Via Transilvanica

Via Transilvanica (in English: The Transylvanian Trail) is a hiking trail which crosses the Transylvania, Bukovina and Banat regions of Romania, and is meant to promote their respective cultural, ethnic, historical and natural diversity. It was built between 2018 and 2022, with its design and conception heavily inspired by historical pilgrims' ways and hiking trails, such as The Way of St. James and The Appalachian Trail. Starting at Putna, Suceava County, it stretches over 1,428 kilometres, 10 counties of Romania, over 400 communities, and 12 UNESCO World Heritage sites, ending in Drobeta Turnu-Severin, Mehedinți County. Its motto is "The road that unites".[1][2][3][4]

Via Transilvanica
Motto: "The Road that Unites"
Length1,428 km (887 mi)
LocationRomania
Began construction2018
Completed2022
Highest point1,300 m (4,300 ft)

History
Painted marking

The trail was envision by the non-governmental organisation Tășuleasa Social, based in Bistrița-Năsăud county. The way marking of trail was done in five major stages between the years 2018 and 2022:[4]

Typical Via Transilvanica milestone

In terms of funding, the marking of approximately 830 km of trail was funded through charitable donations, sponsorship deals, and other partnerships with various private companies. Some of the funding was thanks to a donation of profits from the sale of the book "27 steps" by Tiberiu Ușeriu, a Romanian ultramarathon runner and extreme sport athlete, one of the main ambassadors of the Via Transilvanica. The marking of the trail, including the laying of the over 1,000 andesite milestones came up to approximately 1.5 million euros.[13][14] Hundreds of volunteers took part in the marking and promotion of the route including actors Marcel Iureș and Pavel Bartoș,[15] former prince Nicholas Medforth-Mills, journalists Andreea Esca and Andi Moisescu,[16] activist Dragoș Bucurenci, tennis player Horia Tecău, TV presenter Charlie Ottley, and philosopher Mihaela Miroiu.[17]

In 2023, it received the "Citizen Involvement and Awareness" award offered by Europa Nostra.[18]

Route

Via Transilvanica is divided into seven historical and cultural regions: Bucovina, the Highland, Terra Siculorum, Terra Saxonum, Terra Dacica, Terra Banatica and Terra Romana. The route spans ten of Romania's counties: Suceava, Bistrița-Năsăud, Mureș, Harghita, Brașov, Sibiu, Alba, Hunedoara, Caraș-Severin and Mehedinți.[1]

The trail blazing consists of either painted markings on trees and stones, or handcrafted andesite milestones, each with a unique design and weighing approximately 260 kg each, position roughly one kilometer apart. The painted markings always come in the same two colors, orange and white, with the orange arrows pointing south-west, towards Drobeta-Turnu Severin, and the white arrows pointing north-east in the direction of Putna. There are also painted markings of an orange "T" on a white background.

Route[19][1]
# Original name English Name Towns and tourist attractions Length
1 Bucovina Bukovina Putna, Sucevița, Vatra Moldoviței, Churches of Moldavia, Vatra Dornei, Poiana Stampei 136 km
2 Ținutul de Sus The Highlands Poiana Stampei, Tihuța Pass, Bistrița 277 km
3 Terra Siculorum The Székely Land Câmpu Cetății, Sovata, Praid, Archita 157 km
4 Terra Saxonum The Saxon Land Sighișoara, Mediaș, Bazna, Micăsasa 201 km
5 Terra Dacica The Dacian Land Blaj, Alba Iulia, Sarmizegetusa Regia, Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa 290 km
6 Terra Banatica Banat Bucova, Caransebeș, Reșița, Prigor, Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park 232 km
7 Terra Romana The Roman Land Domogled-Valea Cernei National Park, Drobeta-Turnu Severin 135 km

See also

References
  1. "Traveller's guide to Via Transilvanica" (PDF).
  2. "Via Transilvanica". European Heritage Awards / Europa Nostra Awards. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  3. "About Via Transilvanica". RUF. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  4. "Concept - Via Transilvanica". www.viatransilvanica.com. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  5. "Bistriţa-Năsăud: Traseul Via Transilvanica a fost omologat oficial de Ministerul Turismului | AGERPRES • Actualizează lumea". 2022-10-17. Archived from the original on 2022-10-17. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  6. "Suceava: 137 de kilometri din Via Transilvanica, inauguraţi la Putna; s-a montat borna de început a traseului de 1.000 km | AGERPRES • Actualizează lumea". 2022-07-31. Archived from the original on 2022-07-31. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  7. "Via Transilvanica, un fel de Camino de Santiago al românilor. Încă 98 de kilometri inauguraţi în cadrul celui mai amplu proiect turistic". adevarul.ro (in Romanian). 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  8. presă, Comunicat de (2020-08-01). "Via Transilvanica: încă 285 de kilometri au fost marcați în județele Mureș și Harghita". spotmedia.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  9. Salceanu, Diana (2020-09-21). "Via Transilvanica launched another 115km in Sibiu". The Romania Journal. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  10. Szendrei, Ildiko (2021-07-20). "Traseul Via Transilvanica de Caraș-Severin, lansat oficial la finalul săptămânii". Express de Banat (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  11. Redacția (2022-07-04). "A fost deschis tronsonul Via Transilvanica Hunedoara / Traseul lung de aproape 150 de kilometri trece și pe lângă cetățile dacice". G4Media.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  12. Alba24.ro, Redactia (2021-12-05). "Via Transilvanica: a început implementarea proiectului în județul Alba. Traseu național de promovare turistică și culturală". alba24.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  13. Reștea, Kristina (2021-07-24). "FOTO Soluții alternative de vacanță: Traseul Via Transilvanica, "Camino de România", ajunge la kilometrul 1.000 / Imagini cu drumul de vis care a costat până acum 1,5 milioane de euro". G4Media.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  14. "Tibi Ușeriu: "Chiar așa, de ce alerg?"". PressOne. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  15. Sabău, Cristiana (2018-09-18). "Lista invitaţilor la o cină cu actorul Marcel Iureş, ambasador al Via Transilvanica". TimpOnline.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  16. "Via Transilvanica Campaign $106,000+". RUF. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  17. "Proiectul Via Transilvanica are nevoie de sprijinul comunităţii. "Drumul care uneşte" trece şi prin Caraş-Severin". Radio România Reșița (in Romanian). 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  18. "2023 Winners of Europe's top heritage awards announced by the European Commission and Europa Nostra". Europa Nostra. 2023-06-13. Retrieved 2023-08-05.
  19. "Trail | Via Transilvanica". www.viatransilvanica.com. Retrieved 2023-08-10.
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