Historical regions of Romania

Valcea county

This is a county of Oltenia, the South-West historical province of Romania.
Oltenia, together with Muntenia are making Wallachia, the historical principality of Southern Romania.


Oltenia has three mountain counties and two plain (Southerner) counties and Valcea is one of the mountain counties.

Valcea is characterized by the vaste wild and mountainous region, perhaps the largest natural region in Europe.
Also, by the great number of monasteries and hermitages (around thirty) placed in picturesque landscapes. Here are the finest monasteries in Wallachia.

The geographical unities are determined by the valley of river Olt which is passing the formidable line of Southern Carpathians making a photogenic defilee. On its left bank, Olt passes near the Cozia mountainous massif, on the right bank it't the large wild area about I sayed.

The folk culture is characterized by the beautiful song and costumes and by the particular style of architecture.



The first image is from the heart of wild area, just near the place I was born.




Vidra lake





View with the Cozia Massif in the far background





Cozia Monastery





Hurez Monastery





Arnota Monastery





Iezer Hermitage




Pahomie Hermitage






    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Edited by Menumorut - 14-Nov-2006 at 03:17

    

Land of the Motzi People


The Motzi are a group of Romanians living in the heart of the Apuseni Mountains (or Western Carpathians).

They are famous for their traditions in Gold exploition, for their contribution to the Transylvanian Romanians emancipation and for their folk heritage.

The area where they live is close to a large carstic region (the most important part being in the neighbour Bihor county) and is breath-breaking beautiful.

In this area there were the most important gold deposits in Europe. The legendary Gold of Dacians was extracted from here (Romanian territory being among the first in the world were the metalurgy of Gold appeared). After conquerring Dacia, Romans organized the exploition of the deposits and caried out to Rome hundred of tons of gold. These treasures were used for building the Traian Forum, for finishing Colosseum and other important buildings in Rome.

Today its estimated that 200 tons of gold are inside the mountain under Rosia Montana, the locality were the center of Gold explotion is. A greedy international corporation is planning to extract all of this deposit by completely removing the mountain, the town of Rosia Montana, the important Roman archaeological sites and the natural patrimony, using cyanures washing technology which are very toxical.

Numerous Romanian and international organizations try desperately to stop this project and till now the future is not clear, the corporation having corrupted the local people, the Romanian politicians and the TV and newspapers which are presenting campaign in the favour of the project.

For more about this sad story:
http://www.rosiamontana.ro/
http://www.rosiamontana.org/indexro.htm
http://www.hotnews.ro/pp_articol_7812-Salvati-Rosia-Montana-Si-National-Geographic-Channels-se-dezice-de-Gabriel-Resources.htm
http://www.zpok.hu/cyanide/origo/Rosia_Montana/index.htm

The Motzi are famous also for that from here started the great revolt from 1784 leaded by the locals Horea, Closca and Crisan and for that the 1848 revolutionary leader Avram Iancu started the insurectionary movement from here.

The original folk architecture was the most archaic in whole Romania but mostly disapeared.

From the natural beauties, beyond the landscapes must be mentioned the Scarisoara cave were a glacier is conserved inside.

The cultural objectives are the historical town of Abrud (Roman origin), Rosia Montana and the villages with folk traditions like Girda de Sus, Posaga, Vidra, Albac and others.




Traditional architecture




The archaeological settlements of Roman mines and civil town at Rosia Montana:



Images from the archaeological sites 1
Images from the archaeological sites 2

    
    
    
    

Edited by Menumorut - 14-Nov-2006 at 03:29

    


Dobrudja


This historical province is a little smaller than Sardinia island. The real Dobroudja is actualy bigger and includes the Southern part, now belonging to Bulgaria.
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Is the only Romanian region at the sea.


Dobrogea is the land of a long and impressive history.

Skiping the Paleolitihc, in Neolithic here was the center of the Hamangia culture, which gived the famous statuette of the "Thinker" and lasted in 6000-5000 BC.



In the time of Dacians are mentioned some small kingdoms and were discovered some davae (fortress-town).

In 7th century the Greeks from Milet found Hystria, which today is the most visited arhcaeological site in Romania. In the next century Greeks found other two important cities, Callatis and Tomis.
In the next centuries other Greek cities were found inland (the first three are on the sea shore.

"In 46 AD Thracia became a Roman province and the territories of present Dobruja were absorbed into the province of Moesia."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dobrudja

This was considered one of the farest regions of Roman Empire so Octavianus Augustus chosed Tomis for exiling poet Ovidius.

Some tens Christian Martyrs are mentioned in documents as giving their life in this territory in 3-4th centuries.


In 4th century Christianism became the religion of the whole people. Greek language was used in inscriptions a little more than Latin but the population was latinophon.


Some important figures were born here: Saint Cassian the Roman who was the writer of the Patericon (the most important book of Christian Monastcism, about the Fathers of Egyptian desert) and who was the founder of Western monasticism (he founded the first monasteries in West, at Marseille). He lived in 4-5th centuries.

Another figure is Saint Dyionisius Exiguus who moved to Rome. He translated in latin the writings of the Greek Fathers (Basilios, Chrysostomos etc) and was the one who come with the idea of numbering the years not from Rome foundation but from Jesus Crucifixion. He lived in 6th century.

Different from Carpathic Dacia, Dobrudja (called Mynor Scythia by Romans) lasted in the borders of the Empire (Roman, then Byzantine) as late as 7th century when the last cities are destroyed by Avars.

Here the Proto-Bulgars had their first station before establishing in today Bulgaria in the area close to Dobrudja, where the first capital, Pliska was. Nothing important was discovered archaeologicaly from them.

In the Middle Age Dobrudja belonged again to Byzantines in 9-11th centuries.

In 14th century Dobrudja belonged to the Wallachian voivod Mircea the Old (burried at Cozia monastery).

From 1420 Dobrudja belonged to Ottoman Empire.

In 14th century Seldjuc Turks were settled here and till 19th century they were a third of the population.

In 18th century a group of Russians called "Lipoveni" who had a religion considered heretic in Russia established
in the land of Danube Delta, where they become majoritary even today.

In 1878 Dobrudja was gived to Romania and a colonization process started, Romanians from all the provinces establishing here and becoming majoritary. It was tryed to bring a part of Aromanian population (latinophones from Balkans) for saving them out of assimilation in Greece.


Some important figures of today Romanian society are of Dobrudjian Aromanian origin: the sportsman Gheorghe Hagi and one of the richest men in Romania, Gigi Becali, owner of Steaua Football club.

Today there are ~100.000 Turks and Tatars in Dobrudja. They are the most Romanian-friendly ethnic minority of Romania.


From the numerous natural and cultural objectives have to be mentioned:



-The Danube Delta, the largest and most precious natural reservation in Europe with magnificent landscapes and thousands species of plants and animals.


-The archaeological settlements of (Greek and) Roman time: Constanta-Tomis, Mangalia-Callatis, Histria, Adamclisi-Tropaeum Traiani, Troesmis, Dinogetia, Jurilovca-Argamum, Murighiol-Halmyris, Capidava, Harsova-Carsium, Noviodunum and others. The greatest museums are at Adamclisi, Constanta and Histria.
Histria Museum images
Adamclisi Museum



Danube Delta

http://www.castle-tour.com/foto_mic/album_delta/index.htm





Roman sculptures at Constanta (Tomis) Museum





The rupestrian monastery at Basarabi (10th century)


    
    
    
    
    

Edited by Menumorut - 14-Nov-2006 at 03:37

    

Is anybody interested in me continuing this topic?

Because I see the number of the views is 1-2 a day (the rest are mine, changing the messages).

    

Thanks.

Romanis is  such a beautiful country with many peaceful people.

Romania is a beautiful country. Perhaps I'll visit her next year

A compendium video about the variety of Romania's heritage:

Romania 1 (to the end is a movie from Delta)

Around From Sibiu to Maramures



Brasov city


Images of peasant life in Maramures


R�snov fortress

     


    
    
    
    

Edited by Menumorut - 14-Nov-2006 at 13:22

Originally posted by Hellios Simply beautiful.  Wonderful thread.