Twenty-five images from an archive of mostly amateur photographs capture daily life through Romania’s turbulent journey from World War II to the collapse of communism in 1989.
Romania: From Fascism To Freedom

1
A Hungarian soldier torches a bunker on an abandoned defensive line between Romania and Hungary in 1940.

2
Ethnic Germans in northern Transylvania welcome Hungarian troops with Nazi salutes in 1940. The Romanian region was occupied by Nazi-allied Hungarian forces through most of the war.

3
A rabbi speaks in front of a swastika in the Transylvanian town of Bistrita as Hungarian troops arrive in 1940.
This striking image from Romania, along with the other photos in this gallery, are from the Fortepan photo archive. The collection of mostly amateur photos captures life in Central Europe through the 20th century.
This striking image from Romania, along with the other photos in this gallery, are from the Fortepan photo archive. The collection of mostly amateur photos captures life in Central Europe through the 20th century.

4
U.S. bombers target an oil refinery in Brasov in 1944. In 1940, after a fascist ruler seized power in a coup, Romania allied itself with Nazi Germany.