Snagov Declaration

Romania signed its Europe Agreement in 1993 and submitted its official application for membership in the European Union in 1995, the third country to do so after Hungary and Poland. Along with its official EU application, Romania submitted the “Snagov Declaration,” signed by all fourteen political parties declaring their full support for EU membership.

Snagov

Snagov (population: 6,041) is a commune, located 40 km north of Bucharest in Ilfov County, Romania. According to the 2002 census, 99.2% of the population is ethnic Romanian. The commune is composed of five villages: Ciofliceni, Ghermăneşti, Snagov, Tâncăbeşti and Vlădiceasca. Snagov is a popular holiday resort, and many villas have lately been built on the shores of Snagov lake.

The name is of probably Bulgarian origin, from the word sneg (meaning "snow"). It might also derived from the Bulgarian snaga, meaning "human body".

History

Archeologists confirmed human presence of inhabitants since 400 BC. Snagov village was built around the Snagov monastery, founded in the late 14th century on an islet in Lake Snagov, about 2 km north of Snagov village. The first written record of it is found in a document from the court of Mircea cel Bătrân and dated 1408. Snagov monastery was excavated in 1933 by archaeologist Dinu V. Rosetti.

Communist dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his entourage used Snagov as a vacation retreat.