<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
We’re heading, today, to one of Romania’s most spectacular
\nmountain massifs, Piatra Craiului. It is the place where you can have the breath-taking
\nglimpse of the chamois, officially declared nature monuments.The first step
\ntowards the protection of the area had officially been taken in 1938, when a
\nnature reserve was founded in the region. Today we ‘re about to discover a wide
\nrange of tourist routes and natural attractions. All of them are accessible, since
\nthat mountain massif lies only 25 kilometers from the city of Brasov. Mircea Verghelet
\nis the director of the park administration. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mircea Verghelet:<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
It is one of Romania’s 13 national
\nparks. In terms of surface area, the park straddles the counties of Brasov and
\nArges, lying in the vicinity of the Rucar-Bran pass, a road with a very special
\nscenery. You can see the Bucegi Mountains on one side, while the Piatra Craiului
\nMountains can be seen on the other side. To the west, we have two valleys, Brasov
\nCounty’s Barsa valley and the Dambovita river valley in Arges County. Practically,
\nthe Piatra Craiului National Park is surrounded
\nby these two passes. The mountain is very spectacular. It is a limy ridge. It
\nis Romania’s only limestone area lying at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters.
\nIt has a unique feature, meaning that the layers of limestone, a sedimental
\nstone that was formed on the bottom of the sea, are vertically placed, as a
\nresult of the tectonic movements, mainly in the northern area. Normally, these
\nlimestone layers are found on a horizontal position. So, very spectacular forms
\nof reliefs were thus formed, with steep areas, with vertical walls, with valleys
\nand detritus areas.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In
\nPiatra Craiului, quite unlike other regions across the country, since hunting
\nhas been officially banned for almost all species, the chamois are very friendly
\nwith the tourists. They even take pictures of the chamois with their cellphones,
\nwith no strong zoom-in objectives needed. Sometimes, the chamois are four,
\nmaybe five meters close to the tourists. For those who can climb all the way up
\nto the ridge areas, mainly in the summer, running into the chamois can be a
\ngreat joy, and the pictures become memories they take home with them. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The director of the Piatra Craiului National Park
\nAdministration, Mircea Verghelet: <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There are 44 tourists
\nroutes, marked and approved, with various degrees of difficulty. First, there
\nare the routes surrounding the massif at its foot, in the forested areas,
\nwhich are more accessible. Then I should like to mention the routes cutting
\nacross the gorges. We’ve got the limy canyons in the northern area, but also in
\nthe southern area. To the north we’ve got the Zarnesti precipice, an area
\nfamed because of its escalation opportunities as well. To the south, we’ve got
\nthe Dambovicioara Gorges, the Brusturet and the Dambovita Gorges. A forest road
\nor public or communal roads cut across these gorges, just like in the southern
\narea. The routes are more accessible down below. As we’re approaching the
\nridge, especially on the western slope, which is steeper, the routes become
\nmore difficult. For the summer, tourists need to have the equipment required
\nfor climbing: boots, raincoat, a cell phone so that they can announce the
\nMountain Rescue Services if unpredictable events occur. Then it is very important
\nthat they have water. In Piatra Craiului, there are no water sources in the
\nridge area. However, for the winter season, we recommend those who want to take
\nthe usual hiking itineraries and do not have the skills required for climbing,
\nto follow only the routes at the foot of the mountain. The trails in the ridge areas
\nare off-limits for the lay public.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Before setting out on a hiking route, you should get
\ninfo about the trail. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mircea Verghelet:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
You can visit our Internet
\npage, at pcrai.ro, where you can search a map for the visiting itineraries. You
\ncan see them using Google Earth. Also, we have a printed copy of a tourist map
\nyou can purchase from us. Our visiting center is one of Romania’s most modern
\nsuch centers. Its layout is that of a tourist itinerary, to be taken if you want
\nto get acquainted with the Piatra Craiului massif. We’ve got lots of
\ninteractive gadgets as well as a map of the massif, on which various images are
\nscreened, that including a 3D version of the tourist routes. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Also, all sorts of dioramas are available, structured according to various topics, flora, fauna, the history of the escalation in Piatra
\nCraiului, other protected areas across Romania, insects, caves, detritus and
\nsuchlike. Every diorama is interactive as well and you can see a presentation and
\nseveral photographs. Before the pandemic, we used to have roughly 7,000
\nvisitors a year. We hope that, after tis period, we can return to the initial
\nfigure. A great many of them come in the summer, from Romania but also from
\nabroad. They come to get info, also seeking advice if they want to visit the
\npark.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At the moment, the Piatra
\nCraiului National Park Administration has two projects, currently in their implementation
\nstage, jointly carried with the other parks of the Carpathian arch belonging to
\nthe member countries of the Carpathian Convention.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Mircea Verghelet:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One of them has to do with
\nthe carnivores’ accessways between Piatra Craiului and Bucegi. As part of the project,
\nwe also had several monitoring cameras. We managed to film all species of
\ncarnivores, but also the other species in the park. All these takes can be
\naccessed on our Facebook page, enjoying a great number of visitors. Also, right
\nnow we are going to initiate a project carried for the revision of the Piatra
\nCraiului National Park’s management plan. This should be the third management
\nplan we’ve had. We also intend to focus on birds, in the future, since the area
\nhas also been declared important in this respect. We invite all those who would
\nlike to visit a mountain region in Romania to come to Piatra Craiului, since it
\nis a one-of-a-kind such area. Many people say it is the most beautiful mountain
\nin the country, and beyond that. We believe that our facilities, our shelters,
\nour trails, the visiting center, all that can provide a unique experience. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
We have extended out invitation to all of you. Please make
\nsure you visit us next week as well, when we’re heading towards the
\nsouth-western part of Romania. Our destination will be an area which is less
\npromoted, but which is famous for its wild nature, the Jiu River Gorges National
\nPark. <\/p>\n
(EN)<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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