The National Retezat Park

The National Retezat Park is one of the most loved, sought after and most mountainous areas in Romania. It gained a lot of popularity after taking part in the "New 7 Natural Wonders of the World" competition.

The park stretches over the Retezat - Godeanu Mountains group. The Retezat massif is framed by the Petroşani and Haţeg depressions and offers us a great landscape diversity which makes its view to be easily recognizable from any photograph or picture.

Peleaga Peak, the highest in the Retezat National Park

Peleaga is its highest peak (2509 metres), followed by Păpuşa, which is only one metre smaller. The relics of the Carpathian Quaternary glaciation, the most representative forms of relief generated by climate change, make the Retezat National Park the "park with blue eyes" with no less than 58 permanent glacial lakes located between 1700 and 2300 metres altitude. Because of the fragmentation due to the large number of valleys that cross the steep slopes and the massive precipitation falls this can lead to landslides.

According to the Retezat National Park, https://www.retezat.ro/, In August 1999, an exceptional rain produced major changes on most of the valleys in the Retezat Massif. It is estimated that such natural phenomena occur every 80-100 years.

The river network splits in two directions: towards the north and towards the Strei river, which captures all the waters from the west, north, center and northeast of the massif and south, towards the West Jiu (Jiul de Vest). At 2,200 metres altitude, the water is almost as cold as ice: only 2 degrees Celsius.

However, the hottest rivers of Retezat can reach temperatures of up to 22 degrees during the summer. The most important watercourse is Lăpuşnicul Mare, but there are many waterfralls in its course, the most well-known of them being the Lolaia waterfall.

38% of the glacial lakes in Romania are located in the Retezat National Park

Rangers say that about 38% of Romania's glacial lakes are in the National Retezat Park. Moreover, some of them are in the top of national records: Bucura (over 88,000 square metres) - the largest glacial lake and Zănoaga (29 metres depth) - the deepest!

According to the legend, the lakes would have appeared when two giants each dug a "boiler" that was filled with water. Each giant drank thirstily, jumping around with huge splashes that formed the smaller cuttings nearby.

This idea, that the area would have been inhabited by some giants, is deeply rooted in the locals' minds. This is most likely because of the large dinosaur bones that they used to find frequently during agricultural work or when they wandered through forests and meadows, hunting, and interpreting them as human bones.

Legend of Retezat Peak

As we can easily see, the idea that these places were inhabited by the giants can be found even in the place's names. One variation of the story about the mountain's "birth" is that one of the two giants who shared the moutains stole a piece of land from the other one, sure that the other giant would not notice.

However, he noticed the boundary moved and, with annoyance, threw his sword in an attempt to strike the thief and punish him. The guilty giant escaped, however, the sword struck and cut the top of the mountain, which is called Retezat ever since. This is one of many legends after all. THeir number is very large but in order to find them you will have to hit the road and talk to the locals.
The park's swamps can also be considered an attraction: the Judea glacier valley, the Black Tau, the Lia Lakes, Bucura and the Twisted Tau. It is the perfect place for the development of water-loving species.

About the fauna and flora of Retezat National Park

Over one third of the plants in Romania can be found in the Retezat National Park. 90 species of endemic plants can only be seen here while many rare or endangered plants can only be admired in Retezat. The Park also brings togethere 185 species of birds and a lot of animals.

Its splendor, however, cannot be described in words. The images and its experience speak for themselves. We can only tell you this much: if you arrived in Hunedoara County for a few days, the Retezat National Park is not to be missed. Its green trees, pink rhododendrons, black goats, blue sky, cuts as clear as crystals and the unique flowers will give you an unforgettable holiday!