So much Romania is in Munich: Festivals, rock spectacles and Dracula's beginnings

Romania visits Munich for the European Football Championship

Bună ziua tuturor românilor și româncelor, fanilor fotbalului și vizitatorilor Munchenului!

Hello to all Romanians, football fans and Munich travelers!

Did you know that Romania reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2000? Now Romania is once again in the spotlight of the European Championship and wants to surprise the footballworld. During UEFA EURO 2024, the Romanian national team will face Ukraine in the Munich Arena on June 17, 2024 at 3 p.m..

One thing is certain: Romania's fans, known for their unparalleled passion, are ready to drive their team to victory. Thousands will be cheering on their team in the national colors of red, yellow and blue in Munich.

Also off the pitch there are many connections between Munich and Romania to discover. Did you know that Bram Stoker's famous story "Dracula" began in Munich? Not yet? Find out where you can experience Romania in Munich - and everything you need to know about Munich as a Romanian tourist!

Romanian flair: Dances, festivals and religion in Munich

Let's start spookily: the story "Dracula's Guest" by Bram Stoker begins in the middle of Munich in front of the Hotel Vierjahreszeiten - and leads to the famous work "Dracula", which is set in Romania. This literary connection is only a small part of the cultural bridge between Munich and Romania. The people who have come to Munich from Romania over the last few decades have really brought fresh blood and make the city more vibrant every day.

The cultural exchange between Romania and Munich is promoted above all by the Munich association Ge-Fo-Rum. It has been organizing the Romanian Culture Weeks since 1999, including the largest festival for Romanian films outside Romania at the end of the year.

Ciuleandra Bavaria e.V. is dedicated to the traditional Romanian dance Ciuleandra. They are regular guests on Munich's stages and festivals.

But the Bavarian capital also gets Romanian in spring: the SGRIM e.V. association regularly brings the "March Festival" (Mărțișor) to Munich. The traditional Romanian celebration to mark the start of the warm days is widespread in Romania and other parts of Eastern Europe.

For those seeking spirituality: The Romanian Orthodox Metropolis for Germany in Kastelburgstraße in Munich is considered a center for Romanian Orthodox believers in the region.

Romanian-Munich similarities: Classical music, mountains, fine wines

Anyone who speaks Romanian or studied Romanian at LMU Munich will know this: Many Romanians love Munich - but are often a little homesick. Time to put an end to it:

The Bavarian State Opera in Munich is famous for classical music and opera and can make up, at least a little, for the world-famous George Enescu Festival in Bucharest, one of the largest classical music festivals in Eastern Europe.

And for nature lovers: far away from the Danube Delta World Heritage Site, wild brown bears and endless hiking trails in the Carpathians, at least the English Garden and the nearby Alps are waiting for you!

And for a cozy finale, enjoy beer garden culture as a substitute for Romanian wine regions like Dealu Mare!

Romanian food in Munich

You can also find Romanian cuisine in Munich, for example at the Pschorr-Krug in Oberländerstraße, which offers a selection of specialties on the "Romanian grill plate".  

Here are a few Romanian snacks that we recommend for watching football:

•  Mici (Mititei): Small, seasoned minced meat rolls that are grilled.
•  Sarmale: Cabbage rolls stuffed with a mixture of minced meat and rice.
•  Pomana Porcului: Roasted pork, often served with mustard and bread.
•  Zacusca: A vegetarian spread made from roasted peppers and eggplants.
•  Pâine cu Unt și Sardele: Bread with butter and anchovies.

Romanian personalities in Munich

Probably the best-known Romanian in Germany is musician Peter Maffay. Born in Transylvania, Romania, he has chosen the area around Munich as his adopted home. His concert tours also regularly take him to Munich. This will also be the case on June 28, 2024, when Peter Maffay rocks the Königsplatz on his farewell tour, two days after the Romanians' last group match.

Ingo Glass, born in Timișoara, Romania, and later based in Munich, was an influential German-Romanian sculptor. His work includes monumental steel sculptures that were erected along the Danube to symbolize the union of nations. Glass was also active in organizing art exhibitions and projects in Munich.

Sergiu Celibidache was a famous Romanian conductor and music teacher who is particularly known for his many years as General Music Director of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. He led the orchestra from 1979 until his death in 1996.

At the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, canoe giant Ivan Patzaichin made waves! He won gold and showed the world what Romanian power in the water was all about.

The darkest hour of the 1972 Games also has a Romanian connection: Andrei Spitzer and Kehat Schor were born in Romania. They were victims of the terrorist attack on the Israeli team on September 5, 1972. In Munich, they and the other victims are commemorated at the Place of Memory: Olympic Terrorist Attack 1972 in the Olympic Park.

Romania at UEFA EURO 2024: Kick-off in Munich

The Romanian national football team has participated in several World Cups and European Championships. Their most successful appearances at World Cups were in 1990, when they reached the round of 16, and in 1994, when they made it to the quarter-finals with the legendary Gheorghe Hagi.

Their best European Championship result was reaching the quarter-finals at Euro 2000.

The team's current stars include players such as Ianis Hagi, who is on loan to Alavés from Glasgow Rangers, and youngster Radu Drăgușin, who has been playing for Tottenham since the beginning of the year. In the European Championship qualifiers, coach Edward Iordănescu's team set an exclamation mark as the undefeated leaders in a group with Switzerland, Israel, Belarus, Kosovo and Andorra.

Romania's team has its European Championship quarters in Würzburg.

Romania's matches at the EURO 2024:  

• 17.6.2024, 3 p.m. in Munich: Romania - Ukraine 3:0 
• 22.6.2024, 9 p.m. in Cologne: Belgium - Romania 2:0
• 26.6.2024, 6 p.m. in Frankfurt: Slovakia - Romania 1:1
• 2.7.2024, 6 p.m. in Munich: Romania - Netherlands 0:3