Romania 2×4 – 4. The Road to the Heavens

Distance: roughly 90 km (by car). Due to the topography, the average speed is around 40 km/h – so prepare for a full one-day trip. In fact, you’ll be a fool not to, as the incredible scenery will blow your mind.

Route: DN 7C

Directions: From Curtea de Argeş, work your way up the mountain, to Vidraru Dam, then continue uphill to Bâlea Lake. From there, the road will take you downhill to Bâlea Falls and, ultimately, the junction with DN1 (from where you can reach Sibiu by turning left, or Braşov if make a right). And what a dramatic descent that is!

Going from the South to North is easier to explain, but if you want to experience the full might of the Transfăgărăşan, the most spectacular route is from North to South.

Also, the southern section of the Transfăgărăşan is closed from November untill the end of May. The northern section however remains accesible by car (the first 30 km to Bâlea Falls) and cable car (from the Waterfall to the Lake). But be warned that extreme weather conditions are likely to occur (it sometimes snows in August) and you must always check the road’s condition (things can go wrong even in summer, due to rock debris).

Story: Constructed between 1970 and 1974, The Transfăgărăşan was built as a strategic military route, connecting the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, going through the highest peaks in the country – Moldoveanu (2,544 m) and Negoiu (2,535 m). Communist leader Nicolae Ceauşescu wanted to ensure quick military access across the mountains, in the event of a Russian invasion of Romania, similar to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia. The road was built mainly with military forces, at a high cost both financially and from a human standpoint (the real number of deaths remains unknown, while the Communist propaganda stated that only 40 lives were lost in building accidents).

The Transfăgărăşan is the second highest muntain pass in Romania after Transalpina. It is a winding road, dotted with steep hairpin turns, long S-curves, and sharp descents. It has more tunnels (a total of 5) and viaducts than any other road in Romania. Near the highest point, at Bâlea Lake, the road passes through Bâlea Tunnel, the longest road tunnel in Romania (884 m).

As previously stated, the most spectacular route is from North to South. The northern section is used for annual cycling competitions including the Tour of Romania. The difficulty of this section is considered to be very similar to Hors Categorie climbs (literally beyond categorisation) in the Tour de France.

The northern section’s most breathtaking stage is undoubtelly The Bâlea Valley – that you can see in the photos below. It spans from Bâlea Falls to Bâlea Lake and it can be enjoyed from the air too, by cable (during winter, this is the only way to reach Bâlea Lake).

What to see:

1. Bâlea Falls. Bâlea Waterfall, also known as “Urlătoarea Bâlei” is the largest waterfall in steps in Romania, with a fall of 60 m, and marks the bottom level of the glacial circle Balea. It can be reached on foot (1-hour climb on an unmarked, medium difficulty trail).

2. Bâlea Glacier Lake. There are two chalets opened all the year round, a meteorological station and a mountain rescue (Salvamont) station. It is accessible by car (during the summer) and by a cable car coming up from Bâlea Falls.

Each December, the Ice Hotel opens up. It was inaugurated in winter 2005/06 and since then the Hotel is rebuilt evey winter, namely from the materials offered by nature: huge blocks of ice, cut and removed directly from the glacial Lake Bâlea are used to raise the walls; the snow gathered across the mountain slopes, is used for fixing the ice bricks and for finishing the walls. Each season, the project includes a series of events organized on occasion of the most important holidays and special events of the main partners and sponsors.

3. Vidraru Dam and Lake. The dam’s height is 166 metres, the arch length 305 meters and it can store 465 million cubic metres of water. When completed (1966), it ranked 5th in Europe, and 9th in the world. The Dam’s symbol is Prometheus’statue, which can be found near the near-by – also named The Electric Man.

4. Poenari Fortress (ruined). Notable for its connection to Vlad III the Impaler, the castle was erected at the beginning of the 13th century by the rulers of Wallachia. Vlad made it one of his main fortresses. Due to it’s location, the citadel was difficult to take and that’s why all attacking forces simply decided to avoid and go around it. As a consequence, the fortress fell into ruins by the 17th century.

As Vlad III the Impaler is frequently associated with Dracula, there were claims that the Poenari Castle would be the “real” Castle Dracula as featured in Bram Stoker’s famous Dracula novel. Eventually, the theory was proven wrong (by Stoker’s own handwritten research notes) but the legend stuck and Poenari is now considered one of the most haunted locations in Romania. If you want to test that first hand, just remember that reaching the castle means climbing 1,480 steps.

And if Poenari Castle sounds oddly familiar,it’s probably because a modern rendering of Poenari Castle was featured in the 2013 STARZ television series Da Vinci’s Demons in the episode titled “The Devil” in which Leonardo Da Vinci travels to Poenari Castle in Wallachia to meet with Vlad III.

5. The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeș. Built in early 16th century, it’s famous for both its architectural grace and the legend of architect Manole, who sacrificed his own wife in order to complete the structure. Afterwards, prince Radu Negru stranded Manole and all the masons on the roof, so they could not leave and build something even greater that the Cathedral. The men tried to escape using selfmade wooden wings but they all fell to the ground. A spring of clear water, named after Manole, is said to mark the spot where he fell.

That’s the Transfăgărăşan for you. If you ask me it’s by far the most impressive Romanian landmark.

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