Brasov Communist History Discovery Tour with a Local Guide

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Revolution Square (Piata Revolutiei), Calea Victoriei Boulevard, Bucharest Romania

We will greet you in front of the City Hall in Revolution Square (known by locals as Primaria), near the popular Roman she-wolf statue. Before we start, we’ll offer you a street food snack that will get our morning off to a delicious start!
Your expert local guide will then begin introducing you to the history of communism in the area. It was here, for instance, that the first anti-communist uprising occurred in Romania, two years before the violence of the 1989 Revolution, which ended both the communist regime and the lives of the dictator Nicolae Ceausescu and his wife.

Former HQ of the Romanian Communist Party: This building was a major site for both the Uprising of 1987 and also the Revolution two years later in 1989. We will talk about both moments and what communism meant to Brasov and Romania.

Heroes’ of the Revolution Memorial: We cross Heroes’ Boulevard to visit the Heroes’ of the Revolution Memorial where we continue to talk about that pivotal moment in the modern history of Brasov and Romania. This is the place of rest for 23 of those who got injured and killed during the during the very confusing days of December 2224, 1989.

The Communist Civic Centre: The existence of this building provides a good example of how the communist regime used to implement and develop new projects, often demolishing entire neighbourhoods, showing no consideration to the communities’ traditional ways of life.

Farmers’ market: The walk takes us behind the later era communist blocks where we can see further early Communist era buildings which surround an original and still working farmers’ market selling produce from the countryside. We’ll try some of the local seasonal fruits and cheeses.

Communist era traditional restaurant: We then make our way across the Communist Victory Boulevard and stop at one of the few places left in the city that have almost not changed in over 40 years and continues to serve the best-loved Romanian snack food, “mici” (Romanian skinless sausages).

Brașov railway station: We visit the Communist era railway station built in 1963 and a very modern structure at the time.

The former Tractor Factory UTB: We’ll visit a former tractor factory which is a true symbol of the city’s industrial past. Your guide, who will certainly be your friend by now, will explain its significance while you walk around the grounds, seeing what has been saved of the old factory and witnessing its current transformation from a communist relic into the largest integrated urban regeneration project in the country. We will approach the former factory walking through the train station which is yet another positive example of 1960s communist architecture both inside and out.

Duration: 2 hours 35 minutes

Stop At: Brasov Olympic Ice Rink, 5 Turnului Street, Brasov 500152 Romania

We next walk by the newly built ice-skating ring which offers the chance to talk about how during the Communist period, sports were supported and infrastructure well developed. Each factory had its own sports club. The regime found this was a way to further control the population.

Communist residential architecture: Our last stop is an area built in the early 1940s and 1950s as accommodation for the workers and technicians who were employed by the aircraft factory which preceded the massive tractor factory opened after WW2. This area is surrounded by similar purpose-built blocks of flats built in 1960s and 1970s, thus offering an opportunity to discover historical layers of functional communist architecture.

Duration: 30 minutes