natural wonder
Scarisoara Ice Cave
Cave in the Apuseni mountains holding one of the largest underground glaciers in Europe, with a wooden stair descent.
32 km · about 35 min drive
EuropeRomaniaAlba County
Roșia Montană
Alba County, Romania · Europe
About Roșia Montană
Roșia Montană sits on the route: 10 minutes from Bucium, 32km from Scarisoara Ice Cave.
Roșia Montană is in Alba County, Romania, with about 1,600 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Bucium, about 6 km away.
Roșia Montană (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈroʃi.a monˈtanə], "Roșia of the Mountains"; Latin: Alburnus Maior; Hungarian: Verespatak, [ˈvɛrɛʃpɒtɒk]; German: Goldbach, Rotseifen) is a commune of Alba County in the Apuseni Mountains of western Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the Valea Roșiei, through which theRead more
small river Roșia Montană flows. The commune is composed of sixteen villages: Bălmoșești, Blidești, Bunta, Cărpiniș (Abrudkerpenyes), Coasta Henții, Corna (Szarvaspatak), Curături, Dăroaia, Gârda-Bărbulești, Gura Roșiei (Verespataktorka), Iacobești, Ignățești, Roșia Montană, Șoal, Țarina, and Vârtop (Vartop).
The rich mineral resources of the area have been exploited since Roman times or before. The state-run gold mine closed in late 2006 in advance of Romania's accession to the European Union. Gabriel Resources of Canada plan to open a new mine. This has caused controversy on one hand over the extent to which remains of Roman mining would be preserved and over fears of a repeat of the cyanide pollution at Baia Mare and on the other, over the benefits that mining would bring to this poor and underdeveloped part of the country.
The campaign against mining at Roșia Montană was one of the largest protest campaigns in the last 20 years in Romania. A plethora of organizations spoke out against the project, from Greenpeace to the Romanian Academy. After a series of nationwide protests in the autumn of 2013, the Chamber of Deputies eventually rejected the project on 3 June 2014. Moreover, Roșia Montană has been classified as a historic site of national importance, by an order of the Ministry of Culture issued on 30 December 2015. Thus, industrial activity is prohibited in the area.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Roșia Montană?
Within an hour or so of Roșia Montană: Scarisoara Ice Cave (32 km), Râpa Roșie (50 km), Cheile Turzii (Turda Gorge) (51 km), Turda Salt Mine (59 km).
Are there any good drives near Roșia Montană?
The nearest famous roads are Transalpina, Pasul Urdele (Transalpina) and Transfagarasan (DN7C).
Where is Roșia Montană?
Roșia Montană is in Alba County, Romania, about 6 km from Bucium.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 1,556
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Romania
- Region
- Alba County
- Timezone
- Europe/Bucharest
- Coordinates
- 46.3067, 23.1337
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in Romania
Rovinieta (road tax sticker) required for all national roads.
Full driving guide for RomaniaTags
Worth the detour from Roșia Montană
4 notable places within an hour's drive.
natural wonder
Râpa Roșie
An 800 m wall of red sandstone ravines up to 125 m high just north of Sebeș, eroded into organ-pipe pinnacles that glow crimson at sunset: Romania's 'little Grand Canyon', visible right from the approach road.
50 km · about 60 min drive
natural wonder
Cheile Turzii (Turda Gorge)
A limestone gorge with walls up to 300 m, walked on a path that crosses the stream on a series of bridges.
51 km · about 60 min drive
landmark
Turda Salt Mine
A spectacular ancient salt mine transformed into an underground theme park with a Ferris wheel, boating lake, and amphitheatre deep below the surface.
59 km · about 70 min drive
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