Jan '05 - Jan '07
King Mihai, only 19 years old, was forced to abdicate on the 30th of December 1947.
From then on until 1989 communists ruled this country. Communism = no private property ( everything belongs to ”˜us, the people' ) / equality = no aristocracy = no luxury / if you had more the ”˜goverment' took it from you and ”˜shared' it with all your equal colleagues / an equal distribution of industry/economy all over the country / evening of everything (I'll spare the details of buying food on special tickets( half a bread/person/day), no acces to information, not trusting your ”˜friends' or neighbours, everyone was a potential traitor).
So, Sinaia suffered a radical change. A small but expensive, exclusivist resort had no chance of surviving.
The vilas were taken (along eith their wealth) from the rich, they either became residences for the ”˜man in charge' or small ”˜wellness' hotels (suffering the necessary changes to fit the new needs). Luxury tourism was replaced by mass tourism. The number of tourist accommodation became almost 3 times bigger then before communism without any new buildings.
The proportion of industry had to be even all over the regions so they developed the existing industry, bringing workers from everywhere. For them they built apartment flats, a common view in Romania.
This was also a common thing: in areas with ethnic minorities, or rich people they accomodated poor, uneducated people, workers in order to have the majority they hoped for, the communists majority of simple ,equal people . Poor people got to live in the most expensive vilas.
The parc was closed for over 2 years (they accomodated 1800 greek refugees, women and children, in the Hotels surrounding the parc, they were not allowed to leave the area). The Casino was imediately closed, in the following years it was either the ”˜cultural house' or closed. Before 47' it had around 800-1000 visitors /day, now it disappeared. No town center.
In 1970 they built the cable car fom the city to 2100m altitude, project initially started before WW2.
The Peles Castle was turned into an Art Museum, after it was closed. They also restored it (though I'm not sure all art objects are still there).
Along the main boulevard they build 3 hotels with hundreds of rooms. Also 2 so called shopping centers. The town had another face. It was changed.
The 80's were too.... sad for the whole country, so nothing really happened anywhere. Ceausescu made us one of the few countries without any debts to any other country, but his people were the sacrifice.
People are saying today communism had some good parts. After you finished your studies you had a sure job (though it could have been at the other end of the country). They restored / took care of vilas (like in Sinaia), people were not allowed to build (at all!) like they do today. But I don't think this is an option. You can't say something like that. Imagine the social impact and scars. This is a lame excuse for people not being able to develop further, to get used to today. Probably one of the most important damages the comunists made, are the menthalithies of people. They are not easy to change.
Ok, next about Sinaia after communism, during democracy, today.
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