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Tourist
\nAttractions in Banat<\/p>\n
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Today
\nwe are going to the historic region of Banat. We discover the most
\nisolated locality in Romania, a tiny village in the Cerna Mountains,
\nwhose only connection to the outside world is a wooden ladder, 100 m
\nlong, fixed to the side of a mountain. We can also reach the
\nwatermills in Rudaria, unique in Eastern Europe. We are also going to
\ntalk about the Jazz Festival in Garana, an international event that
\nis also about traditions and authentic folklore.
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Banat
\nand the whole of Romania want to activate tourism in various forms,
\naccording to Dan Mirea, the manager of the Center for Creation and
\nPromotion for Traditional Culture in Caras Severin:
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If
\nwe refer to authentic tourism, or brand tourism, which we already
\nhave, I think I would make a direct referral to the Bigar Waterfalls
\nin Almaj Valley. It is very well known. It is one of the seven most
\nbeautiful waterfalls of the world. We have another area with a lot of
\nforeign tourists. These are the watermills of Rudaria, which are
\nbuilt in the 18th century. What is different about them is
\nthat locals in the area are still milling their wheat and corn to
\nthis day, because they remain functional. Many television crews from
\naround the world go there to report on the windmills. We also have
\nanother special are. We have a village in Caras, in the mountain part
\nof Banat, which can only be reached by some very steep steps. It is
\ncalled Inelet. As a poet put it beautifully, it is the village in
\nRomania that is closest to God. There is no other access to this
\nlocality. People use these stairs, which are used even to take kids
\nto school or to the doctor, in what we call saddlebags. And when
\npeople pass away, their journey to being laid to rest takes seven
\nhours, because they don’t have a cemetery there.<\/p>\n
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This
\nmost isolated of villages in Romania, Inelet, has around one hundred
\nhouses, spread out, one on each small hill. Of these, only 33 are
\nstill inhabited. The first sign that tourists have reached this place
\nis the village church, built on a hill in the year 1973 by the
\nlocals. Another great area is that of the village of Garana, which
\nwas inhabited starting in the 19th century by Saxons, says
\nDan Mirea:
\n<\/p>\n
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Right
\nnow they have there one of the most important jazz festivals in the
\nworld, and a lot of foreign tourists come here along an entire week,
\nat the end of August. The tickets get sold out two years ahead of
\ntime. This year, as opposed to previous years, after this period of
\ntime that has put the brakes on all art manifestations, tickets were
\nsold out within 14 hours. Another great element would be the mountain
\nof Semenic, which is now undergoing perpetual change. A lot is
\ngetting invested in logistics and infrastructure. Two European level
\nski slopes are being built, one of them rivaling the one in the
\nfamous resort of Innsbruck, in Austria. In fact, it is precisely an
\nAustrian company that is working there. By the end of 2023, when they
\nwill be opened to the public, these slopes will definitely bring in a
\nvery large number of tourists. We also have on the Bistra Valley, in
\nthe heart of Banat, many artistic activities, and not only in this
\narea. Banat is represented by loads of artistic activities. One
\nexample would be the International Festival Hercules, in Baile
\nHerculane. This is a town that did honor not only to Caras-Severin
\nCounty and Banat, it did honor to Romania during the time when it
\nbecame an emblem of spa tourism all over Europe.<\/p>\n
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As
\nfor the Baile Herculane spa itself, certainly one of its main
\nattractions is its historic center. We find here legacy buildings,
\nsuch as the Casino, the Austrian Imperial Baths, and the villa that
\nwas hosting the Empress of Austria-Hungary, Elisabeth, or Sissi, who
\nfell in love with Baile Herculane and the surrounding area. Here is
\nDan Mirea:
\n<\/p>\n
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The
\nold center has just been completely restored, and the famous Hercules
\nstatue, which became the national and international brand image for
\nBaile Herculane, regained the shine it had in the 19th
\ncentury. In Herculane there is an international festival, over 30
\nyears old, the International Hercules Festival. Every year, over 40
\ncountries come here to present their traditions and folklore. We have
\nin Banat a large number of regions that represent some form of
\nfolklore. There are three big areas: Caras Valley, Bistra Valley, and
\nAlmaj Valley, the mountainous area of Banat. These regions have the
\nmost appreciated singing, dancing, and traditional costumes. People
\nvalue traditional garb more than anything else. It is said in Banat
\nthat old people would sell even their funeral plots, but they would
\nnot part with the traditional costumes from their forebears. As
\nmanager of the Center for Creation and Promotion for Traditional
\nCulture in Caras Severin, I have a few projects for next year. We are
\ntrying to gravitate towards and join Timisoara, which will be 2023
\nEuropean Cultural Capital. One of my projects for next year is an
\nexhibition with over 1,000 costumes from all the representative areas
\nof Banat.<\/p>\n
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In
\naddition to the spa of Baile Herculane, there is a small area that
\nstarted becoming a pole of attraction for tourists, called Muntele
\nMic, the Small Mountain. The spa here is at an altitude of about
\n1,550 m, and is a destination for lovers of winter sports. At the
\nsame time, at the foot of the mountain you will find traditional
\ncraftsmen and their stories, as Dan Mirea told us:
\n<\/p>\n
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We
\nalso have right by the city of Resita a village that has become
\nrepresentative not just for Banat, but for the whole of Romania. It
\nis the village of Binis, where a master potter, who passed forward
\nthe tradition of his forebears, represented Romania at the greatest
\ninternational fairs of the world. As a fun fact about this place,
\nfour presidents of the US have decorated this master potter. The
\nunique thing is that he never upgraded his potter’s wheel. It has
\nbeen used for over 200 years, and it has a special charm. Anyone
\nsitting down at this wheel and spinning it has no chance of spilling
\nthe clay off of it. Last but not least, we have a wood carving camp,
\nwhich this year expanded. It was started a few years ago in Barana.
\nRight now, any other places have adopted this carving camp. Artists
\nfrom all over the world, from 35 countries, come every year to
\nCaransebes. For a month, they pick a tree stump from the surrounding
\nforests in the Banat mountains, after a ritual of befriending this
\nstump.<\/p>\n
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This
\nis a destination where natural attractions blend harmoniously with
\nthe cultural heritage, all this complete with cultural events
\nthroughout the year.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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