Thousands of visitors, many travelling hundreds of kilometres from across Romania and neighbouring Hungary, attended the annual Rose Festival in Ciumbrud over the weekend, celebrating one of Europe's largest centres of rose cultivation, where more than one million roses from hundreds of varieties are produced every year.

Despite yellow and red heatwave warnings issued over the two-day event, visitors from across Romania, including Bucharest, Constanta and Botosani, as well as Hungary, flocked to the festival, judging by the registration plates of parked cars and coaches.

Many braved the high temperatures to visit Ciumbrud's vast rose fields, which became a popular setting for photo sessions, while the nearby dendrological park, the festival's main venue, offered some respite from the heat.

'We have been coming every year for about five years, whenever the event takes place. We meet collaborators and friends. (...) We enjoy being together. We discover many new and old rose varieties that we add to our own list of favourites,' Lorincz Istvan, a horticultural engineer from Baia Mare who manages the Vida Gheza cactus collection in the city's Central Park, told AGERPRES.

Two visitors from Cluj-Napoca said they had travelled specifically to enjoy 'the scent of the roses.'

'There are more people than last time. There are also more flowers, more floral arrangements and more stalls,' said one of the visitors, who was attending the festival for the third time.

Now in its 23rd edition, the festival opened on Saturday in the nearby town of Aiud, to which Ciumbrud belongs. Last year, Aiud was officially designated Romania's 'City of Roses' by a local council decision.

The event included the coronation of the first 'Rose Queen' and ambassador of the 'Land of Roses', Imola Bakk, who comes from one of Ciumbrud's long-established rose-growing families.

Participants then joined the traditional Rose Parade, travelling on foot, by bicycle or aboard flower-covered agricultural trailers decorated with thousands of roses. Younger visitors were able to ride the route aboard the 'Rose Train'.

One of this year's floral installations paid tribute to Constantin Brancusi's 'Gate of the Kiss', marking 2026 as the Year of Constantin Brancusi in Romania. Elaborate floral displays depicting peacocks, butterflies and wine decanters required up to two days of work and, in some cases, as many as 5,000 roses.

Although concerts and artistic performances were part of the programme, the floral installations remained the festival's main attraction.

The 'Rose of the Year 2026' title was awarded to 'Campfire' ('Foc de tabara'), a variety created in 1970 by celebrated Romanian horticulturist Stefan Wagner, often referred to as the 'father of Romanian roses'. A bust honouring Wagner was also unveiled during the festival.

'It is a top-quality rose. One of Stefan Wagner's finest creations, developed in 1970 at the Fruit Research Station in Cluj-Napoca. It is fragrant, with a superb deep-red colour. It flowers continuously throughout the season, as it belongs to the Floribunda group. It has also received international recognition, winning awards in Rome in 1973 and in the Czech Republic in 1975,' Mirela Cordea, a professor at the Faculty of Horticulture in Cluj-Napoca, explained.

Born in Alba County in 1932, Stefan Wagner created more than 50 rose varieties. After 1990, he became a mentor to rose growers in Ciumbrud and Aiud, contributing significantly to the development of what is now proudly known as the 'Land of Roses.'

Among his best-known varieties are Petrina, Romania's first thornless rose, Rosadora, Judit, Nobilia, Pearl of Transylvania and Campfire.

Rose production in Ciumbrud has expanded significantly over the past decade. While growers cultivated around 400,000 roses from about 70 varieties ten years ago, annual production now exceeds one million plants representing between 200 and 300 varieties.

'Every year we cultivate around seven to eight hectares, which means roughly one million rose plants. We currently grow between 200 and 300 varieties,' Andrei Molnar, head of the Alba branch of the Friends of Roses Association, told AGERPRES.

According to Molnar, between 10% and 15% of the locally produced rose plants are exported, mainly to Poland, Italy and France.

'We mainly focus on selling plants. (...) Our biggest customers are retail chains. Behind almost every producer stands a major retailer. Generally, we manage to sell our entire production. (...) It is hard work, but it also brings rewards,' he said.

Several family-run businesses operate in Ciumbrud, some now employing workers from Nepal.

One such business is Ciumbrud Nursery.

'Our grandparents ran a nursery in Gambas. We, their grandchildren, took it over. We initially focused on fruit trees, then started growing roses about 17 years ago. Today we have a nursery with around 70,000 roses. We produce rooted plants and have contracts with companies in Romania and Hungary,' Stefan Megyesi told AGERPRES.

Visitors were also able to buy rose syrup and join guided tours led by local growers to learn more about rose cultivation and the area's long horticultural tradition.

Officials attending the festival congratulated local producers for helping establish Ciumbrud as Romania's leading centre for rose cultivation.

Known as Romania's 'rose capital', Ciumbrud produces around 80% of the country's rose planting material.