Tourist Attractions of Hunedoara County, Romania
Mountains
The Retezat Mountains, a fantastic stone fortress of these
mountains has the highest average altitude of the Romanian Carpathians range (more than 60 peaks reaching an altitude of over 2,200
m, culminating mith Peleaga of 2,509 m). But it is not only the heights of the Retezat that impress the visitor: here, the greatness
of the glacial structures is unique in the Romanian mountains, being adorned with the sparkling jewels of more than 80 glacial lakes.
For all tourists, the Retezat is a mountain of superlatives. To the original natural values that represent the main reason of an intense
tourism, it has to be added the existence of rich and varied flora and fauna, protected within the “Retezat National Park”. This park
represents the greatest complex scientific preserve in Romania and UNESCO has included it among the natural preserves of the Biosphere.
The park has over 2,000 ha that include in their complex the glacial relief (many glacial structures, valleys and lakes), rare vegetal
species (mountain orchid, edvlweiss, wild nut tree), valuable animal species (chamois, deer, bear, capercaillie, lynx, wild boar and
in the clear waters of the mountain lakes and rivers, the trout). The park includes the Scientific Preserve Zlatuia (over 2,000 ha)
where the access is permitted only with the approval of the Natural Monuments Committee.
The Parang Mountains, by no means
inferior to the Retezat. The Parang even surpasses the heights of Peleaga from Retezat with 10 m, the Mandra Peak (or Parângu Mare)
culminating at 2,519 m. Most of the glacial lakes are situated in the upper basin of Jiu river.
The Poiana Ruscai Mountains
are easy to climb, by foot or by car. From the point of view of the climate and of the attractive landscape, the most favorable month
is September.
The Sureanu Mountains, full of history, with karsts and glacial relieve.
Caves
Cioclovina
Cave, in the northwestern part of the Sebes Mountains, on the territory of Cioclovina viilage, it is included in the Cioclovina-Ponorici
Karst Complex forming one of the largest preserves of speleology of Romania. It has been inhabited since Late Palaeolithic and it
is famous for the beautiful interior decorations (the caves have drops of amber caught in the lane spar as bat skulls).
Tecuri
Cave, in the north of Sureanu Mountains, it has rich halls adorned with transparent colored or not colored limestone concretions (in
shades ranging from pink to violet red). It is unique among the Romanias caves.
Sura Mare Cave, near Ponor village, crossed
by Ohaba River, which also forms an interior lake, it is the main cave of Sebes Mountains. Here it has been discovered the biggest
bat colony in Romania. The cave is hard to reach.
Lakes
Bucura Fake, the biggest glacial lake in Romania (over 10
ha), close to which there are most of the marked touristic routes from Retezat Mountains.
Other lakes: Zanoaga Lake, the
deepest in Romania, 29 m, Galcescu Lake at an altitude of 1,925 m, it is the largest glacial lake from these mountains. It can be
seen right near the tourist route, which crosses the massif. The lake has been declared a monument of nature while its surroundings
form a natural preserve (geological, floristic and landscape), Guru Apei Lake, artificial lake on the Raul Mare, Cincis, on the Cerna,
Portii, Agatat,Florica, Viorica, Ana, Lia.
