Whether you call it Nagyvarad, Großwardein or Oradea, this city will still be a place where different communities with different religions and cultures are living together and sharing their values.

Crossed by the Crisul Repede river, Oradea collects in the same
receptacle images of the past and the current age's fast moving way of
living, just like the name of the river that goes through this city. Opening up a tunnel in time, head back to the 10th century, when a small castle was built in the shape of a five pointed star. It was the heart of the current city, and had the name of “Cetatea Oradiei” and was constructed between the years 1114 and 1131. Varadinum, as Oradea was called in Latin, was first documented one year earlier before the construction of the Citadel of Oradia (“Cetatea Oradiei” or “Cetatea Oradei”).  The Tatars invaded this region in 1241 and destroyed the Citadel of Oradia, which was rebuilt between 1570 and 1589 similar to the one adopted by Italian buildings.

One of the main attractions of Oradea is Muzeul Tarii Crisurilor (this could be translated directly into English as “The Land of the Cris Rivers Museum”), which was inaugurated in January 1971, in the building of the Baroque Palace. The palace was built between 1750-1789 with the goal to be a replica of the Belvedere Palace in Vienna and you can see a whole year through its windows. How's that? The constructors made it with 365 windows, one for each day of the year. This museum is the largest one in Western Romania and you can see different exhibitions. You can visit the 100 years old Oradea Theather, built after a project of the Viennese company “Fellner and Helmer”, which built some other theaters in cities like Iasi or Timisoara. The building was started in 1899 and finished after one year, on 15th October 1900. At that time, it was the first building in Oradea to use electric power.

“Ady Endre” Museum, dedicated to one of the greatest Hungarian poets, should be added to your “To Visit” list. Ady Endre was the son of a impoverished noble family and was born in Érmindszent, Szilágy county. This was part of Austria-Hungary in 1887 when Ady Endre was born. Now the village is called Ady Endre in Romanian and Adyfalva in Hungarian, located in the Satu Mare county. The museum was inaugurated on the 26th of May 1955 and it now has an impressive collection formed from volumes of Ady Endre's work, documents, periodical magazines, photos and more.

If you are living in one of the major capitals in Europe, you can go straight away to Oradea by train, or by plane. In case you are in Bucharest, the fastest way to get to Oradea is by plane, as the flight will take maximum an hour and a half. Oradea is also known for its numerous shoe factories and for the biggest baptist church in Eastern Europe. Speaking of religious monuments, there are more than 100 religious sites, including three sinagogues (Oradea had a large Jewish population before the Holocaust).

Near the center of the city you will find Oradea University, one of the largest universities in Eastern Europe. It is formed out of 15 faculties and renowned as an excellence center for literature, medicine and sciences.

In the past there were some disputes between local ethnic groups, especially between Romanians and Hungarians. At this moment, things have changed and you will even encounter mixed families, with their children speaking both Romanian and Hungarian languages. If you manage to speak one Romanian or Hungarian, you will get around pretty well. Don't worry if you don't speak these languages. You will surely find someone that speaks English, French or German as these languages are taught in schools.

Book a room at Hotel Vulturul Negru in Oradea right now!

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