PLACES TO VISIT AROUND US
The Aries is a river in Transilvania, in the west of Romania. It starts in the Bihor mountains,which are part of the Apuseni mountains. Its length is of about 164km and flows into the Mures. It flows through the regions of Alba and Cluj. The cities Turda, Campia Turzii and Baia de Aries are located around the Aries river.
The Aries River is made out of two streams, Ariesul Mare and Ariesul Mic, which flow together in the region of Mihoesti.
The territory through which the Aries flows is called Tara Motilor, a rustic and scenic region. The river basin holds a very important mining region(Rosia Montana, Baia de Aries, Bucium), rich in gold, silver, etc.
Some settlements’ names, like Baia de Arieș, Arieșeni, Ghiriș-Arieș, Gura Arieșului, Luncani and administrative divisions (e.g. Scaunul Secuiesc al Arieșului) evoke the name of the river.
From the most import and touristic objectives from the area, I recommend the following:
SCARISOARA CAVE
The Aries River is made out of two streams, Ariesul Mare and Ariesul Mic, which flow together in the region of Mihoesti.
The territory through which the Aries flows is called Tara Motilor, a rustic and scenic region. The river basin holds a very important mining region(Rosia Montana, Baia de Aries, Bucium), rich in gold, silver, etc.
Some settlements’ names, like Baia de Arieș, Arieșeni, Ghiriș-Arieș, Gura Arieșului, Luncani and administrative divisions (e.g. Scaunul Secuiesc al Arieșului) evoke the name of the river.
From the most import and touristic objectives from the area, I recommend the following:
SCARISOARA CAVE
The biggest ice cave in Romania is located in 1165m of height and is over 3000 years old.The length of the cave is of 720m and the depth of 105m. The ice block has a volume of 75l and a thickness of over 15m
The entrance of the cave is located at the bottom of a 46m deep pit, there are metallic stairs.
The arrangement is made with a lot of common sense and with concern for the preservation and protection of nature’s creation. The ice block in the cave is permanent, caused by a temperature that doesn’t go over 0.5 degrees in the Big Hall. The cave has a room of 700m, out of which 250 are open to visit and prepared with a wooden deck over the gigantic ice block that is over 4000 years old. I will let you discover this altar of nature yourself as it is impossible to reproduce the grandeur and beauty of the place in words.
The visit is a guided tour, it costs 7 Lei and is available between 9:00 and 18:00. I recommend you dress warmly, since, as I mentioned above, the temperature doesn’t rise above 0.5 degrees. You should also wear good shoes that will keep you from slipping since there is often ice or snow at the entrance of the cave.. even in summer.
The entrance of the cave is located at the bottom of a 46m deep pit, there are metallic stairs.
The arrangement is made with a lot of common sense and with concern for the preservation and protection of nature’s creation. The ice block in the cave is permanent, caused by a temperature that doesn’t go over 0.5 degrees in the Big Hall. The cave has a room of 700m, out of which 250 are open to visit and prepared with a wooden deck over the gigantic ice block that is over 4000 years old. I will let you discover this altar of nature yourself as it is impossible to reproduce the grandeur and beauty of the place in words.
The visit is a guided tour, it costs 7 Lei and is available between 9:00 and 18:00. I recommend you dress warmly, since, as I mentioned above, the temperature doesn’t rise above 0.5 degrees. You should also wear good shoes that will keep you from slipping since there is often ice or snow at the entrance of the cave.. even in summer.
THE CAVE POARTA LUI IONELE AND
ORDANCUSEI CANYON
ORDANCUSEI CANYON
From Garda de Sus, before turning to the path Valea Garda Seaca, on the right there is a road sign with Peştera Poarta lui Ionele and Cheile Ordâncuşei, don’t miss them! The path between the canyons is narrow but paved. The canyon has a length of 2.5km, are very beautiful and hold about 70 caves and portals. 200m lower I recommend a stop at the Cave Poarta lui Ionele. The cave is a speological reservation and shelters rare bat species. The entrance is magnificent. There is a waterfall between rocks and moss which covers the boulders, if it’s spring it’s also full of flowers. It looks like a beautiful Japanese Garden arranged by mother nature.
The entrance to the cave is made to the right of the garden following a flight of steps made of concrete. The visible part is a big hall holding a temporary lake. The cave is protected, the way being blocked by a locked metallic gate at the end of the large gallery. There is no doubt about the fact that you will turn around about 100 times when exiting the cave to take pictures of the cave’s portal and the garden at the entrance from every angle. It is an image you cannot get enough of.
LUPSA MONASTERY
The entrance to the cave is made to the right of the garden following a flight of steps made of concrete. The visible part is a big hall holding a temporary lake. The cave is protected, the way being blocked by a locked metallic gate at the end of the large gallery. There is no doubt about the fact that you will turn around about 100 times when exiting the cave to take pictures of the cave’s portal and the garden at the entrance from every angle. It is an image you cannot get enough of.
LUPSA MONASTERY
Situated on the Abrud - Campeni-Turda road, the Lupsa monastery is one of the oldest monastic settlements on the Aries Valley. Being founded by monks in Tara Motilor, it has always had a great spiritual role for the surrounding villages. The monks lead a life of fast and prayer and kept in touch with the Peri Monastery in the north of Maramures and with the monasteries in Moldova, from where they brought service books.
The current wooden church of the Lupsa Hermitage dates from 1421. The founder is the nobelman Stanislav, from Candea de Lupsa prince’s family. by the mid 18th century, the monastery was only held by a few monks, lead by the abbot Procopie. The monastic life lead by the monks lasted until 1820 when due to anti-Orthodox pressure the monastery was destroyed and the monks were expelled by Habsburg authorities. The church was used by greek catholics until 1948, when it got returned to the orthodox church. From 1948 until 1992 it was a place of cult and belonged to the orthodox parish. In 1992, at the request of the faithful, the bishop Andrew of Alba Iulia reopened the monastic settlement with communal monks.
VARTOP SKI SLOPE
The current wooden church of the Lupsa Hermitage dates from 1421. The founder is the nobelman Stanislav, from Candea de Lupsa prince’s family. by the mid 18th century, the monastery was only held by a few monks, lead by the abbot Procopie. The monastic life lead by the monks lasted until 1820 when due to anti-Orthodox pressure the monastery was destroyed and the monks were expelled by Habsburg authorities. The church was used by greek catholics until 1948, when it got returned to the orthodox church. From 1948 until 1992 it was a place of cult and belonged to the orthodox parish. In 1992, at the request of the faithful, the bishop Andrew of Alba Iulia reopened the monastic settlement with communal monks.
VARTOP SKI SLOPE
The ski slope in Arieseni is very popular because there is snow there during the whole season. The normal ski season lasts from December until March. The slope is illuminated along its whole length.
PISOAIA WATERFALL
It’s a splendid waterfall situated in the Avram Iancu commune, on the left side of the road, in the direction towards Campeni, about 400m away.
PISOAIA WATERFALL
It’s a splendid waterfall situated in the Avram Iancu commune, on the left side of the road, in the direction towards Campeni, about 400m away.
RUSTY PIT
It’s a huge water erosion in red sandstone, being a grandiose phenomena. The rupture has a depth of more than 100m and has a diameter of approximately 500m at the top. Sharp crests divide it into sections. It all merges at the bottom of a dale which is actually the origin of the dry valley
HUDA LUI PAPARA
HUDA LUI PAPARA
Huda lui Papara is a cave with hot air accumulation zones(20 degrees) and is located in the Bedeleu massive. The length of the galleries decorated with stalactites and stalagmites is of 2022m. The upper floor is crossed by an underground stream which forms multiple lakes and leaves the cave through the entrance hole. A passage was arranged at the entrance, which was destroyed by a flood. The cave is a speological reservation. It’s worth climbing 250m to see where the water appears in this cave. There, in a valley, there is the Dalbina cave in which the streams Seaca, Cheia and Valea Poienii disappear with deafening noise.
ROMAN MINES FROM ROSIA MONTANA
ROMAN MINES FROM ROSIA MONTANA
The Roman Galleries of Rosia Montana, from the Orlea Massive, represent a miracle for the modern scientific world with its remains of almost 2000 years. Dacia’s rich gold mines were used by the romans, assuring important financing sources for other roman campaigns.
-Rosia Montana represents the peak of antic mining technology: the digging of galleries into hard volcanic rock to get to gold strands, being unique in the world with this.
-At Rosia Montana you can observe the mining history of 2000 years starting with the roman period, until our days. For this, the mines at Rosia Montana should be in the list of UNESCO monuments.
- The mines were being exploited even before the romans’ conquest of Dacia, in 1st century b.C.; the hypothesis being confirmed by tests with C14 made on pieces of wood from the old support structure of the mines - the roman galleries are formed of tunnels tens of kilometres long.
- After the romans’ conquest of Dacia, the emperor Traian returned to Rome with a war prey of 165 tons of gold and 331 tons of silver.
- During the roman domination it is estimated that over 85 wagons of gold went to Rome
- Close to the Roman Galleries there is the fortress Alburnus Maior which represented the defence point of the region
- In Rosia Montana, starting with 2004, the festival FanFest takes place annually, it has had over 10.000 attendants each year
- The festival is in open-air and has rock, jazz, reggae and folk concerts; all artists will be there pro bono to support the campaign Salvati Rosia Montana- Save Rosia Montana and to celebrate artistic diversity and multiculturalism
DETUNATELE
-Rosia Montana represents the peak of antic mining technology: the digging of galleries into hard volcanic rock to get to gold strands, being unique in the world with this.
-At Rosia Montana you can observe the mining history of 2000 years starting with the roman period, until our days. For this, the mines at Rosia Montana should be in the list of UNESCO monuments.
- The mines were being exploited even before the romans’ conquest of Dacia, in 1st century b.C.; the hypothesis being confirmed by tests with C14 made on pieces of wood from the old support structure of the mines - the roman galleries are formed of tunnels tens of kilometres long.
- After the romans’ conquest of Dacia, the emperor Traian returned to Rome with a war prey of 165 tons of gold and 331 tons of silver.
- During the roman domination it is estimated that over 85 wagons of gold went to Rome
- Close to the Roman Galleries there is the fortress Alburnus Maior which represented the defence point of the region
- In Rosia Montana, starting with 2004, the festival FanFest takes place annually, it has had over 10.000 attendants each year
- The festival is in open-air and has rock, jazz, reggae and folk concerts; all artists will be there pro bono to support the campaign Salvati Rosia Montana- Save Rosia Montana and to celebrate artistic diversity and multiculturalism
DETUNATELE
It is a geologic reservation formed of two volcanic basalt peaks: Detunata Goala and Detunata Flocoasa situated in ore mountains are made up of columnar basalts on a surface of 5 hectares. In Muntii Apuseni there are two Detunate, 1.5km away from each other.The Detunate are columns of basalt of an astounding regularity, similar to huge natural organs(musical instrument), which we can adire in the Apuseni Mountais of Tara Motilor.
Detunata Goala and Detunata Flocoasa (24ha and 5ha of surface) are made up of a unique geologic reservation, remarkable through the hexagonal shaped basalt columns. Detunata Flocoasa - Fluffy owes its name to the dense forest that covers it.Detunata Goala- Empty is partially empty of food. The Detunate are the big touristic attraction of the region.
. The two cliffs: Detunata Goala (1168 m high) with little vegetation and Detunata Flocoasa (1265 m high) covered in vegetation,have the shape of two humps situated in proximity of the region.
The fact that they’re vertical makes them look taller when you're up close, and climbed on top of the cliff you have an amazing view of Gaina Mountain, Mare Mountain, Negrilesei, Vulcanului. The panorama is truly stunning.
The name of the grouping of cliffs made up of basalt columns comes from the sound of stones hitting the bottom- similar to thunder.
THE SNAIL HILL
Detunata Goala and Detunata Flocoasa (24ha and 5ha of surface) are made up of a unique geologic reservation, remarkable through the hexagonal shaped basalt columns. Detunata Flocoasa - Fluffy owes its name to the dense forest that covers it.Detunata Goala- Empty is partially empty of food. The Detunate are the big touristic attraction of the region.
. The two cliffs: Detunata Goala (1168 m high) with little vegetation and Detunata Flocoasa (1265 m high) covered in vegetation,have the shape of two humps situated in proximity of the region.
The fact that they’re vertical makes them look taller when you're up close, and climbed on top of the cliff you have an amazing view of Gaina Mountain, Mare Mountain, Negrilesei, Vulcanului. The panorama is truly stunning.
The name of the grouping of cliffs made up of basalt columns comes from the sound of stones hitting the bottom- similar to thunder.
THE SNAIL HILL
The reservation is situated in the Vidra commune - the village Nemesi- on the left of the Ariesul Mic valley - 15 kms away from Campeni and 10 kms away from the centre of the Vidra commune.
It’s a reef of seasnail shells, which lived in these places millions of years ago in the warm waters of the Tethis sea. The shells were kept inlaid in the rock up to our days.
The snail hill is a natural paleontological reservation formed in a sea with a rocky bottom. On a surface of 4,30 hectares senonian deposits with high Acetonella gastropod density can be found: gigantea, lamarcki or conica and species belonging to the Modiolus, Astarte, Arca, Crasatella, Nerita, Natica, Glaucinia types.
The snail hill is unique geologically, being 65-70 millions of years old, representing alternating sandstone and bedrock where 35 species of shellfish are incrusted. The dominant species is Acetonella Gigantea. The protected zone is 0,6 hectares big.
THE WOODEN CHURCH FROM CERTEGE
It’s a reef of seasnail shells, which lived in these places millions of years ago in the warm waters of the Tethis sea. The shells were kept inlaid in the rock up to our days.
The snail hill is a natural paleontological reservation formed in a sea with a rocky bottom. On a surface of 4,30 hectares senonian deposits with high Acetonella gastropod density can be found: gigantea, lamarcki or conica and species belonging to the Modiolus, Astarte, Arca, Crasatella, Nerita, Natica, Glaucinia types.
The snail hill is unique geologically, being 65-70 millions of years old, representing alternating sandstone and bedrock where 35 species of shellfish are incrusted. The dominant species is Acetonella Gigantea. The protected zone is 0,6 hectares big.
THE WOODEN CHURCH FROM CERTEGE
The wooden church from Certege, Alba region, isn’t included on the new list of historical monuments. This place of cult which dates from the year 1851, contains the church community ‘’Sfantul Mare Mucenic Gheorghe”- the saint great martyr Gheorghe.
Even though it was built of wood, the fact that it was radically modified (plastered in the interior and exterior), the church doesn’t fit the wooden church type of the region anymore and doesn’t present valuable architectural elements anymore.
The religious settlement owns three icons of significant artistic value, painted by the painters painters, Popa Ivan and Nistor Zugravul, also known in other towns in the Apuseni Mountains regions.
The wooden church from Cartege is one of the most important touristic destinations in Apuseni, a place which you shouldn’t miss if you are nearby.
Even though it was built of wood, the fact that it was radically modified (plastered in the interior and exterior), the church doesn’t fit the wooden church type of the region anymore and doesn’t present valuable architectural elements anymore.
The religious settlement owns three icons of significant artistic value, painted by the painters painters, Popa Ivan and Nistor Zugravul, also known in other towns in the Apuseni Mountains regions.
The wooden church from Cartege is one of the most important touristic destinations in Apuseni, a place which you shouldn’t miss if you are nearby.