Gorgeous County Gorj is truly one of the jewells of the Oltenia Region,
perched high against the Carpathian Mountains with regional capital Târgu Jiu home to world-famous
scultpure, and the Pârang Mountains at Rânca a newly developed winter ski and summer hiking resort.
This hidden corner of România is still unspoilt by the droves of snow sport enthusiast which crowd to
the the Prahova, Retezat, Apuseni (Apuşeni), Darau and Vatra Dornei ski areas, and your wallet and family will thank
Village charm in County Gorj and little city fun can be found in Motru and Rovinari, Bumbeşti-Jiu, Târgu
Cărbuneşti, Novaci, Ţicleni, and lovely, racy and fun little Tismana!
Rânca in the Pârang mountains is one of the premier ski resorts in the region, and County Gorj is ringed to the north with wondeful peaks, the beauty of the Târgu Jiu and region undeniable!
The new
Rest
Romania Gallery
has photos from our contributors showing the best of Romania!
Electricity is the main export from County Gorj, with power plants
using the regions natural thermal vents for thermo-electric generation,
hydro-electric generation from dams and rich seams of coal.
But not all is from the black riches in this often-forgotten little
corner of Romania, which is also home to the white riches of the new ski
resorts in the Parâng mountains, formed out of the Carpathians by the
mighty Olt and Jiu rivers.
The two main towns in Gorj are the county seat of Târgu Jiu, and halfway towards Dobreta-Turnu Severin from
Târgu Jiu, the little city of
Motru.
There are also six major towns, Rovinari,
Bumbeşti-Jiu, Târgu Cărbuneşti, Novaci, Ţicleni, and Tismana, along with
62 communes in County Gorj, with Rânca in the
Parâng mountains
receiving thousands of avid skiiers each winter and hikers in the summer
months, all enjoying the breathtaking views and happy vistas.
The Kiss Gate
We
are adding more information to this page and reviewing the content over this
month. Have a look later if you'd like! E-Mail
Us for More Info!
Târgu
Jiu is the county seat of Gorj County in the Oltenia Region. It is situated
in the sloping foothils of the Southern Sub-Carpathians, it benefits
from the river Jiu flowing from the mountains.
It was first mentioned in documents around 1406, although the region
had been continually inhabited since Dacian and Roman days, when the
region was part of the Roman Dacian provinces. Târgu Jiu
today has 98,000 inhabitants, down slightly from the previous decade as
Romania's population continues to rationalise.
Mighty Coal
Starting with the 1960s, coal surface mining contributed to a rapid
population growth. Other local industries include wood, machine
building, textiles, glassware and construction materials (cement).
During World War II, a detention camp for political prisoners
(especially members of the Romanian Communist Party) was located near
the city.
Brâncusi
Constantin Brâncuşi has several large sculptures displayed in Târgu
Jiu: The Table of Silence, The Gate of the Kiss, Chairs' Alley and The
Endless Column (used above in the town crest). The main soccer team of
the city is Pandurii Târgu-Jiu who own the stadium Stadionul Municipal (Târgu
Jiu).
Stone-age settlements have been found in the foothills of the Parâng
mountains, around the 600m mark, near the Gilort river springs about
45km from Târgu Jiu near Novaci.
Although the town was only
mentioned in historical documents in 1502, it has been inhabited since Dacian and Roman times. A quick stop in Novaci is well worthwhile, with the cool water of
the Gilort river, as did the shepherds for generations, looking up into
the mountains to where Rânca is today.
Rânca is a
Romania's newest and highest mountain resort complex, located at 1,600m
to 1750m with dozens of new chalets (pensiunes) recently built.
Newly added flights now serve the regional capital at Craiova,
which is just over 100km south, and with Sibiu also about 2 1/2 hours by
car to the north offering direct connections to Vienna and other
European capitals. With these easier connections, Rânca is expected to be more and more
an international destination. With it's very competitive prices
and new status, Rânca is well-positioned to be included in package ski
holidays and summertime hiking offers too. Check out flying
to Gorj below, or see more on
Air Travel in
Romania here.
Driving to Rânca
The road leading up from Novaci into the the Parâng Mountains is
quite similar to more famous and equally well-maintained Transfăgărasan
highway, running 18km to Rânca (the Transalpine DN 67C).
Getting up to Rânca is fairly straightforward, taking the road going
from Târgu Jiu to Novaci, and then another 18km north from Novaci to
Rânca.
The resort town is situation on a southern ridge of the Pârang
Mountains at 1600m. Quite a few trails lead off from Rânca,
which is a where several of the mountain roads also converge.
Skiing Rânca
With runs up to the 1800m mark, and good snows between September and
May, the only other exceptional fact about Rânca is that it failed to
develop earlier as a skiing destination! The slopes at Rânca offer low and medium difficulty,
with a slope well-lit for night skiing.
Rânca offers a stunning view of the Parângu Mare peak, and when the
weather is good, you can even see far over the mountains the Peleaga
peak of the Retezat Mountains.
Big Parângu peak towers 2,519m high as king of the Parâng
Mountains group, still formidable even though the resort town is already
halfway up this mighty branch of the great Carpathian mountain range
(see more on
Mountains in our Geography Section)
We reached our destination at 6 p.m. We are high in the hills of
Transilvania, 25 km
southwest of Sibiu. The land
undulates all around us in grey blue waves, like an ocean. There is no
sound except for a birdsong on a breeze.
I'm back in
Transilvania: the heart of the nation, some say. I gaze around me,
trying to imagine the countless individuals who have tracked these hills
over the millennia: warriors and shepherds, peasants and poets. I feel
warm, optimistic and completely knackered after a nine hour hike in sun and
rain.
But I made it. Along with my long-time buddy George, his wife Alina and
little Catrinel, eight years old and keen as mustard. Then another
surprise: the land suddenly dips at an angle of 45°. It's hair-raising.
Below us, at the bottom of the slope, sits a perfect post-glacial lake,
like water in a saucer: Lacul Iezerul Mare. It
shimmers under the mid-morning sun. Bushes protrude from the sheer rock
above, like blotches of green paint daubed by a child.
The shepherd tramps away over a ridge and is swallowed by the land. I
watch his little black hat dip into the grass, like a submarine sinking into
at a green ocean. He seems perfectly at ease in this wild and inhospitable
spot, a son of the ancient soil. I am suddenly struck by the difference
between us. Out here, he is at home and at work. All he needs is a few
dogs, a stick, and a cigarette. The rest of us need offices and computers,
cars and mobile phones.
We settle under a sturdy tree, take off our boots and dump our
rucksacks, breathing hard. The sun is high and hot, but the wind keeps us
cool. We take our rest, watching the blue sky where white clouds drift,
flat and fluffy.
We eat
goat's cheese, green peppers, olives and crusty bread. The spring water
in our bottle is still icy despite the midday heat. Rolling blue-green
hills stretch for miles in each direction, as far as we can see. I feel
lucky to be here. It's almost too good to be true.
If you are doing a one-way hike, perhaps down the mountain from the
Rânca Cabin either through the Gilort river valley (Valea Gilortului)
along forestry roads for about 7 hours or via the quicker Deer Mountains
(Munţele Cerbu) trail marked with red triangles (about 5 hours maximum).
You can also take off from the Rânca cabin through the Curd Mountains (Munţele
Urdele), Mountain Lake Valley (Valea Iezerul) and on to the Bandits'
Hideout Cabin, about seven hours, marked with both the red line and the
red triangle markers.
The red triangle trail continues from Cimpa to Caban Voievodu on
forestry roads for a couple of hours, then on to Wifely Meadows (Poiana
Muierii) and onto the Bandit's Hideout Cabin, about 6 hours.
From the cabin, the red triangles continue through Dry Gulch (Groapa
Seacă), Goat Peak (Vârful Capra), Wifely Meadows (Poiana Muierii), and
Overlord's Cabin (Cabana Voievodul), about 10 hours if you did it all in
one go.
The red line trail also takes off from the Rânca Cabin going to the
Papusa Mountains, Mohor Peak, Taiata Rock and Lake Calcescu, about 6 to
7 hours, combined with the red triangle trail for parts. The
red triangle trail veers off at Papusa Peak to the Oltet Curmatura,
about 5 hours.
Lacul Calcescu - Piatra Taiata - Varful Mohorul - Muntele Papusa -
Cabana Ranca. Marcaj: banda rosie, triunghi rosu, sosea. Timp de mers:
6-7 ore.
Digimarc and the Digimarc logo are registered trademarks of Digimarc Corporation. The "Digimarc Digital Watermarking" Web Button is a trademark of Digimarc Corporation, used with permission.
All maps are informational only. No representation is made or warranty given as to map
contents. User assumes all risk of use. Rest Romania and its suppliers
assume no responsibility for any loss or delay resulting from such use.
Inclusion of links and examples of maps on other sites is for your
convenience only and should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the
owner/sponsor of the map site or the content of that site.
County Gorj is bordered by fellow Oltenian counties of
Vâlcea to the east and north-east, and Mehedinţi and
Dolj in the south-west and south. Over the rise in Banat is County
Caraş-Severin to the west, and in Transilvania over the Carpathians, is
County Hunedoara.
With a total area of 5,602 km˛, County Gorj
consists of various mountains from the Southern Carpathians group on it's
northern border with the Transilvania region.
In the west to Banat are the Vulcanului Mountains,
and in the east there are the Parâng Mountains and the Negoveanu
Mountains. The two groups are split by the main river and catchment basin
of the region, the Jiu River.
The Parâng Mountains (Munţii Parâng) include the Şureanu
Mountains (Munţii Şureanu/M. Sebeşului), the Cindrel Mountains (Munţii
Cindrel/M. Cibinului, which are more towards Sibiu), the Lotru Mountains
(Munţii Lotrului; literally: Mountains of the Thief), and the Căpăţâna
Mountains (Munţii Căpăţânii; literally: Mountains of the Head or
Mountains of the Skull).
In the South of County Gorj, the heights decrease
through the hills to a high plain at the Western end of the Romanian
Plain.
Gorj is developing it's international tourist profile, and the
scheduled air services beginning in 2007 into the regional capital of
Craiova has helped to link Gorj with the world.
Maxi-taxis reliably run the main routes between the airport in
Craiova and Târgu Jiu at least hourly during peak periods, and your
transportation options from Târgu Jiu up to the mountains or along the
rich alluvial plains of County Gorj vary depending on your abilities and
proclivities.
Maxi-Taxis and Busses
As the county seat, all roads lead to Târgu Jiu, which is fortunate
as the town contains some of the world's finest sculptures in it's
public parks and museums.
The densest hubs for the maxi-taxi trade is at the main train
station in Târgu Jiu. From here, the little 10 to 20 seat vans can
take you and your luggage (a tip always helps) along all of the main
routes from Târgu Jiu to Motru and Dobreta Turnu Severin on the Danube,
up through the mountains along the Jiu river to Hunedoara, and over to
Râmnicu-Valcea along the Olt River, as well as less touristy routes onto
the fertile plains and the farming communities to the south-east.
Driving around Gorj
Whether you rent a car, or hire a driver to take you around the
county, you can greatly benefit by the flexibility of setting your own
times and your own destinations.
In some ways, it's sort of sad that you can hire a reliable guy in
Târgu Jiu to take you where you'd like to go. If you're into
hiking or skiing, there are plenty of university students who would love
to take some times off, practice their English, get in some time on the
slopes or trails, and drive around the crazy Americans (or Australians,
or Canadians) for a few days in their car or one they borrow from their
mother. Check out
our Driving page for
more info on how to go about this.
Expectation Management
If you are anticipating a trip to Romania, we assume that you
already know their culture is fundamentally different in many ways to
those of English-speaking countries.
Frankly, most English speakers simply have not developed the sort of
negotiating skills which Europeans, and Romanians in particular, take
for granted when entering into a business arrangement. To
Americans, Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders and the English, the
various stages of bargaining to set prices and performance are indeed a
little foreign.
The Deal Will Change
Whilst most English speakers will assume that a deal is done once a
price is named and someone says "okay", in Romania, you must be aware
that deals are rarely fully closed. With a driver,
translator, guide or other service provider in Romania, as conditions
and performance requirements change, you'll find that the expectation
for you to pay more will also similarly change. Never
mistake this expectation as being dishonest, because by the Romanian
culture and accepted norms, it is not. It is only a factor
you must be aware of and also expect to encounter during your rewarding
and enriching relationship with your Romanian host.
Memory: Your Best Ally
Generally speaking, if your new Romanian friend suggests that you
need to pay more for something, they're probably not scamming you.
99% of guides are scrupulously honest and it's more a matter of YOU the
tourist not really understanding THEIR expectations. It's
usually very effective to remind your Romanian about the previously
agreed to deal when "new" costs arise. You'll be met with
one of two reactions generally -- either the accepting shrug, or a loud
protest. Pay attention to the loud protest and accede to
their request with grace. The shrug will tell you that you
were sort of being tested to see where your limits lay -- mainly so your
Romanian can know better your expections.
Don't Sweat It
One card trumps all in Romania, and that is the fact that you are
the boss, sometimes amusingly referred to as "bossu" in Romanian, a
derivation of "sefu", or "chief", much like the French word "chef".
And if you're paying, your word goes. So never fear playing it
slightly imperious or, if you are a keen observer of Romanian behaviour,
disdainfully snobby. But do have the good sense to listen to
the advice of your Romanian host, who after all, has at least a
financial interest in meeting your expectations as much as possible.
Demographics
In 2002, it had a population of 387,308 and the
population density was 69/km˛, of which over 98% are Romanians, with the
biggest minority being the Rromas.
Economy
The predominant industries in the county are in
mining equipment , food and beverages, textile , mechanical components ,
glass, and timber felling and milling.
Coal is found and extracted near Motru and Rovinari.
There are two big thermo electrical power plants at Rovinari and Turceni,
and some hydro-electrical power plants. The county is the biggest
electricity producer in Romania with 36% of the country's electricity.
Due to the decrease in mining activity the county
has one of the greatest unemployment levels in the country.
Towns
The two main towns in Gorj are the county seat of
Târgu Jiu, and halfway towards Dobreta-Turnu Severin from
Târgu Jiu, the little city of Motru.
There are also six major towns, Rovinari,
Bumbeşti-Jiu, Târgu Cărbuneşti, Novaci, Ţicleni, and Tismana, along with
62 communes in County Gorj.
Car license plates
start with GJ and the telephone area code for the county is (x53)
This website is a
general tourist guide, designed to help English-speaking tourists
understand Romania, and as such, provides historical
information for the interest of our traveller readers. History
can be a contentious issue, and we welcome input where readers think
clarification or correction is advisable. Please
e-mail us here
if you have questions or comments about anything in this history
section.
Nice place in a quiet town
==LODGING===================================Get your hotel or accommodation seen to the world with a premium accommodation listing with Rest Romania.
Know of a property or some information we missed?
Please Rest Romania is Romania's Biggest Tourism Website for Accommodation, Lodging and great Reviews and Guides!
Let us know about it now Thanks!
Powering Romania!
