huge risk, as it was a big bear and there were people in the courtyard. It has about 6 years old and 150 kilos,” said commissioner Tiberiu Ivancea.

The Sibiu prefect Cristian Roman said that the bear was definitely a wild animal, probably coming from Rasinari forest area of the city.

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Update: The Environment Ministry announced on Thursday that it hadn’t been asked to give the green light for the bear’s shooting, also informing it would notify the Sibiu Police to start an investigation in this case.

Protests are announced in Sibiu on Friday against the local authorities’ decision to kill the bear cub wandering through the city on Wednesday.

“Romania without them” association in Bucharest says it will stage a protest in Piata Mare in Sibiu on Friday evening, while asking for the resignation of the authorities that decided to kill the bear that got lost in the city.

“On behalf of the murdered bear cub we ask for the authorities to resign. We ask the Prosecutor’s Office to notify ex-officio for manslaughter committed against an innocent, protected animal. Three such crimes have been committed in Sibiu in the past five years and nothing has been done. The bear cub is guilty in your eyes for it couldn’t tranquilize itself. Citizens in Sibiu, let’s ask for the mass resignation of the local authorities for the way they managed the situation for the third time. We ask for justice on behalf of the killed creatures,” reads the association’s appeal posted on Facebook.

The Federation for the Animals and Environment Protection also announced on Wednesday that it filed a criminal complaint at the Prosecutor’s Office against the authorities responsible for shooting the bear. The bear running on the Sibiu streets for hours has injured no person, the federation argues.

At the same time, the façade of the “Gong” Theatre for Children and Youth in Sibiu will be colored in red until Friday, in the memory of the murdered bear cub.

In their turn, WWF Romania states that the bear shooting case in Sibiu proves that there is an urgent need to set up the Emergency Service for Wild Animals for in such situation a regulation is needed on the intervention procedures, as well as trained people who could efficiently intervene in such cases.

In retort, the Sibiu prefect, Cristian Roman says that the bear has been killed for the tranquillizers couldn’t immobilize it and the animal has reached not only on the people’s house roofs, but also in the courtyard of a furniture factory, jeopardizing the lives of over 50 employees.

The prefect says that a criminal case was opened for firearm use, but the only safe solution for the people’s protection was to shoot the bear.

Local authorities from Sibiu were also on their toes five years ago after a tiger had escaped from the city’s Zoo. The tiger was eventually killed after he had wandered around Valea Aurie district near the Zoo.

Environment Ministry: No waiver request for the shooting

The Environment Ministry says it will notify the Sibiu Police to probe into the bear shooting case and also to establish how the animal showed up in the city. “The Ministry is also considering the version that the bear might have been the result of an illegal activity: the voluntary release of a bear hold in captivity, the break of a captive bear, an illegal transport, etc. The Environment Ministry has not been called to release a shooting waiver,” reads the ministry’s Facebook post.

At the same time, the ministry asked the Vet Direction to determine the bear’s condition before being shot, including to establish if the animal had been tranquillized before it had come to the city.

Like the WWF Romania, the ministry considers this incident calls for the need to set up the Emergency Service for Wild Animals, an action already initiated by the Environment and Interior ministries.

President Iohannis slams intervention

President Klaus Iohannis criticized the authorities’ intervention in the wandering bear case, saying it’s inadmissible that 50 people should be called for a bear and be disorganized and untrained and to shoot the animal in the end.

The President added that simple and clear procedures are needed and that the rescuers should know how to enforce them.

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New disclosures were revealed on the case of the bear shot in Sibiu, Romania. The Special Telecommunications Service (STS) informs that 28 calls to 112 reporting the bear’s presence in the city have been recorded on Wednesday, from 05:20 to 08:09. The calls have been transferred to the Emergency dispatching centres of the Police Inspectorates, of the Inspectorate for the Emergency Situation, to the Gendarmerie and the Ambulance.

“There were more calls during several minutes at some of the above-mentioned hours: 05:20, 07:46, 07:47, 07:49, 07:56, 07:57, 07:59, 08:02, 08:04, 08:07 and 08:09. Part of the calls haven’t been redirected to the intervention agencies for no information about the precise location of the bear was available,” the STS informs.

Police officers from Sibiu opened a criminal record for firearm use after the bear had wandered through the city for about three hours. It was eventually shot in the courtyard of a factory, stirring the civil society’s discontent.

Even President Iohannis criticized the authorities’ intervention, saying he “was stunned” and that it’s inadmissible that 50 people should be called for a bear and be disorganized and untrained and to shoot the animal in the end.

The President added that simple and clear procedures are needed and that the rescuers should know how to enforce them.

The representatives of the local institutions involved in the bear’s capture have been summoned at the Sibiu Prefect’s Office.

The Prefect Cristian Roman claims the lack of the protocols, saying he was the one who decided to shoot the animal.

Asked who gave that order, the head of the Sibiu Police, Tiberiu Ivancea said it was a police officer under him, but argues that the shooting order was correct in order to protect the people on the scene, who “risked being attacked”.

“One of the vets we called managed to shoot the bear with tranquillizers, from maximum 10 meters in a courtyard, he says. The tranquillizer hit the bear, but it fell over some flower pots due to the shock, not due to the tranquillizer. The bear has immediately got up and come towards the vet, as if it was to attack him. The man got out. The bear had been tranquillized at least half on an hour before being shot, which means the tranquilizer didn’t work, “said Ivancea.

He also added that there are four tranquillizer arms legally detained in Sibiu, two at the city Zoo, two at the Department for the Emergency Situations within the City Hall.

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Interior Minister Dragos Tudorache (photo) takes first stand in the case of the bear shot in Sibiu. He told a press conference on Monday that the local authorities in Sibiu have acted “hastily” in this case.

The minister presented the conclusions of the ministry’s control body report that is to be also forwarded to the prime minister.

The report says that in such cases, “a local emergency command should have been set up” to be able to intervene to catch the animals alive. The minister argues that there was no procedure to convene such an emergency command.

The report also reveals that the head of the city Police in Sibiu has ordered an inferior officer to come across the bear with his car. The audio recording disclosing the order was sent to the Prosecutor’s Office.

“There was the responsibility of those who managed the case, staff of the Interior Ministry, the head of the Sibiu Police, particularly, for he was designated to coordinate the intervention on the field, and there was also responsibilities for the officer when the animal shooting has been decided,” minister Tudorache explained.

He underlined that, according to the report, the bear has been shot when “there was no immediate danger” and a vet had been sent on the scene, who could have tried to tranquillize the animal.

“The main motivation of the intervention team was to assure there were no risks on the population. It was the time when many children used to go to school, so, the operation must also take this into account. However, it doesn’t justify the haste of the authorities to take the final decision and shoot the bear. I’ll call on the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police to determine, together with the Sibiu county Police, what are the right steps to be taken for this haste and for the way the operation was finalized,” Dragos Tudorache said.

The report also mentions that the intervention team would have tried to hold the bear with a Police vehicle at the special request of a superior officer of the city police.

The minister added that he would talk to the Environment minister to settle a procedure and to provide the Gendarmerie with the proper equipment to intervene in such cases.

New images with the bear running amidst people

Meanwhile, fresh images have been released with the bear running through the city that morning, bumping into people.

The images captured by the surveillance cameras located on the building of the Economy Faculty within “Lucian Blaga” University in Sibiu show several people keeping out of the bear’s way downtown Sibiu. The bear looked as scared as the people. At first, people ran to find shelter in the building nearby, but after that they got out and start taking pictures with the running animal.

The images have been captured less before 8 a.m. in front of a building complex hosting several local social services institutions, as well as the Economy Faculty.

A bus station is also in front of the buildings, as weell as a school and a economic college are close less than one kilometre away.

See the images here.

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Fagaras Fortress posted record on visitors in 2016, registering 100,000 so far. The fortress representatives expect to draw another 10,000 tourists by the end of the year.

The number of tourists recorded this year is much higher compared to the similar period last year. There were 75,540 tourists in 2015, while there were only 18,000 in 2008 and 23,000 in 2009.

The fortress has been rehabilitated, with several rooms being on display for the first time- the Red Tower, the Prison Tower and the Old Wine Cellar. The revamping works of these three rooms has costed about RON 1.3 M.

Located between the cities of Brasov and Sibiu, Fagaras Fortress is the most important monument of Fagaras, one of the largest in the country and even Europe.

Built in 1310 on the site of a former 12th century wooden fortress (burned by the Tartars in 1241), Fagaras was enlarged between the 15th and 17th centuries and was considered one of the strongest fortifications in Transylvania. The fortress was surrounded by a deep moat, which, in times of war or social unrest, could easily be filled with water from a nearby mountain brook. A bridge over the moat provided the only access point. The fortress boasts three floors and five towers.

In 1948, Fagaras Fortress was taken over by the communists and served as a political prison until it was turned into a museum.

Today, the fortress houses the Fagaras County Museum, displaying Roman artifacts, a collection of medieval weapons and traditional folk crafts. The museum also hosts a beautiful collection of icons painted on glass.

The castle guards will by wearing medieval costumes and can be seen each Saturday and Sunday at 11:00, offering an exquisite show of the fortress’ old medieval touch.

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Romanian cities of Sibiu and Oradea rank for the first time among the top ten best value European destinations worth visiting in 2017, according to the Best Value Index by trivago.ro.

Sibiu ranks 10th with an index of 96.88 percent, with an average price for accommodation of RON 220 per night for a double room. Oradea, for the first time in this ranking, ranks 7th with an index of 97.07 percent and with the average price for accommodation of RON 193 per night.

The first place is taken by Mostar, Bosnia&Herzegovina, for the second time in the last 3 years, posting an index of 97.58 percent. With an index of 97.53, Novi Sad in Serbia ranked 2nd. Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria is ranked 3rd. The average prices for an accommodation night in these cities varies from RON 193 — the first ranked, and RON 184 — the 2nd and 3rd ranked cities.

Suzdal (Russia), Levov (Ukraine), Eger (Hungary) follow in the ranking. Another Romanian city, Brasov, is ranked 5th with 96.39 percent, ahead Trapani in Italy, Goreme in Turkey and Kazan in Russia.

The index of the 100 best value destinations on an European level combines the average price for accommodation per night for a double room with the Trivago users’ opinions, resulting in a destination list where hotels are accessible and the services provided to the guests are of high quality.

Sibiu located in Transylvania, is one of the most important cultural centres of Romania and was the European Capital of Culture for the year 2007. Formerly the centre of the Transylvanian Saxonsthe old city of Sibiu was ranked as “Europe’s 8th-most idyllic place to live” by Forbes in 2008.

Oradea, northwestern Romania, is the capital city of Bihor County and Crisana region and one of the important centers of economic, social and cultural development in the western part of Romania.

Unirii Squarea, Oradea

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Over 80 exhibitors from Romania and abroad come to the tenth edition of the Christmas Fair in Sibiu due to start on November 18.

The most expected fair will open in Piata Mare, Sibiu at 7 p.m. with a pan-pipe concert performed by Radu Nechifor. After that a lighting system comprising 28 architectural projectors will be turned on. Santa Claus’ workshop will not miss the show either.

According to the organizers, the fair’s 2016 edition has the monumental screening in the limelight; it will be a show of lights projected on all buildings in Piata Mare every night, for 46 days. The show has been prepared for months by a foreign team. The 28 architectural spotlights will create a dynamic stage while giving the square a shinny look. The special projection will be turned on within the “Turn ON the Lights” show performed by reed pipe player Radu Nechifor&Friends, to confirm a symbolic link to the fair’s first edition in 2007, opened by Gheorghe Zamfir.

As for the Santa’s workshop, children will be able to attend the biscuits and candles workshops, to paint on ginger bread or to make Pixel Art decorations. The Santa Claus’ workshop is visited by 30,000 children every year.

The first edition of the Christmas Fair took place in 2007 when Sibiu was the European Capital of Culture. The 2007 edition, which was a pilot project, was made by Barbara Schöfnagel, the social affairs attaché of the Austrian Embassy in Bucharest, together with the Sibiu City Hall.

The fair grew from 38 lodges to 80 ones.

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A 26-year-old man from Sibiu has been arrested after he had been given an APB for allegedly robbing old people in Finland.

The young man, next to other people, has committed the robberies in just two days. The victims were two old persons, aged 77 and 80.

“On November 3, 2016, the judicial authorities in Finland issued an European arrest warrant against the 26-year-old man from Seica Mare. He is charged that, together with other people, broke into a private apartment on December 18, 2015, where an 80-year-old person dwelled and would have attempted to steal some goods. On the same day, he would have also broken into another apartment, immobilized the victim and would have stolen a watch, a golden chain and a pair of gold earrings. On December 19, 2015, he would have broken into the house of a 77-year-old person, would have immobilized him and stole EUR 70, two gold bracelets, the car in the garage,” reads the press release by the Sibiu Police.

The man is charged with aggravating robbery incriminated by the Finnish criminal law.

The man has been placed under arrest at the Sibiu Police arrest center on Monday.

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The city break concept is gaining more and more ground in Romania, too, with several Romanian cities contending with the city break stays provided by the big European capitals.

Therefore, Romanians prefer cities like Sibiu, Brasov, Sighisoara or Cluj for a weekend escape. About 35% of the Romanians prefer domestic locations as city break destinations, according to an online booking portal survey.

However, for about 43% of Romanians, cities like Prague, Barcelona and Rome top the list of the favorite city-break destinations.

Romanians who prefer our country to go for a city break are lured by the Transylvanian locations, by the big cities there, while Bucharest and Baia Mare are of less interest for them.

What make our nationals to go to these big cities in Transylvania? The desire to know the country better, safety, accessible prices and the beauty of landscapes.

The study also shows that 72.5% of the Romanian tourists are content with the touristic services in the country. Transylvania, Maramures and Dobrogea are the three regions that mostly impressed from this point of view.

Over half of Romanians traveling in the country said that they allot a budget below RON 600 for the city break trips. 36.1% of the respondents allot from RON 600 to RON 1,000 for the city break journeys, says the HotelGuru.ro survey.

Yet, about 25.4% of the Romanians admitted they don’t know if they would plan a vacation for the upcoming period, claiming the lack of money.

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Liberals convened on Tuesday to establish the new interim leadership after chairwoman Alina Gorghiu resigned a day ago following poor results obtained by the party in Sunday’s general elections. Members of the Liberal Political Bureau decided that Raluca Turcan should run the February by mid-February, as her organization in Sibiu obtained a score higher than the national average.

However, Raluca Turcanu will not take over alone the party’s leadership. A National Political Bureau consisting in 22 local leaders whose organizations have obtained high scores in the elections, will coordinate the party’s activity.

PNL Sibiu, the branch led by Raluca Turcan, won elections in the county, obtaining 39.52% for the Chamber of Deputies and 39.87% for the Senate, 10 percent more than the second ranked party, PSD, which has got 28.20% for the lower chamber and 27.69% for the upper chamber.

The PNL National Convention will take place next year in mid-February, when a new leadership will be elected.

Liberal chairwoman Alina Gorghiu on Monday stepped down from the National Liberal Party’s helm after the smacking failure in the general elections. The party’s secretary general, Ilie Bolojan and the leader of the Bucharest branch, Cristian Busoi and Adriana Saftoiu first vice-president, also filed their resignations.

She stated on Monday that it ‘was the only step’ she could take after her party’s failure.

MP Catalin Predoiu voices intention to run for chairman

MP Catalin Predoiu was the first Liberal to voice intention to run for the chairman position at the Liberal Convention next year. According to Liberal sources to Mediafax, his announcement was given a big hand.

While heralding his candidature for the top position in the party, Predoiu argued that PNL needs a real competition, and not “backstage arrangements” for things won’t come out on top in the end.

“Indeed, I decided to run for the PNL presidency at the National Convention due in 2017. I am running for the party needs competition. Good solutions and leaders take shape out of real, open competition. If we select the basic solutions based on closed discussions and leaders based on backstage arrangements, things don’t come out on top in the end. So, the move is in the party’s favor to offer a strong debate next to other colleagues who will join the race and to provide the citizens with the confidence that we’ve learnt the elections’s lesson and we’ll take things more seriously,” Predoiu stated, adding he would like PNL to turn up to the people and to form a strong, united opposition in Parliament.

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