Transilvania - Historical Province of Romania

Geography - Transilvania

Situated among the Oriental Carpathians, the Meridional Carpathians and the Apuseni Mountains, Transylvania historical province is rich in forests and has many accidents of the ground. Crossed by large rivers, such as the Mures, it is characterized by animal raising more than by cereals growing. As in other areas of the country, industry has changed the face of the region, because Transilvania has energy resources (brown coal) which are found in the small inner basins, the industrial economy overlapping on agriculture.

On the territory of Transilvania (in the Orastie Mountains), there was the centre of the Dacian state, but, during the Roman occupation, the greatest part of it was included in Dacia Roman province. The area of this territory, marked by Orastie, Deva, Hunedoara and Hateg towns is reach in archaeological objectives from neolithic, bronze epoch, Dacian-Roman and medieval periods. Among these, there can be mentioned Deva fortress, the castle in Hunedoara, the Roman capital of the old Dacia - Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana Augusta near Hateg and of Dacia-Sarmizegetusa near Gradistea de Munte (which represents, in fact, the first astronomic observatory on the territory of Romania, from the II-nd century B.C.), the fortresses and sanctuaries with geometrical and astronomical significations at Blidaru and Costesti, the church in Densus maybe from the XIII-th century, built on the ruins of a construction since the IV-th century), the well-known resort in Geoagiu Baths, Orastie town (where there was the letter presses with which the first papers in the Romanian language in 1582, were printed) the famous national park in Retezat, declared in 1935 and the bison reservation in Hateg.

The outstanding natural landscape and some of the objectives in Brasov, town which is known as an international tourstic centre, with objectives as the Bartholomew Church - in early gothic style, the Black Church (Biserica Neagra) - the greatest gothic construction in the country, founded in the XIV-th - XV-th centuries, the museum complex of the Romanian culture in Schei quarter of Brasov, old fortifications of the town fortress in the XV-th - XVI-th centuries, Poiana Brasov resort - the pearl of the Carpathians, the rustic fortress at Rasnov, the medieval fortress at Bran, complete the image of a palette of touristic entities worth to be visited.

In the west of Transilvania there is the greatest part of the Apuseni Mountains, unique from the touristic point of view, which lies up to the territories of Crisana. The Apuseni Mountains can be visited by four main touristic routes. One is Cluj-Napoca - Huedin - Oradea, with the caves in the Bihor Mountains and the memorial museum of Octavian Goga, the well-known Romanian poet, at Ciucea; the other one is marked by the towns Oradea - Beius - Stei - Campeni - Turda which comprises among others Felix and Stana de Vale resorts, the caves Ursilor, Ghetarul from Barsa and Focul Viu, Ponor "fortresses", the natural reservation, unique on Earth, represented by the fossil glacier in Scarisoara cave, the country museum at Lupsa, the carstic froms at Cheile Turzii and the unique phenomenon in the area, as well as in the country, near Vascau, called "Izbucul" from Calugari, stream that appears and disappears at equal time intervals; the third is the route Stei - Varfurile - Brad - Deva (at Brad, there is the most beautiful museum of gold nuggets and cave stones in Romania, the graves of Avram Iancu and his captains at Tebea, heroes of the Romanians during the revolutionary events in 1848 a.o.); finely, Campeni - Abrud - Zlatna - Alba Iulia route where the famous "Girls Fair" at Gaina Mountain, take place the interesting rocks of basalt, unique in the Carpathians, called Detunatele and Alba Iulia town which marked the foundation of Great Romania in 1918.

A very special touristic zone is also on the upper course of the Olt Depression up to Sibiu town (inestimable archaeological and touristic objectives such as: the Fortress wall, the Bruckenthal Museum etc.).

The most important touristic places of this zone are: Miercurea Ciuc and Sfantu Gheorghe towns, Sfanta Ana (Santa Ana) Lake, the Fortress of Fagaras and the road from Brezoi (on the Lotru Valley) to the beautiful Voineasa resort and the well-known Cozia, Turnu and "Of a single Tree" ("Dintr-un lemn") monasteries.

Maramures province, the natural environment and the native people have always attracted visitors. Certified in documents at the beginning of the XII-th century, it preserves unaltered the garb, the architecture and popular customs, existing for centuries, being inhabited since ancient times by the Dacians. The Mestecanis and Prislop passes (one of the highest passes in the Carpathians), Borsa town (where there can be admired the heights of the Rodna Mountains with the Inau and Pietrosul Rodnei peaks), the famous "merry cemetery" in Sapanta, Izvoarele resort and Baia Mare city (with Saint Stephen Tower build in 1445, with a height of about 50 m, in gothic style and a beautiful museum with mine flowers).

Another historical province is Crisana, with several towns such as Oradea - with the second astronomical observatory from all times on Romanian territory since the half of the XV-th century, Beius, Simleul Silvaniei, Carei a.o. Its relief from east to west is represented by the Bihor Mountains (with peaks over 1880 m), the so-called group of low mountains (Padurea Craiului, Codru-Mona and Zarand), the "piemont" hills and the Cris Plain. There, the climate is milder than in the rest of the country, varying from the plain climate (with warm summers and mild winters) to the climate of depressions (mild, rich in rainfalls). Underground, there are various riches (bauxite, lignite, coloured soils, bitumen, high quality clay etc.). More than 3/4 from the arable surface is cultivated with cereals, great sufaces being occupied with fodder plants. In depressions fruit-tree growing is developed.