Timisoara trip
The Romanian city of Timisoara is known by its locals as The First Free Town, because this is where the Romanian Revolution of 1989 was sparked. Timisoara actually has quite a few other ‘firsts’ on its list of achievements, such as the first city in Europe to have installed electric street lamps back in 1884 and the second one to have horse-drawn trams in 1867. There are a few more on that list that we won’t go into all of them in this article, maybe in the future.
Timisoara has a very special and unique atmosphere to it, being loved by residents and tourists alike, featuring a peculiar Mediterranean air to it, alongside imposing regal Habsburg buildings and a very active cultural and sporting scene.
That atmosphere is also helped by the many parks that are awash in flowers, which have lead to the city hence being dubbed as the ‘city of flowers’.
Timisoara is one of the most developed and multicultural cities in Romania, having very strong Hungarian, German and Serbian minorities being represented, and also being an economic showcase for the country at large.
This city can be considered to be something of a secondary capital of the country, especially when you consider that it is superior to Bucharest as a road and rail hub from the west. Bucharest is still top dog when it comes to air travel, but Timisoara is slowly getting more traction in that area as well thanks to the semi-budget airline Carpatair which has its hub here.
As far as more traditional attractions go, you can’t go wrong by visiting the Banat History Museum which is located in a 14th century Huniades Palace. The Museum features displays which range from natural history and geology, to armor and weapons, ceramics, tools and many more things from the region’s history, it’s a must-see sight while in Timisoara.