Romania’s communism heritage tourism

Romania’s communism heritage tourism is a part of the

history that should not be forgotten. The former dictator raises
not only interest and curiosity, but also nostalgia. The gigantic
palace built in the center of Bucharest which houses the
Parliament is on the top of the country's main tourist attractions.
For some, one way of overcoming their psychological damage is to
tell their story to tourists.
NICOLAE CEAUSESCU: Romania’s communist leader began construction in the 1980s on
+- Bucharest’s massive “People’s Palace,” which today houses the Romanian parliament, a
permanent reminder of the communist leader's megalomania. In 2017 the Palace of
Parliament through the International Conference Centre earned around EUR 2.5 million
and the number of visitors reached a record with its 260,000 visitors.

Opportunities for developing communist heritage tourism

While the Romanian state is reluctant to build a museum of
communism, private initiatives show us that communism period can
be a means of attracting tourists and making money. A young
woman from Bucharest turned her grandparent’s apartment into a
museum of communism experiences. A private museum of
communism also exists in Timisoara, and some cafés in the country
Survey Results
have redecorated their spaces with objects and furniture specific to
People with higher education show greater interest in visiting sites those times. Foreign tourists are delighted with such places.
associated with communism and would recommend this place to their family
Another interesting initiative in promoting this type of tourism is the
and friends even though they were not fully satisfied with their visit. “I wish
old Romanian-made car Dacia 1310. "It's a tour where you have the
I had the chance to learn more about who these people really were” referring
ability to drive the car. It's a time capsule that vibrates, squeaks, you
to Ceausescu Mansion. “our visit was more focused on the decorations and
have to fight with the steering wheel." Tours are more focused on
furniture”. Other tourist stated that they were really impressed "I did not
aspects of life than then the political ones,”
really have any expectation. I thought it would be similar to the rest of Europe,
but in the end, there were so many differences, so many surprises! I was very
impressed by Bucharest, especially by Ceausescu Mansion »

In addition, almost 60% have visited a communist site in Europe. 35% have
never visited a communist site and 5% would not visit a communist site. The
reason? “I already know how Ceausescu used to live and what he “did” for our There’s no better place to visit in Romania than Ceausescu Mansion to
society. I was there… he brought suffering and death. What could I learn understand the double standards of the communist regime or the absurd cult
of personality of one of its most ruthless dictators.
more?”

Finally, almost 65% of the people who participated in the survey strongly
agree that organizing communism related events for young people could be
a step forward for understanding history and fighting myths, while 25%
agree with the statement and the rest of 10% disagree.
Conclusions
Communism meant, besides prisons and suffering, everyday
life, cards and bread eaten with care, music, cinema, poetry.
the only notable thing that has been done in Romania is the
Sighet memorial.
The strengths and weaknesses of communism heritage
products are, as follows: the distance to be travelled, ways
of transportation (bad infrastructure), price (are generally
affordable), accessibility, visit schedule (most museums are
closed on Monday. The most popular communist itinerary
in Bucharest is a 3-hour walk (which might be tiring for some
elderly people) and some other communist places (are left
behind as they are too difficult to reach in the current traffic
conditions. Information communicated to tourists about
communism is limited in museums and other relevant sites.