Talk on Pearl of the Carpathians at TAL Festival

THE TAL Festival next week is to play its part in cementing the twinning between Thame and the beautiful Romanian town and mountain resort, Sinaia, also known as the ‘Pearl of the Carpathians’.

Dan Manea, Romanian award-winning architect, author of ‘Sinaia – Land of the Elites’ will cover the origins, destiny and development of the mountain town at Thame’s Barns Centre’s Small Hall on Sunday, October 15, at 1:30 pm.

The audience will hear the extraordinary story of the settlement that gradually became Romania’s summer capital, one of the favourite destinations of the elites, a famous stop-over for the Orient Express and with the most historical monuments per capita in Romania built over a period of 150 years of history. The talk is likely to inspire the audience not only to visit Sinaia for its outstanding natural beauty and beautiful buildings like Peles Castle, but also to discover the history which marked the place.

Dan Manea, former President of the Rotary Club of Sinaia, is connected to a number of local community fundraising projects like “Donate one penny for Caraiman” aimed to restore the 92 ft Heroes Cross on Caraiman Peak, built at 7,500 ft altitude in 1928, to commemorate Romanian soldiers fallen during the First World War. The monument was recognised as the tallest summit cross in the world by Guinness World Records in 2014.

TAL Festival organisers have generously waived the entry fee to Dan Manea’s talk. The event was planned with support from Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association and Sinaia-based ASPE Cultural Association.

To book free tickets on a first-come first-served basis, visit www.talfestival.org. Thame-Sinaia Friendship Association can be contacted via www.facebook.com/thamesinaia