the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A tournament was highly competitive with four teams still in the race to advance to the elite-level World Championship entering the final day of play with Ukraine being the surprise of the tournament – despite just being promoted from Group B the Directorate awards recognized outstanding performances from players representing those three teams: Diachenko had the best save percentage (96.51) and goals-against average (0.97) of any goalie in the tournament Zanatta was an anchor on the Italian blueline and Kirk recorded seven points in just three games putting the Great Britain over the top with his arrival for the team’s third game The tournament’s leading scorer was Ukraine’s Andri Denyskin with nine points followed by his linemate Viktor Zakharov and Italy’s Daniel Ross Tedesco with eight points each GB’s Ben O’Connor and Nathanael Halbert were the top scorers among defencemen Great Britain had the best shooting efficiency killing off all 15 of its shorthanded situations The tournament drew a total of 31,181 spectators to the 15 games for an average of 2,145 – an impressive statistic for a facility Host Romania played to almost full capacity with an average of 2,437 per game while 11 of the 15 games drew more than 2,000 spectators a city of 50,000 people located in a valley between two mountain ranges in Transylvania is the site of the 2025 IIHF World Championship Division I Group A tournament This year’s field of six teams includes one – Ukraine – that was promoted by winning Division I Group B last year two – Great Britain and Poland – that were relegated from the elite division of last year’s Worlds Japan and host Romania – that are returnees from last year’s Group A in Bolzano the six teams will play a round-robin tournament – one game against each of the other teams the top two teams will earn advancement to the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland teams three through five will return to Group A next year and the sixth-place team will be relegated to Group B Italy and Poland will be considered among the favourites to advance Japan and Ukraine will set their sights on avoiding relegation and host Romania could figure into either of those groups or fall somewhere in the middle While some teams will be favoured more than others it’s important to remember that this group is always very competitive and there always seems to be at least one team that surprises Ordered according to the IIHF World Ranking the Brits have played four of their last five World Championships in the elite division and anything less than earning a return trip next year will be a bitter disappointment The good news is they have won their last three Division I tournaments – either Group A or B – dating back to 2017 This team is full of high-level international experience led by netminder Ben Bowns defenceman Ben O’Connor and captain Robert Dowd If Eisbaren Berlin wrap up the DEL title on Friday Liam Kirk might be able to join Team GB for the start of the tournament The Italians had high hopes of advancing last year on home ice but fell just short in a tight race Having qualified for next year’s Winter Olympics as hosts they would dearly love to improve upon last year’s showing and return to the elite division for the first time since 2022 the hiring of three-time World Champion Finnish coach Jukka Jalonen should be a step in the right direction Returning in goal is 20-year-old Anaheim Ducks prospect Damian Clara who was the Top Defenceman at last year’s Group A tournament after just advancing up from Division I Group B Poland surprisingly finished second in Group A and was promoted to the elite-level World Championship last year the Poles will aim to prove their accomplishment two years ago was no fluke The team is led offensively by captain Krystian Dziubinski who was the top scorer and Top Forward of the Group A tournament two years ago and 20-year-old ex-WHLer Krzysztof Maszias who has just signed with Vitkovice of the Czech Extraliga Romania was the surprise team of last year’s tournament in Bolzano After appearing in danger of being relegated in their first two games the Romanians then won three straight and just missed advancing on a tiebreaker they aim to return to return to the elite division for the first time since 1977 this team coached by Dave MacQueen that is concentrated almost entirely on three clubs in the Hungarian-Romanian Erste Liga knows that its whole is greater than the sum of its parts and it won’t beat anyone this week on talent alone playing in Division I-A for the first time since 2016 the Japanese accomplished their goal by remaining in the group And although their only win last year was over relegated Korea they took Italy to overtime and didn’t lose any game by more than two goals adding to their points total and moving up the standings is certainly dobale but by no means are they safe from relegation either they might be without their top scoring threat which won Group B last year with a perfect 5-0 record the Ukrainians will find Group A much more difficult but this won’t be a team to take lightly The team’s leader is captain Igor Merezhko who plays in the Czech Extraliga for Plzen who was named Top Defenceman of last year’s Division B tournament in Lithuania Staying in this group will be the primary goal of this team but there’s always the dream of a return to the elite division for the first time since 2007 This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government has doled out millions of euros to sports clubs in Szekely Land a mostly ethnic Hungarian region of Romania financing the construction of soccer stadiums The so-called Szekely Land is situated in Romania's central region of Transylvania with an estimated 1 million people living in the districts of Harghita and Covasna as well as part of the county of Mures Although just over 50 percent of the population identifies as ethnic Hungarian the region has long simmered with calls for greater autonomy from Bucharest if not outright independence Orban's government is often accused of fanning such sentiments And while Budapest says its intentions are benign and many in Bucharest don't object Hungary's financing of sports in Transylvania is viewed with suspicion by others Analysts suspect Orban is using sport as part of a soft-power play to win hearts and minds but elsewhere in neighboring countries where there is a sizeable ethnic Hungarian community the unofficial flag of Szekely Land often flutters in the air and the unofficial anthem is sung at matches with Orban himself joining the crowd on occasion to cheer on some of the ethnic-Hungarian teams there a self-described sports enthusiast and former amateur soccer player was in the stands in July when Sepsi OSK from Covasna took on Slovenia's Olimpija Ljubljana in a UEFA Europa Conference League qualifier The soccer game on July 21 came just days before Orban delivered his now infamous speech in the same Transylvanian region of Romania to a largely ethnic Hungarian crowd on the mixing of races and Hungarian national identity triggering a wave of global rebukes from Washington That sport is a means to strengthen Hungarian identity was spelled out earlier this year by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto "Sport is one of the main means of preserving and building national identity and pride," he said at a press conference in January in Bucharest along with Romanian Sports Minister Eduard Novak who raised no objections or expressed reservations But perhaps Bucharest should be concerned. Since 2016, Budapest has invested over 83 million euros ($85 million) in sports in ethnic Hungarian communities in Szekely Land, according to research by the Hungarian news website Index.hu much of it flowing into soccer and ice hockey Bucharest has invested only a fraction of the amount Budapest has put in Orban has made it clear that Hungarian identity and national pride extend beyond the boundaries of Hungary and that includes areas of Romania's Transylvanian region which is located in Transylvania's Harghita district Orban said: "We [Hungarians] are not a mixed race…and we do not want to become a mixed race," adding that countries where European and non-Europeans mingle were "no longer nations." and Transylvania and the other areas inhabited by Hungarians in the Carpathian basin must remain united," Orban concluded who argues that the Hungarian right-wing populist is not interested in changing borders Orban built a cross-border political and cultural system through money as well as social and cultural networks," Bottoni told RFE/RL's Romanian Service "When Orban talks about the Carpathian basin it naturally includes all the territories of the former Austro-Hungarian Empire I think this is different from interwar revisionism The revisionism of the 1920s-1930s aimed at the recovery of territories territory is no longer the most important thing the parliament in Hungary passed legislation allowing the government to finance sports among the Hungarian diaspora a controversial law that has been criticized by countries with sizeable ethnic Hungarian communities Orban's remarks and maneuvers in Romania have shone a spotlight on the ethnic Hungarian political party the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) a junior partner in Romania's governing coalition After Orban's racially charged remarks in Baile Tusnad the party was urged to speak out by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis and several other ethnic Hungarian ministers accompanied Orban during his stay in Romania and were seen applauding his statements "UDMR needs to offer public clarifications since a significant part of its leadership and ministers were present at that event," Iohannis said the UDMR is suspected of playing a leading role often accused of fomenting "sports autonomy" in so-called Szekely Land Some of the sports funding from Budapest is funneled through the Mens Sana Foundation the Romanian environment minister and head of the UDMR party The Mens Sana Foundation was established in 1995 by Catholic Church parishes in largely ethnic Hungarian communities in Transylvania Orban's frequent forays into Transylvania to root for local ethnic Hungarian teams has raised eyebrows in Romania The prime minister of Hungary comes to Romania and roots for a team from Romania I don't want to get into these discussions but I don't think a similar thing could happen in Hungary," said Florin Raducioiu a former Romanian soccer star in comments to a Romanian sports network Orban made three public visits to Szekely Land although he was not formally invited by the Romanian authorities Orban boasted about his government's investments in soccer in the region His third visit on July 23 was marked by his fiery All the attention and money dished out by Orban to the region has many living there questioning who is ultimately in charge fears sporting events could become a lightning rod for extremists attracted by the bigger crowds to amplify their message "The Szekely Land is no longer an abstract idea This is the biggest victory of Orban's policies are no longer only the domain of extremist movements," Desan said Through sports matches in which clubs funded from Budapest take part anyone in the region can come into contact with the symbols of the Szekely Land," Desan added Orban spent part of his childhood in the village of Felcsut where he apparently sharpened his soccer skills even playing later in life for the town's fourth-division amateur side during his first stint as prime minister in the late 1990s who would one day become the village's mayor and also one of Hungary's richest men Meszaros would also become the chairman of Puskas Akademia FC a soccer club and academy founded in 2007 that has benefited from plenty of state financing including money to build a stadium whose capacity of 3,800 is more than twice the size of the town What was done with Puskas Akademia FC was a model attempted abroad -- in Romania FK Csikszereda is a soccer team based in Miercurea Ciuc more than 80 percent of the nearly 38,000 inhabitants identified as ethnic Hungarians The team fell on hard times in the dying days of communism and went dormant before being resurrected in 2012 The team currently plays in Romania's second division and narrowly missed out on promotion to the top-flight league last season the team sealed a partnership with Puskas Akademia FC and formed its own youth academy the academy has training centers not only in Miercurea Ciuc but three other towns with a majority ethnic Hungarian community -- Targu Mures The academy is already one of the best in Romania competing for top honors with the soccer school established in Constanta by Gheorghe Hagi a Romanian soccer legend who was once dubbed the "Maradona of the Carpathians." It's not the only soccer club in Romania being pumped with money from Budapest Sepsi OSK is reported to be the biggest benefactor of Orban's sports largesse where about 74 percent of the city's 56,000 citizens identified as ethnic Hungarians Sepsi OSK quickly found its feet on the field winning promotion to Romania's top division in 2017 The football club operates through a foundation the OSK Sports Club Association of Sfantu Gheorghe A controlling 51 percent stake in the club is held by Hodut Rom SRL a subsidiary of the Hungarian-based holding company The registered owner of that company is Karoly Varga a relative and former associate of Meszaros Money from Budapest mainly finances the club's youth program and not players' salaries Two-thirds of the budget is secured from Hungarian sources That is the part of the budget for the youth program European rules prohibit the government financing of professional teams," explained Dioszegi to RFE/RL Money to pay the players is said to come solely from sponsorship deals all inked exclusively with Hungarian companies According to the Hungarian-language website these sponsorship deals total some 4.5 million euros for Sepsi reportedly the highest such amount for a sponsorship deal in Romanian soccer Orban was on hand for Sepsi's game against Slovenia's Olimpija Ljubljana on July 21 the first leg of their UEFA Conference League qualifier Orban cheered on the team in the 8,500-seat stadium which opened last year and cost an estimated 25 million euros taking selfies with fans and signing autographs later posting some of what he documented on Instagram with comments including "Long live the Hungarians!" and "Selfie Factory in Szekely Land." We have never denied that the Hungarian government built our stadium They congratulated us and told us we have a good team," said Dioszegi after the game advancing them to the next qualification round of UEFA's Conference League the newest and least prestigious of UEFA's European-wide club competitions It wasn't the only soccer game that Orban attended that week in Romania The prime minister also appeared on July 23 at a match involving the so-called national team of Szekely Land The Romanian Soccer Federation had refused to sanction the match between the Hungarian Under-18 national team and a select Szekely Land Under-18 side The game was to be the first at the new stadium of FK Csikszereda 1,400-seat venue that cost some 3 million euros with funding again provided by the Hungarian government the Orban government has provided cash for infrastructure and sports equipment for youth teams at both clubs Orban has also flashed the cash at other soccer teams elsewhere in Europe where there is a significant ethnic Hungarian community With only a few ice rinks around the country, ice hockey is not exactly a national passion in Romania. The national team sits 24th in the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rankings the sport has reportedly become more popular especially for those living in the Harghita and Covasna counties the heartland of the ethnic Hungarian community in Romania Lacking support from the Romanian sporting authorities ice hockey in the region fell on hard times some 20 years ago But the sport was revived when Hungarian government financing appeared around 2016 after Budapest passed legislation on foreign sports funding Now indoor ice rinks can be found in Miercurea Ciuc all towns with sizeable ethnic Hungarian communities in the Transylvanian region and Sfantu Gheorghe were built or renovated with money from Romania's state-funded National Investment Company (CNI) to the tune of nearly 10 million euros money provided by the Hungarian government The head of the Romanian Hockey Federation believes the raft of rinks in mainly ethnic Hungarian areas is no accident likely the outcome of pressure by the UDMR as well as direct financing from Budapest but ice rinks were built in Sfantu Gheorghe and Miercurea Ciuc -- and another four are to be built in the same localities with National Investment Company funds," Halauca told RFE/RL's Romanian Service in e-mailed comments complaining that the sport's development is "imbalanced" in Romania due to this "conflict" in funding The Szekely Ice Hockey Academy began operations with funding from the Hungarian government in 2016 when legislation allowing such a move was okayed by the Hungarian parliament The academy has youth training centers at eight locations across the region built in a year and at a cost of 1 million euros -- again with funding provided by Budapest -- opened to much fanfare in Transylvania's Sangeorgiu de Mures in February 2021 there are a total of three indoor ice rinks: in Brasov An ice hockey game earlier this year between Romania and Hungary ended in scandal when players on the Romanian national team -- many of whom are ethnic Hungarians -- joined in with Hungarian supporters in the crowd to sing the unofficial anthem of Szekely Land The game in May in Slovenia at the Ice Hockey World Championship ended 4-2 in favor of Hungary After the game, the secretary-general of the Romanian Hockey Federation, Alexandru Nistor, accused the same players of "betraying Romania" and losing to Hungary on purpose "They turned against the country they were representing," Nistor said "They were born and raised by a country Nistor also suggested that the players were instructed to lose the game by Barna the Romanian environment minister and head of the UDMR Three minutes before the end it was 3-2 for them If the Romanian players of Hungarian ethnicity would stop playing for the national team it would disappear from hockey," explained Zoltan Toke a goalkeeper for the Romanian national team Despite the controversy and complaints from Bucharest, there are few signs that Budapest is ready to reconsider its sports financing of ethnic Hungarian communities there. Hungarian government officials reportedly have already purchased a plot of land in Satu Mare where a new modern football academy will be built The investment in the municipality of Satu Mare would be outside the Szekely Land but it would be in a city with 35,000 ethnic Hungarians The costs for the construction and commissioning of the football academy are estimated at around 800,000 euros the money that will be allocated by the Hungarian government "The Hungarian government is a reliable partner for the development of sports in Romania," Szijjarto said in January "The Hungarian government has already financed a number of sports infrastructure developments and this will continue in the future." Marian Pavalasc has been writing for RFE/RL's Romanian Service since January 2021 he has focused on news and investigative reports He started his journalism career as a student when he started writing for a daily newspaper in the eastern Romanian city of Galati An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.4 occurred on Monday at 17:40 in the Vrancea-Buzău area The magnitude has been revised several times It is nevertheless the strongest earthquake in Romania this year The National Institute of Earth Physics (INFP) has transmitted several sets of data that have been revised including information regarding the depth at which the earthquake occurred: 152 The earthquake was strongly felt in Bucharest The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that firefighters are conducting field surveys to identify possible material damage no calls to 112 have been received to report issues In Bucharest, the earthquake was felt in two phases, horizontally. People from all over the country, from Constanta to Craiova and from Iasi to Brasov or Hunedoara, share on social media how they felt the seismic movement The earthquake was also felt in Galați County the most severely affected by the natural disaster hundreds of houses were damaged in Ghioroc commune including public buildings such as the local hospital The earthquake was followed by 13 aftershocks The highlight of the first day of the first day of the IIHF World Championship Division I Group A in Sfantu Gheorghe Romania was a back-and-forth game between Great Britain and Ukraine that was settled in a shootout That was sandwiched between regulation victories by Italy and Poland who both look strong to start the tournament The Italians were disappointed not to advance from last year’s I-A tournament on home ice and served notice in their opener this year that they’re not going to take anybody lightly. In their first World Championship game with Jukka Jalonen behind the bench they dominated most of the first two periods and defended well in the third “We tried to have a good start to this tournament,” said Tommy Purdeller who led the Italian offence with two goals and an assist “We scored a big goal right away at the beginning and kept scoring after that We’re happy with the end result of this game and we just want to keep going.” with the HC Pustertal pair of Purdeller and Mats Frycklund complemented by Daniel Tedesco scoring three of the team’s goals “They’re two great players,” the centre Frycklund said of his wingers “I know Tommy from before – he likes to shoot and I like to pass Teddy (Tedesco) has been playing with us for three games We’re building chemistry now and we’re playing better and better and I know we can do a little better.” Italy got the game’s first power play just 41 seconds in when Riku Ishida was called for hooking and went to work right away Yuta Narisawa got a glove on Phil Pietroniro’s initial shot but Purdeller was right there to put in the rebound The Italian attack continued and went up 2-0 in the eighth minute – Nicholas Saracino forced a turnover with a hit behind the net and a quick pass from Bryce Misely found Alexander Ieurullo for the one-timer in front The Purdeller–Frycklund–Tedesco was all over the Japanese zone on the 3-0 goal – Tedesco sent a no-look backhand pass along the boards to Frycklund behind the net He held the puck long enough to draw Japanese defenders toward him then with a quick pass found Purdeller in front for his second of the game at 27:33 Purdeller was brilliant on the fourth Italian goal With less than four minutes remaining in the middle frame the former Peterborough Pete chipped the puck out of the zone then outracing a Japanese backchecker for the puck who beat Narisawa to the glove side just inside the post Japan got one back just 90 seconds later on the power play when Teruto Nakajima faked shot then made a cross-ice pass for a Chikara Hanzawa one-timer Davide Fadani just missed getting his glove on the perfect shot but it was the only one of Japan’s 19 shots to beat the Italian netminder “I think every game is going to be hard this tournament,” said Purdeller “We’re not taking anybody lightly.” Ukraine 3 – Great Britain 4 [SO] (0-1 then GB pushed late to tie it and eventually won in a shootout For the Ukrainians – who just advanced from Division I-B – taking a point against a team that just came down from the elite division is a victory on some level but they were also eight minutes away from taking three given the team’s lack of preparation time they were happy with to see the team get stronger as the game went on against an opponent they knew would be tough to beat “It’s positive that we came back from 2-0 down but we need to learn how to keep the lead because we lost it late,” said Ukrainian captain Igor Merezkho we need to play better around our own net.” “It was tough,” said British defenceman Ben O’Connor “We had a three-days camp with our domestic season finishing late We had two-a-day practices and straight here with no (pre-tournament) games so we knew there was going to be some rust We just need to try to stay positive and I think the third period showed that but give Ukraine credit – they had a game plan they played very well and they’re gonna have a lot of success in this tournament.” GB led 1-0 after one period on a deflection goal by Josh Waller but that wasn’t necessarily indicative of the play with Ukraine holding an 11-7 edge in shots The Brits then went up 2-0 early in the second on another deflection – off a faceoff in the attacking zone O’Connor’s point shot was tipped mid-air by Brett Perlini First it was a stretch pass from Andri Denyskin that found Viktor Zakharov in full flight He blew past the GB defence and beat Ben Bowns five-hole with Daniil Trakht finishing off a pretty passing play with a wrist shot that beat Bowns high glove side With just 10:44 remaining in regulation time Ukraine took the lead for the first time – Denys Borodai received the puck on his backhand along the boards cut into the middle and beat Bowns short side from the high slot It looked like they’d tied it on a goal by Ben Lake but video replay determined he had used a kicking motion O’Connor’s centring pass deflected in off the skate of a Ukrainian defender with 7:18 to play Again a video review was needed as the net had been displaced but it was determined that it was caused by the action of a Ukrainian player so the goal stood we’re just gonna run a D down the wall and crash and bang and get bodies to the net,” said O’Connor “I don’t know how it went in and I don’t care if it’s mine or whoever’s.” “Sometimes it kills us that we’re rushing too much but we have speed and we use it,” said Merezkho “I think we played pretty good hockey for 50 minutes today.” O’Connor and Lake scored on Britian’s first two shootout attempts and Bowns stopped all four Ukrainian shooters Poland opened the scoring as the result of a forced turnover in the defensive zone and a quick counterattack with Alan Lyszczarczyk electing to shoot on the 2-on-1 beating Attila Adorjan between the glove and the body Nearly eight minutes into the second period This time it was Damian Tyczynski taking a long pass from Mateusz Bryk and beating Adorjan between the blocker and the body Romania got a power play and applied pressure for the equalizer but wasn’t able to make it go Patrik Krezolek restored his team’s two-goal lead with 5:44 to go taking a pass in front of the net and firing a nifty backhand into the roof of the net An empty-netter by Krezolek rounded out the scoring while Japan and Romania will search for their first points tomorrow An environmental opportunity where the Danube River meets the Black Sea Sfântu Gheorghe is a village with the distinct feel of a fisherman’s home you catch glimpses of a community for whom fishing is no secret The simple beauty of the village inspires an arresting quietness It is located on the eastern extremity of the Danube Delta The Delta covers more than 4100 square kilometers Three-quarters is in the southeast of Romania and the rest is in Ukraine The Danube Delta has a continental climate influenced strongly by its proximity to the Black Sea and its biodiversity is unique: 340 species of birds find their home here throughout the year and the region is also home to wildlife such as wild horses But the Delta was once much more abundant; its current conditions are the result of abuse starting during the 50 years of communism and extending past the fall of the regime in 1989 the communist regime brought a certain degree of prosperity to Sfântu Gheorghe: electricity it opened the largest fish processing plant in the area in 1953 which employed a majority of the villagers Fishermen all over the region came to Sfântu Gheorghe to sell what they caught the regime created an all-inclusive fishing system that worked and the environment was steadily and systematically abused The new economic capitalist setup was foreign to the region the entire fishing industry in the area collapsed prepared the fish for export by brining and packaging it in large jars Most of the production was exported or went to the nomenklatura in power Although the income from exports belonged to the state the fishermen enjoyed job stability and the entire local community benefitted from the abundance of fish The plant processed pike and Danube herring but the most valuable fish processed was the sturgeon rich in caviar that could only be captured with special equipment in the Black Sea and along the Danube River The state authorities did not manage the transition properly at all and desperate fishermen were left to make an income however they could The little fishing that continued threatened the various species in the Delta fishing sturgeon was officially prohibited historically part of a long fishing and culinary tradition in the Danube Delta became the target of extensive poaching efforts overhauling the relationship between the locals and their beloved fish an unprecedented moment in Sfântu Gheorghe’s more than 600-year history Sfântu Gheorge suffered nearly 25 years of uncertainty The ban impacted not only the local economy but also campaigns to protect the sturgeon in which villagers were portrayed as poachers Fishermen selling their catch without the benefit of a processing plant were forced to sell at low prices and pay middlemen Enter “Rewilding Europe,” a conservation initiative originating out of The Netherlands that identified specific locations in Europe where it would provide financial and environmental assistance has made it possible for Sfântu Gheorghe locals to apply for loans while mandating that projects have a conservation component Locals have applied for money to improve their pensions boost their wildlife watching equipment and increase their overall capacity to offer tourists a rewarding wildlife experience Rewilding Europe also seeks to educate locals and tourists about the potential of the Danube Delta thus enhancing the environment and encouraging tourism “The potential of the Danube Delta as a prime destination for nature lovers is enormous but a lot must be done to improve the experience in terms of landscape and tourism offerings,” says Deli Saveedra one of the two Rewilding Europe Regional Managers and one aspect of the campaign is to reintroduce certain animal and fish species into areas where they have disappeared The campaign believes that rewilding Europe will instigate a certain lost pride in nature and empower local entrepreneurs and communities to manage their natural resources in a sustainable way the Old Lighthouse Association has applied for a loan to reopen the processing plant Rewilding Europe believes that bringing a sustainable fishery back to the area could have a great impact on harvest strategies It will also re-stabilize the fish market and re-employ locals The Association intends to transform a section of the plant into a museum in collaboration with the Oslo Maritime Museum; the former plant facilities will also include a Research Center The main challenge is to encourage people to collaborate and take risks There is a certain inherited reluctance to this Even if you know that on the long term collaborating pays off it takes time to change the mentality,” says Alexandra Panait Rewilding Europe team leader for the Danube Delta area A similar initiative has been successfully implemented in Namibia The main difference between that and Sfântu Ghoerghe is that in Namibia the project is backed by changes in the legislation the popularity of Rewilding Europe is on the rise People feel the need to look out for the future the plant will be reopened soon and this wonderful and unique place will grow to be not only healthy and self-sufficient but also one of the main wildlife tourist destinations in Europe It’s a matter of time before Sfantu Gheorge is restored to fisherman haven and the Danube Delta can boast the best sturgeon Bianca-Olivia Nita is a freelance journalist based in The Hague She is most interested in people and in visual culture More than 80% of our finances come from readers like you And we’re constantly working to produce a magazine that deserves you—a magazine that is a platform for ideas fostering justice If you value Guernica’s role in this era of obfuscation, please donate Help us stay in the fight by giving here Postcards from Ukraine Tom Engelhardt: A New World Order Robyn Creswell: Arabic Rhetoric Gets an Acid Bath A Dutch Dissonance Guernica is a non-profit magazine dedicated to global art and politics With contributors from every continent and at every stage of their careers We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again the Danube splits into a bird-filled labyrinth of lagoons This article was adapted from National Geographic Traveller (UK).Eyes watering from the onrushing air I'm starting to regret my decision to sit in the bow As a setting sun transforms our waterway into a fiery ribbon nature guide Razvan Crimschi guns the skiff's powerful outboard motor causing the agile craft to bounce ever higher across the channel's corrugated surface Speed is now of the essence: being out after dark in Romania's Danube Delta is frowned upon by local police the very last village on this branch of the mighty Danube Following a four-hour car ride from Bucharest to the small town of Mahmudia I'm on the final leg of a journey that's taken me to the very edge of Europe A procession of black terns keeps pace effortlessly with the skiff Beached beside the river are the hulks of several fishing boats "You better hope you don't need to come back in a hurry," shouts Crismschi over the wind "The road finished in Mahmudia." Rising deep within Germany's Black Forest meanders southeast through 10 countries and four capitals it splits into a bewildering plexus of lagoons subtropical forests and endless corridors of reeds this delta region is a natural paradise teeming with life As one of Europe's most extensive wetlands it's home to more than 5,000 animal and plant species White-tailed eagles hunt for prey among the reed beds vast squadrons of cormorants roost in noisy colonies ungainly pelicans acquire graceful synchrony as they soar on thermals overhead the Danube's few remaining sturgeon live out their long lives in murky mystery "This is one of the last places in Europe where nature is still virgin," says Razvan a 42-year-old Romanian who's lived in the delta since birth "Outsiders soon discover that everything moves to nature's time here." Having pushed nature's time to the limit, my guide and I motor into Sfantu Gheorghe as the last vestiges of daylight disappear from a starry sky. Dumping my suitcase, we dine on carp and buttered potatoes in Cherhanaua Veche a waterfront restaurant filled with merry locals and the sounds of Europop I'm lulled to sleep by a cacophony of barking dogs a chorus of tree frogs and the falsetto cries of a golden jackal The following morning I wake early and wander along Sfantu Gheorghe's modest waterfont A flotilla of fishing boats and tourist craft many with cormorants sunning themselves on the gunwales a trio of fishermen repair a giant net with wooden needles and calloused hands Sfantu Gheorghe is a picture of rustic charm Single-storey wooden cottages with thatched roofs and ornate facades line the streets while picket fences border gardens filled with sunflowers and fruit-laden fig trees In the grassy spaces between the cottages cows graze nonchalantly Golden bundles of reeds lean against walls Sfantu Gheorghe is the end of the line for the 1,700-mile Danube the Danube Delta is fairly sparsely inhabited The people who live here trace their origins to many different cultures and ethnicities but all share one common trait — a strong bond with nature and water Sfantu Gheorghe's 1,000-strong population is mostly engaged in fishing and agriculture as well as the area's nascent tourism industry Razvan and I take a walk through the village towards the edge of land and sea By one tumbledown cottage we stop to speak with Elena Cernamorit a stereotypical babushka in headscarf and heavy skirt "All my children have left Sfantu Gheorghe for Tulcea or Bucharest," she says so it's harder to keep things in good order." a dusty path takes us into marshes carpeted with yellow water iris Knee-deep in water and half concealed by reeds a handful of cows and horses graze under a cloudless sky Purple herons and great white egrets stalk the shallows while marsh harriers glide low over the water dark graceful shapes on powerful uplifted wings A baby turtle makes a spirited crawl to safety Several abandoned military bunkers squat amid this natural idyll "I guess somebody thought the delta needed defending," says Razvan "We thought about turning them into birdwatching hides The beach at Sfantu Gheorghe is one of Romania's wildest and finest; a great windblown arc encrusted with countless shells while a rusting metal skeleton may be a missile launcher — or some kind of agricultural device white sand is banked and heaped into a series of miniature dunes ever-shifting aeolian sculptures moulded by the constant breeze this beach is crowded with Romanian holidaymakers — today it's deserted; it feels like the end of the world surf-flecked rollers of the Black Sea wash ashore with steadily encroaching regularity the fresh waters of the river clash exuberantly with the saline waters of the sea pushing onward until they lose their energy and are swallowed up forever We wander back slowly through shimmering salt flats Clouds of waders jink and wheel just above the ground alighting for a few seconds before taking off again into the superheated air "When the summer season starts you can take the trocarici to and from the beach," says Crimschi simultaneously pointing out an exotic-looking bird "It's a trailer pulled by an old car We call this Sfantu Gheorghe's public transport system Razvan and I take a boat ride to the Melea lagoon formed by an ever-growing spit of land called Sacalin Island Protected from the waves of the Black Sea by this sedimentary barrier the shallow lagoon is home to an astonishing array of birds The pelican is the icon of the Danube Delta and you can find two species here: the endangered and more gregarious great white pelican as we emerge onto the lagoon from a narrow channel a huge raft of great white pelicans immediately swings into view preening and flapping their expansive wings among clusters of white and yellow water lilies has encircled and trapped a shoal of fish in the shallow water and are busy scooping up their haul in pouched Razvan switches off the engine and we drift slowly forwards "Many fishermen don't like pelicans because they're supposed to steal fish but these birds are what all the tourists come to see," he says "Thanks to conservation measures the populations of both pelican species are now on the increase." it's time to relocate to the home of Natalia Palade Alternately wheeling and carrying my suitcase through the sandy backstreets of Sfantu Gheorghe I arrive at a picture-postcard cottage on the outskirts of the village sky blue windows and an immaculate roof of thatched reed A budding vine snakes its way through a metal pergola while a well-tended garden gives off the heady scent of fruit blossom in an orange apron and with flour-dusted hands Palade is the epitome of homeliness; her face she's clearly unhappy with my current state of nutrition A heaped plate of freshly baked apple cake is rapidly produced followed by a metal samovar (decorated tea urn) and selection of tea bags My spotless bedroom smells of furniture polish and freshly laundered sheets Natalia was involved in caviar production for more than 40 years When sturgeon fishing was officially banned in the delta in 2006 she decided to take paying guests to make ends meet The warm welcome and traditional menu on offer here keep many coming back Invited into the al fresco kitchen at the back of the house I watch her prepare storceac (sturgeon soup) Natalia's version is made with meaty pieces of catfish lashings of sour cream and a sprinkling of dill "Sfantu Gheorghe is the only place in Romania where you should eat storceac," explains Razvan it's hard to escape Sfantu Gheorghe's long fishing tradition Drying herring adorn the front gardens of houses across the village neatly bisected and hung up on lines like pairs of socks The wooden carcasses of decaying boats sit stranded on street corners Even the metal-roofed church boasts a decorative anchor in its grassy compound The prosperity of Sfantu Gheorghe — or its comfort at least — rested on the sturgeon's scaly back for many years As we walk down to Sfantu Gheorghe's dock after lunch Razvan tells me how the loss of sturgeon fishing has had a devastating impact on local livelihoods who treated the delta as a wild resource that needed to be tamed Sfantu Gheorghe enjoyed relative fame and fortune A fish processing plant was opened here in the 1950s providing jobs for all Fishermen flocked to the village from far and wide "Sfantu Gheorghe's plant processed pike and herring but the most valuable fish was always the caviar-rich sturgeon," explains Razvan "Most of the fish and caviar were exported for hard currency." Soon after Ceaușescu was overthrown in 1989 Sfantu Gheorghe's fish processing plant closed its doors the village's remaining fishermen have just about scraped by catching (more or less) what they're allowed Clad in a fishing smock and waterproof trousers the 26-year-old is picking herring from a net and tossing them onto a pile in the bottom of his boat "Every fisherman here has seen his catch go down," says Claudiu "My father lost his job at the processing plant like everyone else and eventually retired from fishing during the worst times in the 1990s." despite the fact that most of Sfantu Gheorghe's young people have left to look for work On the upDespite its relatively extreme location Sfantu Gheorghe isn't actually the easternmost point in Romania Razvan and I take a high-speed boat ride to Sulina iron-lattice balconies and dilapidated waterfront mansions The entire length of the Danube is measured from the town's Ottoman lighthouse a white cylindrical building with button-like portholes tending his herd of imposing looking tauros These ancient cattle have recently been introduced to the delta by Rewilding Europe pan-European conservation initiative working to make Europe a wilder place by restoring natural processes such as flooding and natural grazing "The idea of the tauros is that they're natural grazers," explains Razvan "They live as wild animals and create a mosaic landscape in the dryer parts of the delta Rewilding Europe is also looking to support small businesses in Sfantu Gheorghe, helping them to generate incomes from rewilding-related activities, such as wildlife watching. Jenica Pension has already received a loan to improve its facilities and buy wildlife-watching equipment "People here desperately need an alternative to fishing and agriculture," says Razvan "But it's hard to raise the capital and acquire the expertise to start a business By helping locals earn a fair income from nature an initiative like Rewilding Europe incentivises people to conserve the delta's natural resources Today, the tourist infrastructure in Sfantu Gheorghe is starting to improve. The four-star Green Village Resort offers visitors accommodation in tasteful thatched cottages which is entirely constructed from local materials and there are kayaks and bikes available for guests to rent "It's a delicate balance," says Razvan "We really want to keep the traditions alive that make this place so special But local people can't live in a time warp Small-scale nature-based tourism can really help reinvigorate this area and its people." A mid-afternoon flight back to London from Bucharest necessitates an early departure on my final day Natalia stands at the gate of her beautiful home and waves goodbye its wheels clogged with the sand of Sfantu Gheorghe's streets is soon stowed safely aboard Razvan's boat and we set off under a mercifully clear sky the buildings gradually disappear from view for the last time at the same time it's reassuring to know this plucky welcoming village will always be here for future visits an outpost of human endeavour at Europe's wondrously wild and watery end When to goSpring and autumn are dry and pleasant with cool nights and warm days while the summer months (June-August) can get very hot Best for birdwatching are the first three weeks of May and late August to mid-September Published in the December 2017 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK) which also has more than 700 parking spaces is Prime Kapital’s 15th in the country and its second retail project to open since the beginning of the pandemic It will serve the city of Sfântu Gheorghe and its surrounding area international and local brands while generating a number of jobs in the region CA Immo exits non-core market Serbia with the sale of the 19,600 sqm office building Sava Business Center in Belgrade Both the sales price and the buyer are subject to confidentiality As the PBSA sector finally takes off in Poland it is now increasingly attracting international operators and investors Eurobuild CEE spoke to Xior's investment manager about why it has such confidence in the Polish market Residential developer Develia has signed a preliminary agreement to acquire all the shares in Bouygues Immobilier Polska the Polish subsidiary of Bouygues Immobilier ESA logistika has leased 15,000 sqm in Prologis Park Piotrków GLP has completed the development of its Wrocław V Logistics Centre and has received a BREEAM rating of Outstanding Panattoni has secured EUR 40 mln in financing from BNP Paribas for the development of Panattoni Park Sosnowiec IV Newgate Investment (NGI) and Redkom Development are developing a large retail park in Bydgoszcz Deutsche Hypo – NORD/LB Real Estate Finance has provided a five-year green loan to Olivia Seven for the refinancing of the Olivia Prime A office building in Gdańsk-Oliwa communications and security company Motorola Solutions has signed a five-year lease renewal 18,000 sqm at the Green Office complex in Kraków’s Podgórze district Falling interest rates and easing monetary policy across the eurozone and CEEi are boosting investor confidence in the region’s commercial real estate market reveals Colliers in its ‘Beyond Real Estate | Economy’ report Panattoni is to build the Panattoni Park Mainz Süd in Erbes-Büdesheim bei Alzey Axi Immo has presented its latest report “Warsaw Office Market – Q1 2025 The market opened in 2025 on a steady footing with a notable increase in leasing activity and a modest decline in vacancy landlords continue to focus on upgrading existing assets and prioritizing quality over quantity Convenience store chain Żabka has officially opened a new logistics centre in Kąty Wrocławskie The first stage of the development will serve 1,500 stores in the Wrocław area Romanian Post has leased over 5,000 sqm of logistics space in CTPark Bucharest to serve as its temporary regional courier and logistics hub for Bucharest JLL has announced the sale and leaseback of two properties by a manufacturing company in a deal worth over PLN 1 bln Warehouse developer CTP is adding 2,000 sqm to its Clubco coworking development in Brno pbb Deutsche Pfandbriefbank has extended an investment facility to PineBridge Benson Elliot for the Diuna Office Park in Warsaw The hotel market in Bucharest continued its recovery in 2024 while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone of EUR 100 Torus has announced its All.inn students’ residence concept that is soon to appear on ul BIG Poland has acquired the Multishop Suwałki retail park comprising 13,000 sqm of retail space The company now owns nine fully commercialized retail parks in Poland Slate Asset Management has sold three OBI retail stores to the Lindner Group from Germany Cushman & Wakefield has conducted a survey the findings of which are presented in the report From Shopping to Experiences: A Customer’s View on Shopping Centres and Retail Parks Cushman & Wakefield notes that despite evolving shopping trends both retail formats continue to hold strong appeal Multi Poland has taken on the management of the Galeria Przymorze shopping centre in Gdańsk The store offers lifestyle and sporting clothing and is to open this spring According to the "Quo Vadis E-commerce" report released by Cushman & Wakefield the online commerce continues to be a growth driver for the industrial & logistics real estate sector generating significant opportunities for developers and investors the investor behind the Projekt Góraszka shopping and entertainment complex in Wiązowna on Warsaw’s eastern outskirts has obtained a building permit for a mixed-use development Poznan-based company Scallier is opening another facility under the Funshop Park brand in Romania According to the latest report “At a Glance: Modern Retail Market in Poland Q4 2024” from BNP Paribas Real Estate Poland Poland’s retail market experienced record growth in 2024 Cushman &Wakefield has summarised the situation on the Polish retail market Over half a mln sqm of new retail space came on stream last year marking the highest new supply level in Poland since 2015 This robust development activity occurred amid rising demand from new retailers and improving consumer sentiment which boosted retail sales A new retail park with a total area of 24,000 sqm is set to be developed in Otwock under the name Świderek The investment will be led by Redkom Development Empik has opened a flagship store in the revitalised former Cepelia pavilion in the centre of Warsaw the modernist building has regained its former glory and once again impresses with its original appearance and modern interior Trei Real Estate Poland has opened its 40th Vendo Park The investment was created in Wrocław and has 5,000 sqm Vendo Park Wrocław is the first facility under this banner in the capital of Lower Silesia The retail park was built on a plot of approx An 800 sqm Biedronka grocery store is to open on the ground floor of the Moje Bielany residential complex which is being developed by CeMat A/S at ul Wólczyńska 121 in Warsaw’s Bielany district Spring has very much sprung and everywhere is bathed in the first warm sunshine of the year I have in the back of my mind the terrifying fo .. The Polish warehouse market has finally stabilised after the post-pandemic boom but new challenges and opportunities are on the horizon for the sector UBM Development has been given the go-ahead for the first wooden office building in Poland: Timber Park in Poleczki Business Park in Warsaw The office market in Warsaw is currently experiencing a period of stability in terms of supply and take-up Recent data on overall tenant activity indicates that clients in the cap .. Receive all the latest information from the world of real estate by e-mail the construction of the Aura residential building designed by Robert Konieczny's office KWK Promes According to a report by research company Spectis “Construction companies in Poland 2025-2030” the total revenues of the 300 leading construction gro .. The Globalworth Foundation has provided the authorities in Bucharest with office space for a Covid vaccination centre Panattoni BTS and Commercecon together support the establishment of the second Centaurus Foundation centre in Poland to help horses and other animals intends to focus on operations in other reg .. Six class A office buildings in the PRO Portfolio which is jointly owned by PineBridge Benson Elliot and Sharow Capital have been granted BREEAM In-U .. Who won this year's 14th edition of the Eurobuild Awards The jury and guests gathered at the Double Tree by Hilton hotel in Warsaw chose this year's .. Enjoy the last set of recordings with comments straight from this year's MIPIM we asked experts from our home country for their input will take place on 9-10 April 2025 at the Norblin Factory Event Hall in W .. we invite you to hot episode of the "Eye to eye" podcast The UN Nansen Refugee Award award will go to Poland for the first time According to the office of the UNHCR High Commissioner this year's regional wi .. Czech developer CTP has been granted a EUR 200 mln loan from the European Investment Bank for the roll-out of its large-scale solar panel installation .. while the ADR has finally surpassed the milestone .. Jarosław Szanajca plans to resign from the position of president of the management board of Dom Development at the end of the year and join the superv .. The Polish and Danish governments have entered preliminary discussions for the construction of a tunnel between Szczecin and Copenhagen underneath the .. Viterra has moved into its ​​new 1,500 sqm offices in Olivia Prime part of the Olivia Centre business complex in Gdańsk Panattoni has acquired two properties near Gothenburg The brownfield sites will be replaced by a modern 43,000 sqm facility Contemporary cities are grappling with the challenge of fostering dynamic growth while alleviating environmental pressures Colliers has taken over the management of the Studio B office building located in the Warsaw Wola district The property is owned by Stena Real Estate .. The University of Warsaw has signed a contract with the general contractor for a project at ul The new building will house the faculti .. Velis Real Estate Tech is officially changing its name to Singu adopting the title of its property management product the construction of the Panattoni Park Unterfranken has officially started Sie haben erfolgreich Ihre Einwilligung in die Nutzung von Transfermarkt mit Tracking und Cookies widerrufen Sie können sich jetzt zwischen dem Contentpass-Abo und der Nutzung mit personalisierter Werbung has generated much discussion and written acclaim nothing can compare to the firsthand experience of being there right in the heart of Europe’s magnificent wilderness to delve into the enchantment of this remarkable and captivating event which continues to garner increased attention with each passing year How would you describe in one word/phrase the 20 years of the Anonimul Festival? My second child (in a non-chronological order) upbringing if I may start with a joke when Sorin Marin – the President of Anonimul Foundation – put up the initial Festival team my colleague Livia Vasuianu and myself were in it but Livia and I are still colleagues and very good friends I think it is important to keep your colleagues close for as long as they feel it is valuable for them to do that instead of constantly looking for new people or giving up on colleagues easily I must say it is not an easy work we have to do there are things that don’t go smoothly all the time but I also believe there is a lot of satisfaction if you like what you do Regarding longevity, do you have any partners/sponsors who have been with the festival since the beginning? some of our partners are younger than us but we did have some continuous support throughout most of these 20 years – The Romanian Film Centre In previous interviews, you have mentioned that the invitations you extend to international professionals are tailored “according to the person’s soul” after conducting prior research, and you have also expressed the anti-red carpet. How do you identify the qualities of a professional’s “soul” that make them compelling candidates to attend Anonimul? I suggest we take the example of our special guest this year I clearly remember the impact her film The Mourning Forest had on me more than 15 years ago Mrs Kawase premiered 8 of her films in Cannes is celebrated all over the world with retrospectives of her work and was designated by the International Olympic Committee to direct the official film of the Tokyo Olympics 2020 Her masterclasses and interviews on filmmaking could help us put a little piece into that puzzle of nuances on how’s and why’s films have such an impact and might change us and our lives a bit that Inviting big names to any of the festivals is easy how you convince them to come to ANONIMUL instead of any other festival in the world that might happen around the same dates is trickier These filmmakers are a treasure for the audience in my opinion – to be able to listen to them talking about the film you just saw to ask questions or attend a Masterclass is relevant to people coming to a film festival Ken Loach (twice Palme d’Or winner) have given us as a festival and to our audience a lot – through their films firstly and secondly by being there with us sharing their intellectual ideas and expertise on filmmaking but also on life with us thus opening new little horizons for some of us there must be something we are doing right How has the community in Sfântu Gheorghe changed over these 20 years in a good place- there are local business models that work now very well if I compared to what “tourism” looked like back in the 2000’s when it came to accommodation Let me put it this way – if I wasn’t doing what I am doing I would definitely come as a tourist now in Sfântu I would even have several options that I would like to try when it comes to accommodation and local food experiences I would love the fact that I could travel there even late-September or October for beautiful sunny beach days To be able to choose the right experience I am looking for I would need recommendations for the local boat trips into the Delta or on the canals as there are many of them that are very well organized and professional when it comes to the respect for the wild places we want to visit I would be less worried about harming the environment since I would clearly see rules are in place I would need more days to stay in the village to be able to eat out in all the beautiful I would feel very safe there if traveling with children we all see a lot of improvement when it comes to services and a lot of understanding from the community that tourism will help them get through the rough winters I would also like to say here (although I am not very sure local people from Sfântu Gheorghe especially my simple genuine friends I have there will read this) that we are very grateful to have been a very small part of this transformation and that I feel very proud every time I have the opportunity to speak about them You integrate the traditions and stories of Sfântu Gheorghe beautifully during the festival How do you create these experiences with the locals Thank you for saying that – it has been an important part of our work since the beginning I think we have had some stages in our relationship with the local community as first of all we had to get to know them and they had to know us and It took some years for the community to see that we come back every year that the village is flourishing during the Festival and that we are there to build not to destroy we know each other basically and it was a constant approach from our side to integrate the community as naturally as possible they also approach us with ideas for creating small events together and this is pure joy for us you have also planned a warm-up program for the Anonimul Festival in Bucharest which takes place with a film screening every month on the 20th at the cinema considering that the audience is more accustomed to the Anonimul retrospective after the festival it is not the first time we had a warm-up for the Festival – I mention here only the sold-out screening of Chronic at ARCUB before the well-known Mexican director Michel Franco attended the Festival back in 2018 this year we felt like we needed a bit more to celebrate in advance this edition and the idea of Dan Lupu (our head of PR and Communication) seemed perfect for us: 20 years of ANONIMUL celebrated with some of the most prestigious films that won the Trophy throughout these years each month on the 20th furthermore since the Award Gala at the Festival is scheduled on the 20th of August A celebration through films that made history in a beautiful cinema hall like Cinema Elvira Popesco in Bucharest was our suggestion and I have to admit it was better received by the audience than I expected The Retrospective in Bucharest will take place between 7th and 10th of September at ARCUB and you have selected nine Romanian films that have just been released on the big screen It has become a tradition to present Romanian films as premieres before they enter the cinematic circuit Is it an additional work with directors and distributors to convince them to present these films in advance another Romanian film completed the list – Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World by Radu Jude Jude’s film will have its Romanian premiere at ANONIMUL right after the Official Competition in Locarno Film Festival That is one of our Festival’s highlight and we think our audience will love the fact that they are the first to see Jude’s latest film this screening matches perfectly with our Festival “strategy” for the lineup this year especially for the Feature Competition and for the OFF-programs: a look back in time to the directors that were once or multiple times included in our lineup during these 20 years to see where they stand now in terms of their career The selection of the five films in the Feature Competition signed by Ludmila Cvikova (our selector for 15 years) is tracking 5 directors that are now turning into well-known directors with constant presence at Cannes Venice or Sundance that were once at ANONIMUL with their short films or at the very beginning of their career we try to emphasis that our programming and the films and directors that we have decided to showcase definitely had something strong to say in this film world that sometimes might be tough or subjective but it is dedicated to talent and brilliantly inspiring what does the Anonimul Festival look like in the next 20 years  I would definitely be less worried and I would trust the process a little bit more… and  I would not say that the Delta is probably full of insects and mosquitoes as this proved to be such a prejudice on my side The traveling in time is not really my thing I just hope what Naomi Kawase said in a recent interview to be true – ”I think films will be the same for people 1000 years from now.” If she is to be true and this will be the case for the next 1000 years then I don’t have to worry about 20 years from now The festival takes place between Aug 14-20 The Retrospective in Bucharest will take place between Sept 7-10 at ARCUB and Cinema Elvire Popesco We use cookies for keeping our website reliable and secure providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used George Muscoiu has joined MedLife as regional manager after having previously worked for BCR He will be responsible for coordinating all of the healthcare provider’s units in the Brasov and Sfantu Gheorghe area Muscoiu has 11 years of professional experience in finance Until recently he served as regional SMEs coordinator for Bucharest at BCR Over the years he has held various management positions Unicredit Tiriac Bank He graduated from the Faculty of Economics from the University Transylvania in Brasov and holds an MBA. the Black Sea resorts at the Romanian seaside are a refuge from the summer’s blistering hot days at the height of summer most beaches can get very crowded we’ve put together a list of the best five best beaches to discover this summer Vadu Beach is located nearby the city of Constanta you will not be able to park your car nearby the shore and access to the beach is only permitted to those who paid a RON 5 fee per day make sure you bring all things necessary for the day Sfantul Gheorghe This beach, as the village that gives it its name, is only accessible by boat. Approximately 3 kilometers away from the Sfantul Gheorghe village, it is one of the wildest beaches left along the Romanian Black Sea coast. Blessed with fine sands and dotted with sea shells, it is also a great spot for birdwatching. Plaja Sulina Sulina Beach is located at only 2 kilometres from Sulina and can be reached on foot You will find a beach with fine sand and clear this beach is great for kids who have just learned to swim Gura Portitei beach separates the Black Sea from Golovita Lake in the Danube Delta Access to this beach is also only possible by boat You will have to travel for around one hour from Jurilovca (75 kilometers away from Tulcea) providing social media features and to analyse how our website is used.