Sarmizegetusa Regia - Dacian Capital
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There is a road directly to the fortifications but the last 1km is
a bit rough if you don't have 4 wheel drive. The site is relatively
easy to get to though. The altitude is about 1050m ASL.
The Dacian fortresses of the Sureanu mountains (also known as the
Orastie mountains) are famous in Romania. Here was the capital of
the ancient Dacian civilisation. Many of the stone structures are
still well preserved and open for the public to see. The area is
also popular with local hikers as the view from the hill tops is
breath taking.
For more information on the archaeological sites, see the web page
of the Deva Museum of Dacian and Roman Civilisation at:
http://museum.worldwidesam.net/en/sarmi/contents.htm
Entrance to the sites is free of charge, but beyond Costesti, there
are no tourist facilities. There are signs in Romanian with maps to
explain the sites but if you don't read Romanian then I'd recommend
printing out the web pages of the Deva museum web site and taking
them with you. Alternatively, you can buy a tourist pamphlet or
booklet at the kiosk near Cetatuia fortress (near to Costesti).
While you are in the area, it's worth visiting some of the other
Dacian fortresses. The main fortresses to see are Sarmizegetusa
Regia [N 45.622533, E 23.310329], Cetatuia [N 45.679854, E
23.154147], Blidaru [N 45.667765, E 23.162882], Fetele Albe [N
45.626096, E 23.278876] (the beginning of the path leading to
Fetele Albe is at aproximately [N 45.621642, E 23.289769], and
Luncani-Piatra Rosie [N 45.604908, E 23.145447]. From the main
roads there are hiking trails and logging trails that lead to the
fortresses. When you leave the main road, there should be a sign
that says the name of the fortress, usually how many kilometres or
minutes to the fortress) and a symbol. These symbols are painted on
trees and rocks along the way to the destination to clearly mark
the trail. For example, Cetatuia is marked with by a white square
with a yellow "+" type cross on it; Blidaru is a white square with
a blue line down the middle; Fetele Albe is a white triangle with a
smaller blue triangle in the middle. There is also another geocache
located near to Blidaru fortress. If you intend to visit a couple
of fortresses, it would be best to stay the night, either camping
or staying at a "pensiune". You will pass a couple of "pensiune"
along the way in Costesti.
From Orastie, you can catch a bus as far as Costesti. You can
usually pay the bus driver a few Lei extra to go to the end of
Costesti near the place where you start the hike to Cetatuia and
Blidaru. (Normal the last bus stop is in the town). You can usually
hitch a ride to Gradistie de Munte or maybe almost all the way to
Sarmizegetusa with a logging truck.
If you are going by car, then take note that after Gradistie de
Munte, the road gets a bit rough and it might be necessary to
continue by foot part of the way if you don't have a 4 wheel drive
vehicle.
When you get to Costesti, continue through (by car, bus or foot) to
the large arch that marks the exit of the town. From there, to go
to Sarmizegetusa, continue on the main road. By foot, it will take
about 4 to 5 hours. By car, 15-30 minutes. Fetele Albe is along the
way. If you wish to visit Cetatuie and Blidaru, then take a right
over the bridge immediately after passing through the arch. After a
few hundred metres, you should see a sign post with two arrows on
it at [N 45.680020, E 23.160695]. One for Blidaru (marked with a
blue line) and Cetatuia (marked with a yellow cross). Cetatuia is
about 30-40 minutes walk away. Blidaru is about 40-60 minutes. Both
are along well marked roads or trails.
On the road to Cetatuia (within walking distance of Costesti) there
is a kiosk where you can buy postcards, booklets and tourist
infomation pamphlets. Usually there is no one in the kiosk but if
stand around it for a few minutes and someone doesn't ask if you
want something, then go to the nearby house (there's only one
withing view) and ask there. The kiosk is run by the woman who
lives in the house. Actually she's the official custodian of the
fortress and is employed by the museum in Deva. The kiosk is
located at [N 45.677864, E 23.149653].
Along the way to Sarmizegetusa Regia, you can stop at a picnic area
at the following location [N 45.622174, E 23.266971]. There is also
a picnic table and benches at Sarmizegetusa Regia.
I am currently making a map of the zone that you can load into a
Garmin GPS before going. A copy of the current draft can be
downloaded from the following site:
http://mapcenter.cgpsmapper.com/maplist.php?author=5853
Happy hunting!
Otis
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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