A journalist from the British daily The Telegraph has drawn up a list of 18 fascinating things people don’t know about Romania, such as the fact that Bucharest hosts the world’s heaviest building (the Palace of the Parliament), but also one of the prettiest bookshops in the world (Carturesti Carusel).

High altitude mountain road Transfagarasan, about which former Top Gear host Jeremy Clarkson said that it’s the best driving road in the world, is also on the list, as well as the Arch of Triumph in Bucharest, the strange Merry Cemetery in Sapanta, the Hollywood-like signs in Brasov and Rasnov, and the spectacular churches in northern Moldova and Maramures.

The fact that Romanians rarely refuse a drink is also one of the lesser-known facts included in the story, but readers also find out about the fact that Romania is home to the European bison, that it is one of the best places in the world for 4G speed, and that Francesco Illy, the founder of the Italian coffee roasting company, was actually born in Timișoara, Romania.

The Telegraph also reminds readers of some of the records the Romanians broke, such as the one for the longest sausage, as well as the Romanian inventors who changed the way the world looks and works these days, such as Nicolae Paulescu – who discovered insulin, Henri Coanda – who invented the modern jet engine, and Petrache Poenaru - who created the fountain pen.

Find the entire article here.

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Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com