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Prince Charles, vacationing in his house at Valea Zalanului
Charles, Prince of Wales, who arrived for a visit in Romania on Wednesday, spent a day on Thursday in his house at Valea Zalanului, a small town in the central County of Covasna, where he has been coming for years for a short holiday.
Because of the pandemic, Prince Charles has not been in our country for two years, but continued promoting the cultural heritage and the natural landscapes of Romania.
"Romania is an astonishingly diverse country, from the Danube Delta, Europe's largest and most pristine wetland, to the forests, springs and monasteries of Bucovina, Moldavia and the Maramures, the hills of the Apuseni or the wilds of Harghita, the precious collections in Bucharest museums or the wild beauty of the Iron Gates gorge, the castles, mountains and Saxon villages of Transylvania, or the remote valleys of Banat and Crisana. Romania has an historic legacy that stretches back to the Dacian fortresses and the Greek cities of Histria and Argamun. To find such a huge wealth of natural and cultural diversity under a single flag is quite remarkable, and is one of the features which makes Romania such a unique and special corner of Europe. So too is the determination of the Romanian people to preserve and protect their heritage, to hold fast to their crafts and traditions and to retain the very best of the past whilst building a brighter future. I'm so glad that Romania's many treasures are becoming known and appreciated by a growing number of people," Prince Charles has said in 2020, as the narrator of the Wild Carpathia documentary series made by British journalist Charlie Ottley.
"For myself, Romania holds a very special place in my heart. I can trace my forbearers all the way back to Vlad Tepes, which may explain why each time I visit, there is a part of me that feels at home. For as long as I am able, I will continue to champion the importance of protecting and celebrating Romania's unique treasures, her villages, her historic buildings, her food and drink and her precious biodiversity, her wildlife and majestic forests," Prince Charles then added.
Valea Zalanului is an isolated village in the area of Baraolt area, where less than 100 people live, most of them elderly, who are in agriculture and animal husbandry. To reach this village you must go through 14 kilometers of wilderness, on a narrow country road, where there is barely enough room for two carriages. The houses have kept their traditional architecture and ancestral charm, and less than a decade ago, Prince Charles bought an old mansion, on the edge of the village, which he restored and transformed into a holiday home.
Prince Charles also has other properties in Transylvania, old buildings which he saved from demolition, including in the town of Viscri, Brasov county, which, according to sources, he will be visiting on Friday.