Culture, Travels and National Identity in Transylvania in the Aftermath of the Great War

Abstract

In the aftermath of the Great War, the Kingdom of Romania significantly expanded its territory and population by incorporating Transylvania, Bessarabia, and Bucovina. Despite the enthusiasm that accompanied the “Great Union”, integrating these culturally distinct areas proved to be a complex and challenging process. Alongside political and administrative unification, the Romanian state faced the task of bringing together populations with different histories and cultural backgrounds. This integration involved not only formerly dominant ethnic groups but also Romanians who had lived and defined themselves as a national community within different contexts. Various debates emerged among the Romanian elites regarding the means of achieving cultural and spiritual unity. One of the factors perceived as hindering the profound unification was the fact that the Romanians from the Old Kingdom and those from the newly acquired provinces were unfamiliar with each other’s culture, habits and customs. Although cultural contacts and transfers had indeed existed before the war, the new context necessitated broader engagement, and the ties needed to be extended to a larger segment of the population. One suggested solution was to promote tourism and travel between the Old Kingdom and the new provinces, so as to foster better understanding, familiarity, and unity among Romanians. By examining journal articles, travel notes and memoirs, the main issue addressed by the present paper is the manner in which tourism and travel fostered cultural and social bonds among Romanians from different areas of Greater Romania, reinforcing a shared sense of national identity. Keywords: Greater Romania, unification, integration, nation, culture, Transylvania, travel, memoirs.