The Ecoturism Destination Hațeg – Retezat

The Ecotourism destination Hațeg – Retezat – covers three of the most important tourist areas in Romania – The Dinosaurs’ Geopark – Hațeg and Retezat National Park, both with international recognition by UNESCO, as well as part of another large protected area, called the Grădiștea Muncelului Natural Park – Muncel . The attractiveness of the area is given not only by the multitude of natural, historical and cultural objectives, but also by the more than 40 hiking or bicycle routes. For the first time in Romanian’s history these bicycle routes have been approved by the Ministry of Tourism. Ecotourism destination Hațeg- Retezat, the third such area in Romania certified in June 2016, by the Ministry of Tourism, aims to offer visitors a unique experience, through products, ecotourism services to the highest standards, but also by promoting a responsible attitude towards the environment and the local community.

The Ecotourism destination Hațeg – Retezat has three image ambassadors – Toma Coconea, paraglider, ultra marathoner, the only athlete invited to participate in all editions of Red Bull X-Alps, the toughest endurance competition in the world, Avel Ritișan (Piff) – climber, mountain rescuer, the one who led, in the ’80s, the first Romanian expedition to the Himalayas and Avram Iancu, the first Romanian ever to swam across the English Channel, and who walked along the entire course of the Danube, from the springs to the Black Sea.

The Retezat Tourism Association is the coordinator of the public-private partnership that manages the development project and promotion of the ecotourism destination Hațeg- Retezat, consisting of institutions and units involved in the field of tourism, environmental protection, education and local and central public administration and is financed by the Romanian American Foundation and the Partnership Foundation, with the support of the Romanian Ecotourism Association. The members of the partnership are:

• Retezat Tourism Association • Administration of the Retezat National Park • Dinosaurs’ Geopark Hațeg – University of Bucharest •The Administration of the Grădiștea Muncelului – Cioclovina Natural Park Hunedoara • Hunedoara County through the County Council • The Prefecture of the Hunedoara County • Hațeg City Hall • Town halls of municipalities in Hațeg (Totești, Sarmizegetusa, General Berthelot, Densuș, Baru, Răchitova, Sălașu de Sus and Sântămăria Orlea) • The National College “I.C. Brătianu ”Hațeg • Hunedoara County Public Mountain Rescue Service • The Inspectorat of Military police “Decebal” Hunedoara • The Inter-communal Association Hațeg • Tourist units from Hațeg and Hațeg Realm.

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10 PLACES TO BE VISITED IN HATEG – RETEZAT About Hațeg – Retezat Region A trip to Hateg – Retezat area is a travel in time. You will discover missing worlds that vanished 70 million years ago, you will face dinosaurs in full size, you will explore volcanoes and traces of a missing sea. From more recent times, you will discover mountain landscapes, lakes and carnivorous plants, all remaining from the glacial era, 10,000 years ago. You will also enjoy the traces of antiquity left by the Romans, at Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana, as well as the first places of Christianity – at Densus Church. And if you are still in the area, do not miss the famous virsli (slim sausage specialty) from Salas! And for a complete experience, we also recommend a glass of vinas, a liquor made from Răchitova plum!

Careful about nature and people The land you walk on is extremely important! Hațeg- Retezat area contains extraordinary natural and man-made features, so special that they have been recognized by UNESCO as the Human and Biosphere Reservation (1979) and UNESCO International Geopark (2015). How to get there? By car – E79 Targu Jiu – Petroşani – Haţeg – Simeria (Deva) and DN 68 Caransebeş – Haţeg.

By train – the nearest station in the area is Subcetate. Direct links: Bucharest North, Cluj-Napoca, Timisoara North, Arad, Mangalia, Craiova. Information: www.infofer.ro , www.regiotrans.ro By bus – daily trips from the main cities. Information: www.autogari.ro , www.mersulautobuzelor.ro

1. Retezat National Park
The Retezat Mountain range is characterized by a glacial relief unique in Romania, with over 20 peaks taller than 2000 meters, numerous glacial lakes, among which the largest (Bucura) and the deepest (Zănoaga). To these you can add the fact that more than a third of the plant species in Romania are found here (1190), 90of which cannot be found anywhere else in the world. At the foot of the high slopes, there are extensive virgin forests where you will find wild animals that have long since disappeared from other parts of Europe. The first national park in Romania, founded in 1935 by Alexandru Borza and Emil Racoviță, has a network of over 50 tourist routes.

2. Dinosaurs’ Geopark Hațeg: Geopark House – Hațeg and the House of Volcanoes – Densuș.
The Hațeg area is renowned for dwarf dinosaurs that lived on these lands about 70 million years ago. The UNESCO International Geopark Hațeg offers a journey in time, in Earth History and Human History. If you want to know the story of Balaur Bondoc ( the Dwarf Gargoyle) – the only species in the world with a Romanian scientific name, we invite you to the Geopark House, located in the center of Hațeg. The House of Volcanoes in Desus opens for any children wishing to experience a day in the life of a paleontologist.

3. Stone churches – Orthodox Church „Sf. Nicolae ”Densuș, Sântămăria-Orlea Reformed Church , Prislop Monastery, Colț Monastery
The Densus Church is a monument whose story has not been fully deciphered. Both the origin and the date of construction of the church are controversial. Some believe that it was at first a Roman temple dedicated to the God Mars, then transformed into a church in the 12th -13th century. Others claim that in ancient times it was the mausoleum of the Roman general Longinus Maximus, whose wife discovered the Christian religion and modified the mausoleum to establish the first church north of the Danube. Today, the church has an unusual appearance, comprising a mixture of styles and materials. Some windows are actually Roman sewer connections, the walls of the church are supported by columns, the altar is a sarcophagus lid, the lions on the roof were Roman statues, and the massive stones in the walls contain ancient carvings. You can see in its walls even pieces from the Roman ruins of Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa: Roman brick, columns, stones with ancient inscriptions or even statues. Inside, there is another unique item: in the icon of the Holy Trinity, Christ is dressed in Romanian folk costume.
Like all Cistercian churches, the Church of Sântămăria – Orlea was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and is a simple construction, but of impressive dimensions, being the largest medieval church in the Hateg area. In the beginning, the church had ten mural paintings inside with the cross motif. Following the confessional changes of the community, the church became orthodox and was repainted in a style that blends Byzantine and Western elements. Later on, being transformed into a reformed church, the paintings were covered with a chalk base paint. Today, the frescoes in the church are uncovered and are considered to be some of the best medieval paintings in Romania. You will see that in some places the Byzantine frescoes have been erased, leaving the older painting layer in sight.
Although located in Transylvania, the Prislop Monastery was built in the style of the monasteries in the Wallachia. How did this happen? It is said that Lady Zamfira, the daughter of a Prince of Wallachia, being very ill, came to the monastery. Here she drank from the water of a spring and she recovered. As a thank you, she rebuilt the edifice and stayed here the rest of her life. Later on, the one who gave the monastery its reputation was Arsenie Boca, the Saint of Transylvania also known as the Wise Father.
There were times, in the Middle Ages, when the Colț Monastery was not a mere place of worship. At that time robberies and attacks were very common. And for this reason the monastery had a fortified tower, where the monks kept valuables and sheltered in case of danger. The tower had thick walls over one meter and narrow windows from which the monks could shoot, without being able to be targeted in turn. Today, at Colț, the fortified tower and the stories of the people who were linked to the monastery are still preserved. One of them is that of the founder of the place of worship. It is said that he was buried in the monastery church. And that his bones are sacred. On the way to the place of worship you can see the ruins of Colț Fortress, which is believed to have been the source of Jules Verne’s inspiration for “The Carpathian Castle “.

4. Sarmizegetusa Ulpia Traiana – Ruins of the Roman Dacia capital and the Archeology Museum
Vreţi să păşiţi pe istorie la propriu? Mergeţi la Sarmizegetusa, satul aşezat pe ruinele capitalei romane a provinciei Dacia: Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa! Aici puteţi vizita ruinele unor clădiri din vechiul oraş-cetate: templele, atelierele, băile publice, amfiteatrul şi forul. Sau puteţi face o plimbare prin sat, unde prin curţile oamenilor se mai văd urmele zidurilor ce înconjurau oraşul antic. Veţi vedea bucăţi din ruinele romane chiar şi în pereţii gospodăriilor, fântânilor, cetăţilor şi bisericilor. Şi asta nu numai în Sarmizegetusa. Peste tot în Ţara Haţegului, clădirile părăsite după retragerea romanilor, au devenit pentru localnici o adevărată sursă de piatră de construcţie.

5. Hațeg – Slivuț Bison Reservation
Are you curious to see the forests from where the Dacians collected their medicinal herbs for their famous treatments? Or the meadows where they built their houses? Then take a walk through Slivuţ Forest. It seems that this oak forest is similar to the one that in the past was both a shelter for Dacians and a dark maze for strangers. Today, the attraction of the Slivuţ Forest is the zimbri (bisons), raised here in captivity, since 1958, when this one of a kind reservation in Romania was first created.

6. Hațegana Cooperative
Discover the old crafts of the Hateg inhabitants! Visit the exhibition center of the Hațegana Cooperative, located in Hațeg, and buy yourself a handmade ie (folk blouse) or shirt! From January 9th, 1971 till present day, the Hațegana Cooperative is proud of the fact that it is the only folk art cooperative in the Hunedoara County has had a uninterupted activity. The main production has always focused on hand-embroidered folk blouses, especially by the wives of miners in the Jiu Valley, Brad and Hațeg areas. The models developed and produced by the Hațegana Cooperative are still inspired today by the unique ethnographic treasure of the Hațeg Realm and the Padurenilor Land.

7. Mălăiești Fortress
Are you curious to know how one of the small medieval fortresses in Haţeg looked like? You can visit the fortress from Mălăieşti. The medieval fortress from here is constructed like other fortifications in the area. Initially only a tower-house was erected. It was then surrounded by enclosure walls, and later four bastion towers were built. It is said that the fortress was too small to cope with a more serious attack and had rather a defense role in the conflicts between the local nobles. Even so, it seems that it was not strong enough, because it was destroyed in a civil war. Today, after a complete restauration, you can enjoy its former grandeur. Upon return, you can stop in Sălașu de Sus, for a virșli tasting – traditional slim sausages made from sheep meat.

8. Râușor Adventure Park
If you want a good adrenaline kick, you can take a walk to Râuşor (near the Mountain Rescue Base). The suspended route is opened no matter what the time of year, and in order to be able to cross it, you must have only a little courage, a lot of willpower and, above all, you must follow the few basic rules that the guide tells you, before launching in this small adventure. The route was done in an “eco” way, without the use of nails. The fight with your own sense of balance, your own fear and your desire to go to the finish begins with an “Indian bridge”, followed by the suspended buds and fisherman’s net. Once you have reached the end, you are rewarded with a descent of 85 meters long Tyrolean. You must inform the Mountain Rescue Base in Râușor, Râu de Mori village, your intention to travel this route at tel no.0040-254 890 600.

Foto Mircea Bezergheanu

9. Ponor Cul-de-sac
Every step you take in Hațeg area, you will encounter landscapes and natural wonders, but some places are truly remarkable. Ponor Foundation from the Tureanu Mountains – Grădiștea Muncelului Natural Park – Cioclovina is famous throughout the country for the fairy-tale landscapes with which it enchants, regardless of the season, the eyes of the viewers. You can reach the Ponor Foundation by going through the thematic route of the karst relief from the Tureanu Mountains, starting from the village of Ponor, Pui region.

10. Folk art museums: Hațeg Country Museum and Hațeg Village Museum – Peșteana
Are you interested in folk art? Do you want to know about the traditions of the place? We suggest you pay a visit to the Haţeg Museum, located in the center of Hațeg, near the bridge over the Galbena River. You can discover here from traditional clay pots, folk costumes, wooden carved spoons and pots, to musical instruments and peasant toys. Do not be surprised when you see that the peasants used ingenious tools in the household. Some of them, such as the scraper or the carpenter’s compass, in the collection, are the ancestors of the modern tools we have today in our homes.
In Peșteana, in the commune of Densuș, in a traditional wooden house, one of the locals, Nenea Antonică, collected objects from the old times of the village. You can see unique things in his collection in the Hategan Village Museum. Some of the objects used in the household are: the fish-net made of braided wire, the spice grinder, which is nothing more than a chunk of stone in the form of a chopper or the iron pegs that clung to the soles of the shoes when it was icy. In addition, Nenea Antonică can tell you interesting stories. And if you are curious, he can show you how to make a traditional hive, made of linen and lined with clay.

For more details, please download the official app Tara Hategului – Retezat from Google Play and the App Store!