Nature, culture and flavors in Buzău county
Buzău County boasts extensive forests, unique natural phenomena and ancient traditions.
Daniel Onea, 06.04.2023, 14:00
Today we take you to an area with extensive forests, unique natural phenomena and ancient traditions. Buzău County is also popular with the lovers of adventure tourism, where they can practice mountaineering, off-roading, rafting or paragliding. Moreover, the gastronomic offer is quite varied and includes several registered brands. The guest of today’s edition is Juranda Kirschner, a graduate of psychology and international relations studies in Poland and France, who returned to Romania after more than ten years. She is currently the president of the Buzău Travel Association and promotes the area also through the perspective of gastronomy tourism.
Juranda Kirschner: “For us, Buzău is that part of Romania that offers a lot of natural landscapes. We are happy that the Buzău Land UNESCO Global Geopark project came to life last year, and I would recommend every tourist coming to Buzău County to start their strolls from the GeoGate which is located in Berca commune. Buzău boasts various types of tourism such as hiking, rafting, enotourism or wine tourism in the Dealul Mare area, and bicycle touring. Works are still under way on some cyclotourism projects and we hope they will be ready soon. Next we’ll focus on the destinations that are most popular, and I have in mind three which are emblematic for Buzău county: the Muddy Volcanoes, the Living Fires and the cave settlements of Colțea, Aluniș, and Nucu.”
The Muddy Volcanoes are a natural, spectacular and unique phenomenon in South-Eastern Europe. They stretch over several tens of hectares of land and create a lunar landscape. This is the place where you will enter two nature reserves: Pâclele Mari and Pâclele Mici. In the first one tourists’ access is easier and they get close to the volcanoes. If, at first, these volcanoes were a source of fear for the people, which led to the creation of legends, scientists found scientific explanations that dispelled the myths. The Living Fires represent an equally unique natural phenomenon, in the mountainous part of Buzău County, in the Lopătari area. Here the fire comes straight out of the ground, turning it into a whole field of flames. They are, in fact, emanations of natural gases that come to the surface through cracks in the Earths crust and are ignited by the Suns rays.
The cave settlements represent another truly fascinating destination in Buzău county. The first Christian missionaries from the Middle East came and lived there only 300 years after Christ. The oldest settlement in the system of cave ruins is the grotto called Fundul Peşterii (the Cave Bottom) which was inhabited since the 6th century BC. Several still undeciphered writings carved on its walls are still visible. The steep slopes, the dense forest and the hidden paths make access to the cave settlements difficult. In fact, isolation was the very reason why hermits lived there along the centuries. And, in this entire area full of special tourist attractions, local artisans have their own place.
Juranda Kirschner, the president of the Buzău Travel Association, says that they have come to the attention of the local authorities who want to promote them better: “There are many artisans in the area, but there is no specific center where they can display their works. Those from the Buzău Land Global Geopark are working on this. It is a project close to their hearts as well, and they are trying to talk to the craftsmen and set up of group of interests. However, there is a special place in Bisoca. It is called Zestrea Bisoceană, where the workshops for tourists are held. We have wool and leather processing workshops for tourists and also a small souvenir shop with objects made by craftsmen in the area.”
The county of Buzau is also a great choice for food lovers. For instance, the famous Buzau pretzels, a registered trademark famous at European level, are made here. Simple circles of dough, with an unmistakable taste – this is how bakers in Buzau describe their pretzels, made after a century-old recipe. Buzau is also famous for other types of delicious food, one more reason to pick it as destination around the holidays. Juranda Kirschner: ”We set up Slow Food Community Buzău six months ago. It is an initiative group connected to Slow Food Community International of Italy. We took this step in order to promote our artisans and everything that Buzau has best to offer, namely, the Plescoi sausages, and many other tasty products. We want Buzau to become more than a leisure and cultural destination. We want it to become a culinary attraction area, famous for its slow cooked dishes. Easter and Christmas are the holidays during which boarding houses and restaurants offer what they have best, so it’s a good time to visit the area.”
Wines are an important part of the offer. Dealu Mare vineyard is one of the best for red wines in Romania. Starting from Dealu Mare and up to Covasna, every village holds a local feast on the weekend. Thus, either taking part in a local celebration, or going hiking, tourists appreciate the fact that they have many opportunities of spending free time in the middle of nature. Juranda Kirschner: ”Except for trips and hikes, there are also tourist programmes, such as truffle hunting with dogs in the forest, followed by a cooking class and a wine testing session with a sommelier. At present, the Slow Food Community are preparing a fair that will open in the month of May. The fair will be held once a month, on weekends, so that tourists coming to the area can get in touch with producers directly, and purchase their artisanal products. Children can take part in workshops while adults can indulge in wine tasting and good music. We invite everybody to come to this area and see what this county has to offer.”
Among Buzau’s tourist attractions is the balneal resort Sarata Monteoru, located 20 km away from the county capital. Famous for its salty springs with curative properties, the resort has greatly improved its infrastructure in the last few years.
