Romania | The Best Travel Destinations

Heroes Cross on Caraiman Peak

Heroes Cross on Caraiman Peak

The Heroes Cross is a monument built between 1926 and 1928 on Caraiman Peak at an altitude of 2,291 m located in Romania, in the Bucegi Mountains of the Southern Carpathians. It has a height of 28 metres (92 ft) and the nearest town is Buşteni. The name of the monument is the Heroes Cross, but it is popularly known as the Cross on Caraiman.

Location and size

The Heroes Cross is located in the saddle of the Caraiman Mountains, on the slope to the Seacă Valley at an elevation of 2,291 metres (7,516 ft); it is unique in Europe, both by the location’s altitude and by the monument’s size. The cross itself has a height of 28 metres (92 ft) and two arms of 7 metres (23 ft) each. The monument was the tallest structure in the world situated at such an altitude. The width of the vertical pole is 2 metres (7 ft), the horizontal arms have a length by spindle pole of 7 metres (23 ft), and a square cross section with sides of 2 metres (7 ft). The cross is made out of steel profiles and is mounted on a pedestal of concrete clad with stone 7.5 metres (25 ft) high. Inside the pedestal is a room that originally housed the electric generator that powered the 120 light bulbs of 500 W each located on the perimeter of the cross.

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Transfagarasan Road

The Transfagarasan road starts (from south to north) in Curtea de Arges and goes up crossing the tallest Romanians mountains, called the Fagaras Mountains in our books or the Transylvanian Alps in foreigner’s references.
After a spectacular section where the Transfagarasan road fights with the mountain slopes like a huge snake searching for its prey, it ends beyond the Cartisoara village, melting slowly into the E68 (European road), about 45km/27miles east of Sibiu. If you are traveling from Bucuresti, you can take the A1 freeway into Pitesti, and then the DN7C (national road) toward Curtea de Arges.

The Transfagarasan road was built between 1970 and 1974 as a strategic military route. After the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union, Ceausescu had it built to insure quick military access across the mountains in the event the Soviets attempted a similar move into Romania.

The road was built mainly with military forces at a high cost. They used about 6 million kilos of dynamite on the northern face (this is the most spectacular) and on the tunnel (about 0.9km/0.53miles long). About 40 soldiers lost their lives during the building of it.

Today, the Transfagarasan road is an attraction for travelers, mostly drivers and lots of hikers. Given its layout and altitude, it is generally only open from June to September.

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Turda Salt Mine - Turda Gorge

A day trip to Turda Salt Mine is a must for any visitor to Cluj-Napoca. One of the most important salt mines in Transylvania, Turda Salt Mine has been known since ancient times, but was put into operation for underground mining work during the Roman period.

The Salt Mine is mentioned in official documents from the middle of the 13th century, when the mine was offered to the Transylvanian Catholic Church leaders. In the Middle Ages, Turda was one of the biggest places of salt extraction in entire region.

The salt was extracted as clods which were then cut by specialist workers. The mines were lit by candles and tallow rush lights; explosives were never used for exploitation nor mechanical equipment used for cutting the salt.

The microclimate in the mine is characterised by yearly variations of temperature between 11 – 12° C; the average humidity level inside is 80% and the air pressure is between 747-752 mm Hg.

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Bucharest

Population: 1.945.000

Area: 228 km²

According to legend, Bucharest was founded by a shepherd boy named ‘Bucur’ whose name meant joy. He spread joy all around the place by playing his flute and the local traders were impressed with his wine and therefore Bucharest was named after Bucur.

Also known as “Little Paris” due to its boulevards filled with trees and beautiful buildings with many 18th and 19th century palaces and mansions now home to elegant casinos. The city has a reputation for high life, so tourists are bound to dine on a sumptuous dinner and dance all night to live music.

Bucharest sits on the banks of the Dambovita River and contains many lakes, including the small, man-made lake called Lake Cismigiu at the center of the capital. Near the lake are the Cismigiu Gardens, which opened in 1847 and have been visited by many famous poets and authors. The gardens are the main recreational facility in the city’s center. Continue reading Bucharest – Romania