Hundreds greeted the royal family of Romania as the royal train rolled on Saturday in the Alba Iulia station, in the city that, 100 years ago, hosted the ceremony of the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria as sovereigns of the Greater Romania.
Crown Custodian Margareta, Prince Radu and Princess Sofia embarked on a symbolic journey by train from Cluj-Napoca to Alba Iulia on the occasion of the Coronation Centennial, in a nod to King Ferdinand and Queen Maria's historic trip to Alba Iulia on October 15, 1922.
Alongside the crowd, many of whom were dressed in folk costumes and carrying tricolor flags, representatives of the county and local administration were also present: Alba County Council president Ion Dumitrel, Prefect Nicolae Albu, Alba Iulia mayor Gabriel Plesa, and deputy Dan Barna from the Save Romania Union, according to agerpres.ro.
The members of the royal family were greeted with bread and salt, just like in Aiud and Teius, where the train stopped for 10 minutes each on Friday.
The royal procession then moved to the Nation's Reunification Cathedral, where they attended the Te Deum officiated by Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Christian Orthodox Church.
In the morning of October 15, 1922, King Ferdinand and Queen Maria arrived in Alba Iulia by train, as did representatives of royal or imperial houses, of governments, over 400 MPs, members of diplomatic missions and foreign press. The royal family was welcomed with bread and salt, after which the entire procession, with the King and the Queen in a closed carriage pulled by four horses, set off for the Orthodox cathedral.
Alba Iulia hosts October 13 through October 16 a string of events dedicated to the centennial anniversary of the "incorporation of Transylvania into Romania", which confirmed Transylvania's unification with Romania through the historical act of December 1, 1918.
Tens of thousands of people, including representatives of the diplomatic corps, special envoys from several countries and foreign journalists, participated 100 years ago in Alba Iulia in the coronation of King Ferdinand I and Queen Maria as sovereigns of Greater Romania in a ceremony conceived as an unforgettable spectacle.
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