First And Second World War – Full Day Tour In Romania – Departs From Bucharest

We are in the years 2018, exactly 100 years from the end of something that is reminded in the history as the World War 1 or The Great War.
For the first time, a war involved more than 20 countries from all over the world fighting each for different reasons.
On one side, there was England, France and Russia. On the other side, there was Germany, Austrian – Hungarian Empire and Italy . The rest the countries, bigger or smaller, had to choose their side very wisely.
It was our case! Romania started the war as a neutral country, despite the pressure coming from Vienna. We signed an agreement with Germany and the Austrian – Hungarian Empire saying that in case of war against Russia, Romania would send troops across Prut (a river today on the border between Romania and Moldavia Republic).
For the first two years, Romania managed to stay neutral, but in June 1916 Romania troops crossed the Carpathian Mountains through Predeal and Bran stray and attacked the Austrian – Hungarian Imperial troops in Transylvania.
Romanian government in Bucharest broke the contract with THE THREE POWERS (Germany, Austria and Italy) and joined the Alliances (The Gentlemen’s Agreement). It was in our interest as well because this way we could get back Transylvania, Romanian territory for century under the domination of Hungary and later on the Austrian – Hungarian Empire.
The next couple of years were like a roller-coaster for us. At first we managed to free Transylvania but our army was weakened and we needed help from the Russian side which never came and as a consequence we lost Transylvania again some years later. A massive retreat happened in 1917. All Romanian politicians, the government and the Royal family moved to Lasi in Moldova were they prepared the last assault.
The help came late, but it eventually came, from Russia and France.
Next year was decisive for us. With the help of the french troops, in particular the expertise of Gen. Berthlot, and the Russian troops we crossed the eastern branch of the Carpathian Mountains and we took over again in Transylvania. By the end of that year, in 1st of December of 1918, just a little bit after the end of the World War, more then 100.000 people got together in Alba-Lulia ,a small town in the heart of Transylvania, to symbolically sign the Union between Transylvania and Romania. It is an historical moment for this nation and since that year we celebrate our national day on December 1st.
2018 doesn’t only mark 100 years from the end of the Great War but is also 100 years from the birth of this great nation that is today known as Romania.