Regional Information:
Hunedoara, Transylvania, Romania

Hunedoara county is situated in the centre-west Romania in the province of Transylvania and has an area of 2,712 sq mi (7,025 sq km).
Lying on the mid Mures-river course the county is guarded by the Western Transylvanian Alps (Apuseni Mountains) in the North, Orastiei and Surianu mountains in the South-East, the Retezat Mountains, the Godeanu, Valcan and Parang Mountains in the South and the Poiana Ruscai Mountains in the South-West.
Hunedoara county is crossed by the rivers Strei, Raul Mare (Big River), Crisul Alb (White Crish), and Jiu and has two large depressions, the Hatzeg Country (Tara Hategului) and Zarand Country (Tara Zarandului). The fertile river valleys and the rich hills and mountains made possible a very intense life pulsating since ancient times.
Historical evidence, particularly rich and old, begins with traces of human habitation since early Palaeolithic times to the second half of the Iron age. This was the cradle of the Dacian (Thracian tribes) civilisation with a complex of fortresses from the Orastiei Mountains, Piatra Rosie and Banita, the Roman conquest and the Daco-Roman civilisation. During the reign of King Decebalus , the capital of the kingdom was situated at Sarmizegetusa Regia , today the ruins of Gradiste. After the Daco-Roman wars and the Roman conquest (105-106 AD) the capital moved to Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa , in the Hatzeg Country (Tara Hategului). Pre-state formations emerge during the 1st millennium at Deva, Strei, Dobra, Hunedoara. At the beginning of the XIII c. Hunedoara became an independent county at the border between the Principality of Transylvania and the Banat region.
Among historical personalities born in the Hunedoara county one can mention, John Huniady (Ioannus Corvinus, Iancu de Hunedoara, cca 1387-1456) Prince (Voevode) of Transylvania, Count of Temes, Ban of Severin, and father of King Mathias I Corvinus of Hungary (Matei Corvin), then Nicolaus Olahus (1493-1568) a mediaeval humanist scholar, Ioan Budai Deleanu a representative of the Transylvanian Scholastic Movement (Scoala Ardeleana), the great inventor and engineer Aurel Vlaicu, pioneer of modern aviation and many others.
The area is rich in useful minerals, gold and silver ore from the Western Transylvanian Alps have been worked since Roman times, and the Romans used the natural thermal waters from the spas of Geoagiu, Calan and Vata de Sus. Non-ferrous ores are also abundant in the Brad area, known as Metalliferous Mountains. Iron ore and coal extraction from Poiana Ruscai Mountains and Jiu Valley mirrored the English Industrial Revolution, Hunedoara county was one of the first European regions where cast iron and later steel were industrially produced since the XIV-XV centuries.
Hunedoara county has three main cities (municipia), Deva , Hunedoara and Petros,ani, ten medium towns, 57 parishes and 460 villages and a total population of 550,800 (1996 est.). With a vast tourist potential, Hunedoara county offers a variety of attractions, a historical rich culture with a variety of sites of great natural beauty. The Retezat National Park is located in the Retezat Mountains, a natural reserve area exceeding 275 sq mi (700 sq km.), with over 60 peaks over 7,500 feet (2,300 m), more than 80 glaciary lakes (the Bucura Lake is the largest with over 11 ha), also rare and endangered alpine flora and fauna species, breathtaking scenery.

The Saint Nicholas Church

of the village of Densus, Hunedoara, Romania is one of the oldest Romanian churches. It was built in the 13th century in the place of a 2nd century Roman temple, with some materials taken from the Dacian Sarmisegetusa fortress. It features a stone tower above the naos. Inside the church there are 15th century mural paintings which show Jesus wearing Romanian traditional clothes.
At Densus exists a bizarre but very elegant church. It is very near from the former Roman Dacia capital - Colonia Ulpia Traiana Augusta Sarmizegetusa. This strange building from the Hateg County was the object of many controverses between scientists, eager to find its origines. Some had considered that the church was fisrt a mausoleum for Roman general Longinus Maximus, killed by the Dacians; others that it was a temple for Mars god; Nicolae Iorga said that the monument dates from 14th century, and art historian Vatasescu in the last quarter of the 13th century.
Many investigations were made. But the monument is still keeping his mistery. On assume the the old church was modified along the centuries, specially at the end of the 13th. Build from river rocks, bricks with Roman inscriptions, funerary stones, canalisation, etc., taken from Ulpia Traiana, the Densus church has a bizarre aspect, being admired but also looked with astonishment. In the interior some fragments of painting are kept. The paintings from the upper naos and altar are signed by the artist Stefan (signature that can be seen till today) and are revealing the great artistic skills of the master. The features of the painting send us to those of the St. Nicolae Church from Curtea de Arges, built in the 14th century. The resemblance is telling us that a master from Vallachia was present here in Transylvania

Geography

This county has a total area of 7,063 km². Hunedoara county lies în South-Western Transylvania, bordered by Apuseni Mountains (North), Orastie and Surianu Mountains (South-East), Retezat Mountains (South), Poiana Ruscai Mountains (South-West) and crossed by Mures, Rau Mare, Strei, Crisul Alb and Jiu rivers, with large depressions such as Zarand and Hateg. Retezat National Park and other pictoresque regions makes it one of the most beautiful counties in Romania.

History

Its history begins along with the Dacians, who built a strong defensive system of fortresses in Orastie Mountains, nowadays part of UNESCO World Heritage. After the Roman conquest, the capital of Dacia province was also established here, in Hateg depression, named Colonia Augusta Ulpia Traiana Dacica Sarmizegetusa, last name after the former Dacian capital. After the Romans left Dacia, the first pre-feudal entities apperead: Deva, Strei, Dobra, Hunedoara. After the Hungarian conquest of Transylvania, Hunedoara became a county.
During the Middle Ages, in the town of Hunedoara, the Corvins, a powerful Romanian feudal family from Transylvania, part of which is King Matthias Corvinus of Hungary, founded the most important Gothic style secular building in Romania - The Corvins Castle.
The capital of the county is Deva. Other important cities are Hunedoara, Petrosani, Orastie, Hateg and Brad. Petrosani is a very important city in Romania nowadays, being the key town in Jiu Valley, a very delicate Romanian area, due to its numberous unemployed former miners.

List of cities in Hunedoara county: Hunedoara, Deva, Petrosani, Vulcan, Lupeni,
Petrila, Orastie, Brad, Calan, Simeria, Hateg, Uricani, Geoagiu, Aninoasa
Twenty kilometres southeast of Hunedoara is HATEG , the gateway to Transylvania's greatest Roman remains and one of the most convenient approaches to the Retezat mountains. In addition to the ruins, you'll find a a bison reserve 3km north, and a number of interesting Romanesque churches in the area immediately around Hateg, all of which are reasonably well served by local buses from the center.

Santa Maria Orlea

3 km from Hateg on the road to Petrosan you will past an old and small villages.
The first building of historic interest which the end-users must focus on is the very Kendeffy mansion in Râu de Mori. According to historical information, it was first built of stone in the second half of the l5th century. At that time, that was the foremost family of gentry about those places, standing out through their fortune and social ambitions. As from the l6th century, they were known only as the Kendeffys.The building in the South-Western corner of the complex served as the Calvinist chapel of the family and their servants.

On the South-Eastern side, not too far away, there is the vicarage in Râu de Mori.Mentioned in documents in 1526, it has undergone several changes, thus losing its initial look. Close to its entrance, on the left hand side, flat on the ground, there is one of the most interesting tombstones in Hateg, with inscriptions on reused Roman marble, going back to 1505 and brought there from Colti Monastery

Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa

The antic city had an area of 32 ha surrounded by walls. In the hearth of the city were to main roads (cardo maximus oriented North-South and decumanus maximus oriented East-West), at its crossing being the main public building - Forum. But the city was not only inside the walls. Outside the walls, on a great area, were the villae, the craftmen workshops (brick makers, glass blowers), the temples and other public or private buildins. Also outside the walls were the cemeteries of the city (sepulcreta) identified at East and also at the West. The population was around 25.000 - 30.000 people.

Amphitheatre

Situated at about 100 meters from the norhten side of the city wall, the ampfitheatre is the most big construction. In it's elliptical shape, it is build on a high and leveld place, it is 88 m long and 69 m width. It's capacity crowd is about 5000 people.
The primary material witch it was build with is river rock and on other places canion rock and bricks. The date of the construction is not knowed precisely, but it's estimated that it was built in the first years after the roman conquer. Restauration works were done in 158, witch is proved by the date on the roof tiles that were found by the researchers.
The amphitheatre is composed from two parts: the arena with some paralell elliptic wals, perpendicularely crossed by some other wall, in ray shape. It had two main gates (east&west) witch were used by the gladiators to enter and exit, and another two gates with marble coloums, for the workers.
In the middle of the arena there was a kind of sewer pipe, from witch was there able to get water.
After Dacia was abandoned, the building was used as a fort to defend against the atacks from the migrating people.

Forum

The forum build by Traian, the civic and political-administrative center, was in the middle of thee town, at the cross road ot the two main roads which crossed Sarmizegetusa from East to West and from North to South.
Its entrance was monumental and had the aspect of a triumph arch on which was graved the inscription from the colony foundation. In the front of the entrance, bordered by four huge columns was the altar dedicated to the foundation ceremony. On both sides were artesian wells made from marble and decorated with statues. In the corners were the offices of some associations, as the handicraftsmen board which was in the Eastern corner.
The forum was composed first of all from a public square surrounded by the porch with columns and paved with lime and marble. In this square were many monuments and statues, some of the foundations are seen today. After that was a basilica, a big hall for several mettings, which have had a monumentale facade towards the yard, bordered by buttress. On the Eastern side of the basilica was a tribunal, the platform on which the judges were sitting (most of the time the two mayor of the town) and under which a prison was arrranged. On the basilica's side there were several rooms that were offices (ex. the archieve of the colony), as well as offices of some associations and corporations as was the augustals board. In the center of the side was the curia, the metting hall of the local council. Under it are two underground rooms, which were the thesaurus of the town. On its right is a passage to the second forum (initally the commercial market), which was built later and which was the religious centre of Sarmizegetusa.

The Muzeum

Situated over the road of ruins, there are many artefacts, discovered during the archaeological researches.
Many artefacts are in other museums, in Cluj – Napoca, Bucharest, Budapest, Wien or Berlin.
Prislop Monastery
From the county of Hateg is a place of recovering and meditation. Prislop Monastery had enjoyed the grace of three saints and it had three founders.

The history of the monastery started at the end of the 14th century, when the Saint Nicodim built this place.
It was the third place built on Romanian ground. The monastery was built on glade near the Retezat Mountains, where rise a stream, which in 1564 proved to be miracle making.
In the year 1959 the monastery is was closed by the communists. Only in 1976 the place is taking his statute of nun monastery.
This momastery is theological seminary of girls. The nuns guide the young girls to studi; they continue to paint icons after the art of the old ones, to weave carpets in which you can find the old folk Romanian motifs.
Another Christian mission of these places is "The Home of Saint"- a cave dug nobody knows how it was done in hard stone three hundred years ago. In this cave lived, for many years, in fast and prayers Saint Ioan from Prislop.
The right word is that Prislop Monastery can be considered a success.
The Colt citadel

(loose translation: Citadel of the Sharp Peak) is a pictoresque castle atop of a steep cliff dominating the beautiful the villages of Suseni and Râu de Mori in the historic Râusor valley, at the bottom of the Retezat mountains, was a fortified feudal castle, property of the Romanian cneji family Cândea. The citadel-castle contains a storied tower with 2 m thick walls (the donjon), in it’s front two more polygonal towers, connected with the moat and access bridge. It was the most powerful citadel in the Hateg Country. The castle was built in the 14th century and it was still used in 1684.

At the bottom of the castle, lies its medieval chapel, nowadays the chapel of a little monastery.
The castle was made famous by the french writer Jules Vernes which after visiting the region was inspired by the dramatic setting of the castle and wrote he novel "The Castle in the Carpathians".
The Roman Ruins

After conquering Dacia, the Romans started developing the country to suit their needs. They were especially interested in the gold, for which the Dacian mountains were legendary. So they expanded the mines that the Dacians were using for centuries and started some new ones. The new Roman administration and the quite large army needed to ensure the peace in the newly conquered region needed new cities and camps. So the Romans built dozens of them all over Dacia. The most important of them was the capital of now Roman Dacia, Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa. The similarity with the name of the former Dacian capital is not an accident. The new town was built a few kilometers from the old one. It was a big town, with all the features of a Roman town. It has streets, aqueducts and temples. The Romans had a long period of flourishing in Dacia, but after less than 200 years they had to abandon the region, due to the weakening of the Empire. Inevitably, the town of Ulpia Traiana fell apart.
Nowadays, you can still explore the ruins of this ancient city, on the road, about 20km. from the city of Hateg. The place is now an archeological site, and a small museum shelters some of the beautiful sculpted columns and statues discovered here. The bulk of the sculptures uncovered here now lies in the Museum of History in Bucharest.
The Hateg Citadel (Subcetate ) is located 4 km SE of the city of Hateg, in the village of Subcetate perimeter. The archeologists found dacic remains and remains of the Cotofeni culture also. It’s not excluded that Petru, comite of Hateg and great royal comite in 1276, had something to do with the citadel. In 1317, the donjon, the moat and the dirt defense wave. Destroyed in 1420, it was rebuilt in 1430. In 1536, the citadel loses it’s value falling slowly into rouin.
The Retezat

Slightly lower than the Fagaras, these superb mountains lie in the Western part of Romania, close to the cities of Petrosani and Deva. They are the site of Romania's only national park, covering more than 140,000 acres (56,000 hectares). The spectacular mountain scenery and countless crystal-clear glacier ponds are a must see for any mountain hiker coming to Romania.
Retezat can best be accessed from the North. The trail will lead you right up to the chalet Pietrele (``The Rocks"). After that, a strenuous hike reaches the great lake at Bucura. This is the true center of the massif and a favorite camp site. Around this vast caldera, one sees the whole beauty of these mountains - on one side, there is the highest local peak (Peleaga), while on the other side lies the perfect cone of the Retezat peak. All around, hundreds of small ponds scattered among fields of huge boulders reflect the summer sky.
Starting at the lake, one can reach all the important attractions of these mountains in one-day hikes. A trip to the East, past the Peleaga peak, will take you toward the magnificent pond at Galesu ("The luring one") and the sharp, spectacular passage at Portile Inchise ("The Closed Gates"). On the other side of the huge valley, you can enter the National Park, with its untamed wilderness. This trip will require a special pass, but the hike is definitely worth it, as you can take a peek at the wildlife - among others, the rare mountain goat or chamois as well as unique species of mountain flowers.
If you are a rock climber, Retezat will not disappoint you, with many trails spanning all levels of difficulty, with the extra twist of unforgetable views

Tara Hategului ( Hateg Country)

In the south part of Transylvania is laying the depression Tara Hategului, this land including a big plat of land with fields of wheat and old Romanian villages. In the north east part of Hateg is the river Galbena flowing. In the N-E part is laying Slivut forest where the tourists can visit the aurochs reservation. Anywhere in the in the town if you are turning your look at south you will see the Retezat mountains. In the Retezat mountains have comming one of the most important river in the country, where was build seven artificial lakes wich are producing electricity for the county Hunedoara.
Hateg is a very old town this fact is also confirmed by an old document from 1247, which reminds of a “Romanian land, known as Terra Harszoc (Hateg Country)”, older than it’s first documentary attestation. The special natural conditions determined the life of the daco-roman population and then Romanian population take place uninterrupted. In many villages around Hateg you can find historics buildings and museums like - Sarmisegetuza, church from Densus, church from Prislop, fortress Coult, castle Santa Maria Orlea and other places like this.

The dinosaur fauna of the Hateg Basin of Transylvania (Late Maastrichtian, western Romania) has been known for a century. Perhaps the best represented of the Late Cretaceous assemblages of Europe, the Hateg fauna has produced seven or eight dinosaur taxa considered to be members of Theropoda, Sauropoda, Ornithopoda, and Ankylosauria.
One of the most enigmatic of these taxa is the ornithopod known as Rhabdodon. Originally described as Mochlodon suessi and M. robustus by Nopcsa in 1902, these taxa have come to be regarded as a single species, R. robustus, distinct from the species known from southern France and northern Spain, R. priscus. In addition to this taxonomic name changing, the phylogenetic position of Rhabdodon has been controversial. First regarded as a camptosaurid or iguanodontid, it has also been referred to Hypsilophodontidae and considered a member of the iguanodontian plexus prior to the evolution of hadrosaurids. In order to resolve these issues concerning the phylogenetic position of this Ha_eg taxon, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of a variety of basal euornithopods. From this work, it appears that the Hateg taxon constitutes two different, but congeneric species (presently unnamed), both differing from R. priscus through the possession of important synapomorphies. In addition, the French/Spanish Rhabdodon and the as-yet-unnamed Hateg species form a clade whose sister group is Tenontosaurus tilletti Ostrom, 1970. On the basis of our analyses, we will also discuss the biogeographic and stratigraphic significance of the new phylogenetic topology.
Râu de Mori lies in the centre of a picturesque depression surrounded by hills and mountains.

Monuments of Nature
The Depression Relief

It forms the second highest terrace (650-700m) in the Hateg Depression.It consists of relatively gentle hills ,where the vegetation is basically natural.A few orchards are scattered among the massive hayfields and forests.They are picturesque places where you can have a pleasant,comfortable walk and which are easy to reach.They have a pleasant climate.
Mountains
The Retezat Mountains are some of the most beautiful Carpathian ranges.They have relatively high summits,a very diverse landscape and above all,a chain of mountain lakes.Alpine tourism can be successfully practiced there.You can admire both wooded zones and clear views of the valleys and peaks.The Retezat Mountains have been compared with the Höhe Tauern Mountains in Austria.You can get the nicest view of the Retezat Mountains on the Northern side,that is from Hateg.Râu de Mori is situated at the lowest altitude of the mountain zone(485 m).The highest peaks of the Retezat Mountains exceed 2,500 m(Peleaga-2,509 m;Papusa-2,500 m).About l/4 of them exceed 2000 m and 2/3 of them are over 1,600 m high.
The streams springing from the mountains have nearly 2,000 m high falls;they look tumultuous and can even form gorges or waterfalls.One of them is Râusor,upstream Suseni,the village neighbouring Râu de Mori.There are about 100 lakes in the Retezat Mountains,mostly glacial.There are nearly 40 important lakes.Worth mentioning are:Bucura(2,041 m),the largest and most visited lake in the Carpathians,Zanoaga(1,997 m),the deepest alpine lake,Custura Mare(2,270 m),at the highest altitude in the Carpathian Mountains,Galesul(2,040 m),Slaveiul(1,970 m),Taul Negru(2,025 m).Glacier traces can still be admired in the Lapusnic,Râu Barbat and Bucura Valleys.
Caves
Those interested in cave tourism or speleology have two big groups of caves at their disposal.The first one is to be found in the Retezat Mountains.They lie in the South-Eastern part of the mountain range and are easy to reach from the Petrosani Depression,the last locality on the way being Câmpul lui Neag.It it in those areas that you come across the largest number of limestone agglomerates,which formed the identified caves and probably other unidentified and non-classified caves too.They look very much as a tourist expects a cave to look like,that is a scenery with stalactites and stalagmites.The closest starting point of your trip to the caves is the Buta challet.From there you can get to the Buta Cave,the "Nail" Cave,the "Coral" Cave,the "la Paroasa " Cave,the Zeicului Cave.None of them has modern facilities,which would enable them to be visited.
The second,much more important group is made up of the caves in the Sureanu Mountains.You can reach them starting from Hateg and passing through the localities of Galati(16 km from the town of Hateg) and Pui-Ponor(20 km from the above-mentioned town).The best-known of that group is the Cioclovina Cave and the caves around the Ohaba-Ponor village(Sura Mare,Bordu Mare,Tecuri).This group of caves is protected by law,because it forms speleological reserves with guano(a natural fertilizer produced by bats) and archaeological reserves(the oldest Paleolithic habitat traces on Romanian territory were discovered there).There are other smaller caves(Federi,Petros,Ponor) around the above-mentioned caves.
The Retezat Reserve
It dates from 1935.It is made up of the Reserve proper and of the 130 km long Protection Zone.You can go into and walk in the Reserve only with a special permit.The Protection Zone is open to tourists,provided they observe certain vegetation conservation rules.The Retezat Reserve boasts a lab-house,close to Lake Gemenele and three little check houses at Gura Zlata,Rotunda and Pietrele.Nature conservation is very strict there,crowds are banned and so are camping,hunting,fishing or picking up plants.To go into the Reserve is a priviledge you can get only if you take a special interest in getting to know this extraordinary natural wealth.
Geological Fossil Deposits
Fossil reptile traces have been discovered in the Sânpetru,Tustea and Valioara villages.According to geological tests conducted after 1970,it might be a rich fauna deposit from the late Cretaceous Period,(around 67 million years-old),a geological period when dinosaurs lived too. A nest of eggs and babies of dwarf dinosaurs called duck beak dinosaurs was discovered in the Turstea-Unirea zone.The samples taken there can be compared with the better-known fauna that once populated North America.The results which have been given extensive coverage particulary abroad,have had a special response not only among experts.The "Dinosaur Society" and the"National Geographic Society"(the U.S.A.) give a direct support for research in that area.In 1994,the Sânpetru site was visited by Jack Horner,the advisor of film director Steven Spielberg.A special category of tourists can join them into the imaginary world of Jurassik Park.
Special Flora
Over 970 species of plants have been catalogued in the Retezat Mountains alone.4.2% of them are specific.Let us mention some of the rare plants to be found there:the oatgrass,the white Carthusian pink,the yellow mountain poppy,the mountain bedstraws,the edelweiss,the eight petal dryas,the hair grass,the yellow lily,the sweet pea,sorts of gentians,etc.In Suseni,farther down from the monastery church,there are still two edible chestnut trees.They were part of the old park of the Kendeffy noble family.If efforts are made,the species can be restored,so that it may make that tourist zone even more attractive.There is a small Narcissus Glade in the Salasu de Sus-Nucsoara area.Though not very large,it is fairly well-known,being visited by tourists when the flowers bloom.In the Merisor Pass,close to Petrosani,there is a wild lilac forest.
Romanian dwarfs
The Transylvanian mountains were the habitat of mysterious pygmy dinosaurs, of a size comparable to present-day pets. Why these animals from the Hateg area remained so small is still not clear; it may have to do with their living environment and geographic situation during the latest Cretaceous. Based on continuing research this region, especially by the Muzeul Civilizatiei Dacice si Romane at Deva, the Hateg dinosaurs are among the best known faunas from Europe. The Romanian dinosaurs possibly lived isolated in small, outpost regions, with only a limited food supply. It appears that animals on islands are often smaller than their relatives on the mainland. Then was the Hateg area a small island? The geology does not supply any evidence for this. And... where would these isolated dinosaurs have come from originally? Did they come from the other, larger European islands or from the more distant mainland? Many questions have yet to be answered.

In the Hateg region the carnivorous dinosaurs are also diminutive. The teeth, barely a centimetre in length, and skull fragments are of a dromaeosaurid, of no more than one-and-a-half-metre from head to toe. These animals were cunning hunters: the underside of the roof of this skull shows an imprint of the brains. Roughly the size of that of a cat. In dinosaur terms, this is an enormous size: a shrewd dinosaur. Like the ‘raptors' of Jurassic Park, dromaeosaurids ran on their hind-legs and slashed open the bellies of their prey with their large sickle-shaped claws
Just as the previous, Romanian crocodiles also are not particularly large; a comparison with the loose teeth from Oman shows this well.

The Romanian plant-eating dinosaur Rhabdodon is closely related to Telmatosaurus, and is the commonest Transylvanian dinosaur. In France, Spain, and Austria remains of this dinosaur have been found as well, so that we may ask ourselves: did Rhabdodon feel at home on the relatively isolated islands of the European Maastrichtian? It was a selective browser, but still a large eater. The wide belly and the position of the pubis suggest it to have had a large stomach ! Especially for this exhibition a model of Rhabdodon has been prepared. The joint effort of palaeontologists and preparators from Romania, France, the Netherlands and the USA has resulted in this model. From the shape of the bones, we know where the muscles were; cover these with skin and then... choose a colour. What colour did Rhabdodon sport? Conspicuous? Camouflage? Did males and females have different colours? We have opted here for a camouflage colour, which, with dromaeosaurid dinosaurs on the prowl in the neighbourhood, was probably a very good choice indeed.

The Ensemble of the Former Noble Court of the Cândea Family
The precincts of the former noble court declared a historical monument today still preserve the palace,the chapel,the stables and the annex.The noble court lies in the centre of Râu de Mori on the bank of the Râusor rivulet,freely enjoying the splendid surrounding bird's eye view with the Colti Fortress watching over the valley of the rivulet.
The precincts of the former noble court declared a historical monument today still preserve the palace,the chapel,the stables and the annex.The noble court lies in the centre of Râu de Mori on the bank of the Râusor rivulet,freely enjoying the splendid surrounding bird's eye view with the Colti Fortress watching over the valley of the rivulet.
a. The Palace
It is an L-shaped building,its first level being partially buried in the ground,its spaces being covered by stone or brick vaults and with a few Renaissance stone door frames,which are the oldest part of the ensemble(raised on the site of a previous building)going back to the 15th century.A wine cellar and a tea house will be laid out in the biggest and most spectacular rooms on the side parallel with the rivulet.The basement of the side perpendicular to the river will have utilitarian destinations,including a wine store-room,processing rooms,kitchens and the pantry.
În the ground floor proper-the second level-restored several times and preserving spaces covered by Baroque vaults(probably going back to the 17th century) on the side parallel with the river,the reception desk and various halls will be laid out,while the wing perpendicular to the river will house the restaurant with the pantry and the toilet.
The last mansard level will provide the accomodation;some 14 big rooms and suites can be laid out there with adequate bathrooms.
The stories are linked by two staircases lying at the opposite ends,one being connected straight with the reception desk,while a third staircase links the ground floor to the halls on the first floor.
b. The Auditorium
It will be laid out in the former chapel and will be able to host meetings attended by 20-30 people,films, music,poetry,theatre or other recitals,in best hearing and visibility conditions.
c. The Discoteque
Laid out in the former stables built in the late 17th century,on the ground floor,it will consist of the entrance hall,the dancing hall,a bar,a cloakroom and the toilets.The second level will have a restaurant with tables and the dancing hall will be as high as the entire building.The disco is destined particularly to the youth who can be accomodated in the annex with second-class facilities.
d. The Annex
The building goes back to the late 19th century,being the most modest of the entire ensemble.
Its ground floor will house food warehouses,processing rooms,,a laundry,pantries,an administrative office,a garage,as well as the reception desk with a fast-food for the tourists staying on the first floor.
On the mansard floor,there will be four superposed bed rooms or double rooms with joint lavatories at their ends(including showers).Four rooms,two at each end will have second-class lavatories.
There are fire escapes at each end of the building and the dining-hall is linked to the hall on the first floor by a free stairway.
e. Utilities
All the buildings are to have central heating,each having its own butane gas-based thermal power station linked to two underground tanks in an isolated area within the precincts.
The used water from the toilets,the lavatories,the kitchens,the pantries,the laundries,etc.will be sewered and dumped into an emptying pit near the gas tanks.
There will be inside and outside electric lighting.
f. Outside Facilities
The two entrances to the precincts will join a carriage path leading to the buildings,to the two parking lots(for the public and for the employees),to the garage and to the platform with the gas tanks and the emptying pit.
The precincts ground conceived as a lawn will be planted with more trees of various types,flower beds and will be embellished by pools and alleys.Playgrounds and sportsgrounds can be laid out,if necessary in the area between the disco and the annex.

Special Sights
Hunting and Fishing

The fauna is diversified and wide-spread in all submountain and mountain areas.The bear can be hunted in Mount Retezatul Mic in autumn;the chamoix,numbering just a few hundred,is protected by law(it is hunted in Slavei and Stanuletii Mari);the stag,the wild boar(in springtime),the wolf,the fox,the lynx,the otter,the badger,etc.can also be hunted in the above-mentioned zones.The best-known hunting parks in the Hateg Land are situated in the submountain forest zone.In addition,close to the town of Hateg,the Slivut forest has been populated with animals to be hunted.In terms of special species,they tried the colonization of the European bison of Poland,but no results were obtained.The roe deer and the pheasant have been brought and bred there much more successfully.
The above-mentioned storage lakes have introduced Hateg to a world of wading birds.Ducks have mainly been identified,but as in the case of fish,no thorough investigations have been made to identify new birds.
All the streams in the Hateg Land are part of the hydrographic network collected by the Strei.Since the waterfall,irrespective of its origin(from underground springs or glacial lakes) is a big one,the streams have a permanent,rich and high speed flow along a small distance.These types of streams are ideal particularly for trout.Up to the town of Hateg,there are no major sources of pollution which should affect the content of water and the fish.That is why,fishing can be practiced in various places,depending on the preferences.If you prefer the mountain streams with rare whirlpools and with waterfalls,you would rather choose the streams coming down from the Retezat Mountains.The initial course of the Strei springing from the Sureanu Mountains is more gentle.You can catch trout and umber in the Râul Mare.The Lake Trout in the glacial lakes is 25-30 cm long and weighs o.500 kg.There are two trout farms in Hateg,in Gura Zlata and Zeicani,close to Râu de Mori.The Rainbow Trout is mainly bred there. The storage lakes of the microhydropower plants on the Râul Mare provide ideal facilities for intensive fishing.The biggest one is at Gura Apei,with a capacity of 200 million cubic m and a 173 m high dam.No surveys have been made about their fish breeding potential.The fish population is supposed to consist of the old fauna of the component rivers,but the proportion is unknown.
The license for the exploitation of the fishing and hunting zone is released by the Râu de Mori Forest Administration,that is in charge of the Râul Mare,the Râusor,the Nucsoara and the glacial lakes.

Vivarium lovers can be content with the amount of insects to be found in all submountain meadows and glades.In the Retezat Mountains,you can see brightly coloured butterflies and metal-coloured or big bugs.Several types of reptiles live there,among which some poisonous snakes(the common adder and the horned snake).The latter are of interest for collecting venom.
Sights Related to Local Traditions
The parish fair is regarded to be "nedeia"that is"the pastoral festival" in the respective village.On that occasion,big gatherings of the villagers,of the natives with their relatives and friends. take place.Perverted in the last few decades,they have lost a lot of their initial meaning and purpose,their ancestral,lay,even heathen connotations being sometimes artificially overdone.An example is the so-called"ox nedeia" in Silvasu de Jos(about four km from the town of Hateg).One can still see but quite seldom the traditional folk costumes during these pastoral festivals.What has been preserved has suffered powerful influences from Oltenia(Gorj) and Banat.
Rural tourism has not been promoted.And if that happens,it takes place on a small-scale,accidentally.Even if there is no longer any authentic"folk"architectural dowry,some villages in Hateg can count on the gentry's houses.Observing the hygienic-sanitary norms,those houses specific to the 18th century-the first half of our century are unusual holiday places.The houses of the former Hateg gentry and of their descendants are one-storied stone houses.The storey is accompanied by a porch.There are zones where this type of architecture is better preserved.The closest from this point of view is Clopotiva,about six kilometres away.Boasting a larger number of such houses are the Salasu de Sus,Baiesti,Baru,Unirea,Tustea,Totesti villages.An interesting type of folk architecture with authentic and archaic elements is still preserved in the area close to the Poiana Ruscai Mountains or to the Luncanilor Platform in the Sureanu Mountain Range.For instance,we recommend the Mesteacan village,North of the Rachitova commune for the development of rural tourism.The village will be linked to the commune by an asphalted road.
The gourmets passing through Hateg must make it a point to taste the Rachitova "tuica"-plum brandy and"virsli" made in Salasu de Sus.The plum brandy has an average strength.The Rachitova commune makes impressive quantities of plum brandy,which might be bottled with a special trade-mark by entrepeneurs."Virsli" are spicy sausages made mainly of goat meat.They are made in other villages of Hateg as well,but the local ads say the most authentic ones come from the Salasu de Sus commune.In the mountain chalets,tourists are given tea of rasberry stems and seldom,of dry bilberry stems.The Hateg beer(Heber) is considered one of the best in Transylvania.The "Bacsia" mineral water,an excellent and quite competitive mineral water has been bottled in Hateg too .

Religious Edifices

They must be considered as a special category with a clear future.The monastic pilgrimage has always been extremely thriving for those who have joined it.The monastic dowry of the Hateg Land consists of two major edifices.Prislop Monastery is one of the oldest and most stable monasteries in Transylvania.Few Transylvanian monasteries can boast such an old and at the same time busy history.You can reach the monastery following the road from the town of Hateg to Hunedoara,North-Westwards.From Silvasu de Jos,the first village on the way,only 3 km from Hateg,you have to cover about seven kilometres to the monastery.Built in a Wallachian architectural style,which is quite rare in Transylvania,it is attributed,according to tradition,to St.Nicodim of Tismana,the founder of monastic life in Wallachia.At the end of the 16th century,the monastery was the residence of abbots,who were also metropolitan bishops of Transylvania.The monastery of nuns has greatly developing,currently including a high school and providing accomodation for pilgrims.

Colti Monastery is a monastery just at the start.It is located on the ruins of the church in Suseni(Colti),in the vicinity of Râu de Mori.There are arguments in favour of the cloistral function of the church,on the basis of which the current monastery could be restored.After the old ruins had been covered,a few outhouses and facilities started being built,which make the monks'monastery in Colti-Suseni a well-founded edifice with a future.The pilgrimage to the monastery has already started and its extension greatly depends on the improvement of roads and on the ensurance of accomodation facilities.
Sport Tourism
-Mountaineering.Over 60 pedestrian alpine routes are homologated,to which adding up are facilities for free or winter mountaineers.The above-mentioned routes have quite a different level of difficulty,so that they may meet most of the demands,from easy routes to real performance tests.The Retezat Mountains are more difficult than the Bucegi Mountains and easier than the Fagaras Mountains.Generally,there are few extremely difficult sectors.A certain category of alpine tourists may also be tempted by some rare routes,marked by shepherds through the so-called"scarecrows",or which can be covered only with guides.The alpine landscape is far from being monotonous:the bare rocks in the massifs or on scree slopes always alternate with vegetation of various types,streams with a rich flow and patches of snow.
Mountaineers are free to put up tents in various places ,usually with few restrictions,but also with the disadvantage of not finding catering units and shops or emergency shelters.The mountain rescue teams,based both in the town of Hateg and in the town of Petrosani are professional,but it is pretty hard to get in touch with them and that is done only through the big chalets
-Skiing and Skating.One can ski and skate on the lakes in the Retezat Mountains(skating however is not practiced due to the shortage of snow clearing machinery)in winter lasting from November until May.Skiing has been practiced only close to old chalets,of which the Pietrele Chalet has played the main role.In addition however,there are the chalets at Baleia and Buta.The access to those ski tracks is by far easier than to the chalets in the Fagaras Mountains for instance.The extension of roads has also allowed for the extension of skiing in lower mountain zones.One of the most popular ski zones now is the one in the Râusor Valley,as it is easy and fast to reach,by car or coach included.Neither the latter,nor the older ones are officially homologated and have specific technical facilities.
-Water Sports.The storage lakes on the Râul Mare(Ostrov, Sântamarie Orlea) have a realatively large surface and a constant and gentle flow.They can be used for rowing in small boats ,in competitions included.That is possible provided piers and marinas are built.