Four Romanian cities shortlisted for the title of 2021 European Capital of Culture

Bucharest, Timișoara, Cluj-Napoca and Baia Mare are shortlisted for the 2021 European Capital of Culture title, Steve Green, the president of the expert jury that is assessing the cities’ bids, announced in a press conference in Bucharest on Friday.

The four cities were selected out of the total of 14 Romanian cities racing for this title: Alba Iulia, Arad, Bacău, Baia Mare, Braşov, Brăila, Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Craiova, Iaşi, Sfântu Gheorghe, Suceava, Timişoara and Târgu-Mureş.

In December 2014, the Culture Ministry has launched an appeal to the Romanian cities wanting to compete for this title in 2021. Up to the present, over 40 cities held this title. Sibiu was the only Romanian city chosen as the European Capital of Culture in 2007, next to Luxembourg.

The winning city in Romania will share the title in 2021 with another city in Greece, but also with a city from the EU candidate countries, Serbia and Montenegro.

Bucharest, in southern Romania, is the country’s capital and commercial center. Its most iconic structure is the massive, communist-era Palatul Parlamentului government building, which has 1,100 rooms. Nearby, the historic Lipscani district is home to an energetic nightlife scene as well as tiny Eastern Orthodox Stavropoleos Church and 15th-century Curtea Veche palace, where Prince Vlad III (“The Impaler”) once ruled. The photo below depicts the view of the city in the Arch of Triumph area.

Timișoara is the capital city of Timiș County and the main social, economic and cultural centre in western Romania. The city center largely consists of buildings from the Austrian Empire era. Cetate (Belváros in Hungarian, Innere Stadt in German), Iosefin (Józsefváros, Josephstadt), Elisabetin (Erzsébetváros, Elisabethstadt), Fabric (Gyárváros, Fabrikstadt). Numerous bars, clubs and restaurants have opened in the old Baroque square (Unirii Square). Timișoara was the first city in the country with international routes economic boom as the amount of foreign investment, especially in hi-tech sectors, has risen. Timișoara ranks fourth nationwide on living standards.

Cluj-Napoca, a city in northwestern Romania, is the unofficial capital of the Transylvania region. It’s home to universities, vibrant nightlife and landmarks dating to Saxon and Hungarian rule. Surrounding its central square, Piața Unirii, is the Gothic-style St. Michael’s Church and a dramatic statue of the 15th-century king Matthias Corvinus. The baroque-era Bánffy Palace is now a museum showcasing Romanian art.

Baia Mare is a municipality along the Săsar River, in northwestern Romania; it is the capital of Maramureș County. Baia Mare is the main gateway to Maramureș County, ranked by National Geographic as one of the 20 must-see places for 2015, and a constant choice for Romanian and European backpack travellers, nature and astronomy enthusiasts, as well as adventure seekers from all over the world. Eight wooden churches listed as UNESCO World Heritage sites are accessible by car or public transportation in a 30-minute drive. Two unique private museums – the contemporary art Florean Museum and the only private ethnology museum in Romania – are also accessible near the city.

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