W H I T E B O A R D
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Whiteboard
Romanian National Day
Romanian National Day has always been a very special event for us at IBSB, as we love celebrating cultures and learning about each other’s history and traditions. For me personally, this is a moment of reflection which makes me step back from the daily routine and think of the past with a sense of respect and gratitude. On the 1st of December, all Romanians celebrate the Great Unification, which happened in 1918, after the First World War, when we were in danger of disappearing as nation altogether.
As a teacher, I greatly enjoy teaching the Romanian lessons
Because he only had one daughter, who unfortunately died
based on this historical events and I am very happy to
when she was 4, the Romanian Crown was inherited by
notice how interested my students are in learning about
his nephew (his brother’s son), Ferdinand of Hohenzollern,
their country’s history. They ask lots of questions and make
another German Prince who devoted his life to Romania,
incredible connections between different ideas and events.
along with his wife, a British Princess, Marie of Edinburgh
They all find this part of history fascinating. To me it seems
(Queen Victoria’s grandchild). He came to live in Romania
almost untrue.
in 1889 as the Prince Inheritor of the Romanian Crown and married Marie of Edinburgh in 1892.
Prince Karl of Hohenzollern left Germany in 1866 to become the king of a small, unknown country. He travelled incognito
He became the King of Romania in 1914 under the name of
through Austria, risking his life as Germany was their war
Ferdinand the 1st. During the First World War he faced a very
enemy. He finally arrived in Romania and took his royal
difficult decision, which he made only thinking of Romania’s
position incredibly seriously: he adopted the name Carol the
biggest dream: The Great Unification with Transylvania,
1st, learnt Romanian, and became Romanian both on paper
Bucovina (conquered by the Austro-Hungarian Empire) and
and in his soul. He married a German princess, Elisabeth of
Basarabia (conquered by the Russian Empire). He chose to
Wied, who also passionately embraced Romanian culture
side with the Triple Entente against the Central Powers and
and traditions and supported many Romanian artists.
against his own country Germany. This led to Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany removing his name from the royal house of
Carol was the architect of the modern Romania: he created
Hohenzollern. I cannot imagine a bigger sacrifice a person
the first Romanian constitution, minted the first gold and
could make: to choose his royal duty, the best for his adopted
silver Romanian coins, built many banks, universities and
country, against his own feelings for his family. And he was
high schools, inaugurated the first Romanian train station
not even Romanian…
(Gara Filaret), and build a third of the entire Romanian railway. He built Peleş Castle, the Romanian Athenaeum, and the Botanical Garden as major landmarks. He reigned over the introduction of electrical lighting in public streets, the first telephone line and the first cinema, among many other developments. He ruled Romania for 48 years with great achievements in all areas of public life.
