All social activities are optional and are not included in the conference registration rate.

Social Program 1- Peles Castle - Sinaia

Sinaia is a town and mountain resort in Romania's Prahova County, and it is named after Sinaia Monastery, around which it was built and which was named after the Biblical Mount Sinai.

Sinaia is more than just a resort, it is history. The city is officially documented first time around year 1200. The city’s Orthodox Church is the oldest proof and one of the interesting places to visit.

In Sinaia you can find the amazing Peles Castle, one of the best-preserved royal palaces in Europe. It served as the summer residence of the first Hohenzollern king of Romania, Carol I. Built in the latter half of the 19th century; it was the king's attempt to imitate the styles of his former homeland, creating a Bavarian setting in the mountains of Romania. The palace is beautifully decorated, both the interior and the exterior, with intricate wood carvings and paintings of scenes from Wagner operas.

Sinaia is one of the most famous and oldest mountain tourist resorts in Romania, known as “The Carpathian Pearl”. The mountain beauty can be explored in the summer and Sinaia is the best place to start your journey into the deep forest hiking trails. More info about Sinaia and its surroundings here

Social Program 2 - Bran Castle

Many legends are connected with Bran Castle. It is said the castle belonged to Count Dracula (Vlad Tepes), but nobody has any proof. Vlad Tepes lived only for a short time in the castle and only as a guest. What is really true is that Bran Castle conjures up the perfect Gothic fairy-tale image of a Transylvanian castle and as a result draws crowds of tourists from far and wide.

Dracula's Castle - The Legend. In 1897 Bram Stoker wrote a terrifying story about Count Dracula. A century after, there are still people who believe in it. Even researchers are trying to find out the truth about Dracula. All are trying to clear the mystery: was there or wasn't there a vampire in Transylvania? How many of these fabulous stories are legends and how many say the truth? Here is the legend about Dracula:

Stoker's story is based on the life of Vlad Tepes/Vlad the Impaler (1431-1476), a ruler revered by Romanians for standing up to the Ottoman Empire. Known as one of the most dreadful enemies of the Turks, Vlad started organizing the state and enforcing the law by applying death penalty and impaling all those he considered enemies: robbers, cunning priests, treacherous noblemen, beggars, usurper Saxons. In fact he fought against everybody who tried to replace him either by his step brother Vlad the Monk or by his cousin Dan the Young. The historians nicknamed him Vlad Tepes while people say he was Count Dracula because he used to sign with his father's name, Dracul "The Devil". Dracula is derived from the Romanian word for devil or dragon. This word alone carries with it magic and mystery. More info about Bran Castle here