Romania and Transylvania

Romania, as a country, is rather young.  The territory that now makes up Romania was formed when two principalities united:  Wallachia and Moldavia.  At the time it was a Princedom.  There were also many ethnic Romanians living in another country -- the principality of Transylvania.

Later Romania became a Kingdom, under King Carol I, but it always harboured the idea that Romania and Transylvania should unite and become Greater Romania.  After the end of the First World War, this happened.  It looked similar to what Michael the Brave accomplished in 1599-1600.

However, during the time between the wars, there were still many other cultures, one of those being the Saxons, who lived in the South around the city of Sibiu, and then in the North around the city of Bistriţa.
There was tension because there were also a great number of Hungarians living in Transylvania (and still do) who wanted to unite back with Hungary.  This eventually happened in 1940, when Northern Transylvania was returned to Hungary by virtue of the Vienna Awards.  At the end of World War II, Romania and all of Transylvania were once again united.

Romania and Transylvania have a unique history and it is one which is politically sensitive as well.  From Vlad Tepes Dracula to the Saxons who lived in Transylvania, there is much to see and experience in Transylvania.