Route no. 1. The road of lakes

1.     Reşiţa – Văliug – Prislop / Mount Semenic– Gărâna – Trei Ape – Slatina Timiş – Caransebeş – Reşiţa.

            The starting point is the centre of Resita, from where pleasant and fair trips can be made to Semenic, on the county road Resita – Semenic – Slatina Timiş (DJ 582).

From the centre of Resita town, the road climbs toward Semenic, and after a kilometre it passes under the Resita Cableway and over the Bârzava River. Like most of the Banat rivers, Bârzava springs from the western coast of the Mount Semenic (the spring lies below the Cracul Lung peak). On its 157 km course from the springs to the confluence with Timiş River (on the territory of Serbia), Bârzava River crosses all the forms of Banat’s relief in the succession mountain – hill – plain. Each level has its own picturesque characteristic. In its course to Resita, Bârzava is embanked three times, forming the chain of storage lakes: Gozna-Crivaia, Văliug-Breazova and Secu.

Resita is situated along the river, on its middle course; hence the usual name „Resita, the town on the Bârzava”.

The road continues along the right bank of Bârzava and, after crossing under the passage of the CSR-TMK steel plant, two kilometres away, one can see Furnace no. 2 of Resita and the imposing architecture of the Orthodox Christian Church „The Assumption of the Virgin”, dominating the city by its height and beauty. All Reşiţa inhabitants call it a „cathedral”, although this term defines a prayer edifice with an episcopal rank. From the church towers, the sounds of the four bells are heard all over the city; the sound of the bells was harmonized by Sabin Drăgoi, the remarkable conductor and well-known composer of Banat origin.

After 4.5 km through Reşiţa Montană, you reach the intersection of the two roads, to Semenic, straight ahead, and to Secu Resort, to the left.

The touristic resort Secu. Starting towards Secu, you have to pass through the Lend district, whose denomination comes from the German language („anlaenden”), and it means the removal of the wood logs with the help of “rakes” from the water, brought downstream on the Bârzava by „log floating”. The retained timber was stacked for drying until its burning in charcoal piles. In the place where one of the rakes lay we can see today the concave silhouette of the first hydropower plant in Romania, with its beautiful industrial architecture, namely  the „Rake” plant, put in use in 1905. The water has been channelled on the Main Canal, an ingenious hydro technical system, 14 km long, between Breazova and Lend, arriving at the Water Castle (load chamber) and from there, using three forced ducts, puts into operation the Peltton turbine group, which still produces electricity. Nearby there is the Atlantic recreation compound.

From the outskirts of the city, the road leads through tight serpentines, parallel to the river, through a narrow and deep valley, till we arrive to Lake Secu (6 km away).

The Secu Resort lies on the left bank of the storage lake, between km 8.5 (Brânduşa Guesthouse) and km 12 (Turist Hotel) from the intersection, being the favourite holiday destination of the inhabitants from Resita for vacation and weekend tourism. The storage lake was built in 1963, behind a „nosing-mushroom” type of dam, a model known among the specialists under the name of Noetzli. The “mushroom” has the role of closing the valley, and the „nosing” is the element of strength and stability. The lake stretches over a length of 6 km, with the largest width of 800 m, in front of the White River valley. After filling, it has an area of 105 ha and reaches 25 m deep at the end of the side wall. Of course, these parameters change depending on the degree of filling. This dam is the most recently built of the other three dams on Bârzava, it is situated at the lowest altitude and has only the role of water supply and recreation.

The Secu Resort, at an altitude of 320 m, was declared a touristic resort of local interest on May 1^st  1971, grace to the landscape near the lake and the recreational conditions for practicing swimming and fishing and, last but not least, outdoor activities, such as hiking or biking. At the same time, trips can be made along the Bârzavei Valley from the Secu resort to the village, along the narrow trail of the railway line Reşiţa – Secu, on which the first Reşiţa locomotives circulated:  Szekul no. 1 (brought from Vienna), Resicza no. 2, Bogsan no. 3 and Hungaria no.4 (the first three locomotives were manufactured in Resita). On this 12 km long railway coal and wood were transported.

The satisfaction can be even greater when everything happens in an eye-catching setting. And because one of the most attractive guesthouses in the resort is called „Brânduşa / The Crocus Flower”, every autumn we need to step carefully on the carpet of the „leaf rain”, in order to bypass a feeble thread trying to make its own way among the fallen leaves:

„A blue flower cup opens from it. Close by there is another blue flower, then another one and another one, more and more. They rise alone or in clusters in fantastic dances. The silent dance of the blue flowers grants a festive aspect to the autumn days. The crocuses have blossomed!” [Meilă M., 2012].

Do not break the crocuses! It would be a shame to pick them, especially because they wither very fast afterwards. In their natural environment they will live for several days, preserving their grace and beauty.

For amateur fishermen, a bay is formed in the elbow of the lake near the former Petricica villa, at the mouth of White River. It is the right place for „big catches,” the lake here having the largest width. When there is a drought, the water level drops and the bay becomes a small marshland with reed beds and young shallows. In Lake Secu there are great chances to catch „water monsters” swimming slowly on the bottom of the water: catfish, walleye, carp, pike, chub, crucian carps, bream etc.

For children and young people, an unpaved road goes to the White River Youth Camp 500 m before entering the resort (km 8). The camp is situated in a beautiful broadleaf and coniferous forest, with 136 accommodation places in 6 brick and stone chalets, with two to eight places in the rooms.

In search of a dream holiday, the camp offers sports grounds, conference rooms, playgrounds and sunbathing lawn, as well as an outdoor disco. You can spend a six-day stay, which includes accommodation and full board.

From the camp, you can hike along mountain paths, practise mountain biking or water sports on Lake Secu and make day trips to the surroundings, to Mount Semenic and to Caraş Gorge.

The Touristic Village Văliug. From the intersection with the Secu Resort, from Resita, the road climbs toward Semenic, passing along the village of Cuptoare (4 km from the intersection). After several dizzying serpentines, the road descends into the valley cut by Bârzava, between the crystalline massif of Semenic and the Doman limestone hills to Văliug.

After 22 km you reach Văliug, a beautiful mountain settlement, located in the Bârzavei Valley, at the foot of Mount Semenic, in a wonderful setting. The village is 2 km long between the two storage lakes: the Gozna Lake upstream and the Breazova Lake downstream.

At the roundabout, the road „forks” into two directions:  downhill towards Lake Breazova, and uphill to Semenic and Crivaia.

Following the road in the direction of flow of the Bârzava we reach the Breazova storage lake after 3.5 km. Passing next to the two Crăinicel power plants, at the end of the village, on an unpaved road, you reach the „old lake”. The Breazova dam and lake are part of the unique hydro – technical system built in the years 1901-1904, but there are not „contemporary” with it. The Breazova-Văliug storage lake was built between 1907 and 1909, being the oldest (it has over 100 years!) of the three storage lakes along the Bârzava River.

When it is full, Lake Breazova stretches behind two dams, on a distance of 12 hectares and a length of 2 km. Built of stone, iron and concrete, the two slightly curved dams (120 m radius) have the following dimensions: the small one, beside the road is 31 m long and 12 m high and the long one is 91 m long and 27 m high.

Compared with Lake Gozna, Lake Breazova is less visited, though it is distinguished by a silent beauty. „A cloak of silence woven from the invisible air falls heavily on the shoulders of the hills containing the water of the lake in their dipper (…) Like a delicate scented veil over the sleeping valley the spirit of peace lingers on.” [Meila M., 2012].

One can take walks along the two dams on a 3 m wide canopy equipped with some metal railing on both sides.

At the same time, between the two dams there is a rocky and wooded peninsula, crossed by an almost circular path, with the appearance of a shaded driveway. From here, the view to the valley is delightful. The lake behind the dam is also beautiful, a stretch of land soothed by water through which shadows of fish are gliding superbly. For reasons that are quite hard to comprehend, the fish in Lake Breazova are not very easy to catch, no matter what baits they are lured with.

In was only once, during the Second World War, that the hydro-technical construction of Breazova-Văliug lake near „Cleantu of Serbian” was endangered. It was in 1941, when the Banat communists organisation led by Leontin Sălăjan discussed (but luckily without further effect!) about breaking the dam in order to „sabotage the production of weapons of the Resita’s plants, which were the arm suppliers to the German Army at that time.” [Hromadka G., 1993].

From Breazova power plant, following the course of Bârzava River and passing the lake, hike lovers or bikers can get to the Secu Resort on a paved path.

In Văliug, tourism is a tradition. Even in the interwar period, Văliug had the fame of a climatic resort of local interest, when the first weekend tourists came to enjoy a lawn picnic on the shores of the storage lake.

The founders of Văliug village are 70 Austrian families who reached the foot of Semenic on June 29^th 1793, at the confluence of Gozna and Văliugel creeks with the Bârzava River. In honour of the emperor, the village was called Franzdorf. The Germans, alongside the „Bufeni” from Oltenia, were specialized in forestry and coal production. In the beginning, the transport of the charcoal produced in the forest from Văliug to Resita was done with the help of horses.  Later, they made use of the “floating transport” on Bârzava and the „flotation” on the hydro- technical system channels.

             Today, Văliug, situated at an altitude of 560 m, has become a holiday village for the tourists from the west of Romania, especially from Timişoara.

The touristic resort Văliug-Crivaia. Turning to the right at the roundabout at the centre of Văliug, after a kilometre, you reach the crossroad of the road to Prislop -Semenic where again turn to the right, and after 500 m you reach the Gozna Lake dam. At the crossroads to the lake, the road runs along a creek flowing uphill, defying the laws of gravity. The opposite inclination of the roads’ slope on the “Drăguţa” hill compared to the river bed creats the illusion of “a hill-climbing river“, to the astonishment of the passer-byes.

The Gozna-Crivaia storage lake covers an area of 60 hectares, and has a length of 3 km. The dam was built between 1948 and 1952 and has a height of 48 m starting from the small base of 113 m up to the large base of 184 m of the dam. The lake was filled with water in 1953, storing 10 million cubic meters.

The construction of the dam between the hills of Drăguţa (right) and Stupina (left) is one of the works from the youth building sites of that time, less publicised than the others, especially in comparison with the very mediatised Bumbeşti-Livezeni and Salva-Vişeu railways. People from all the corners of the country gathered then at the foot of Mount Semenic, and everything was „a huge boiling, overthrowing the world and the silence of the woods.” [Bureau V, 1982].

It was the first construction of this kind in Romania, designed and executed exclusively by Romanian specialists, as the lake also had an energetic role for the water supply for the Crăinicel and Grebla hydropower plants.

The lake stretches up the Barzavei valley, bifurcating into affluent valleys. Along the entire length of the lake, the road on the right bank „bends” in successive curves to the end of the lake where „suddenly Bârzava,  spry and whispering so far, gets lost in the waters of the lake. It seems like it have turned into stone at the man’s command to gather and rest the waters in the mountain’s palm. „[Meila M., 2012].

Man and nature have accomplished here a place of rest and recreation like only a few are found in the Romania’s mountains.

The Văliug – Crivaia touristic resort stretches on 5 km, from the valley to the wide glade, and the Bârzava River flows at its edge. The 650 m altitude resort changes its image from one year to the next.

The perfect altitude, the pleasant climate, the ozone pure air, all these offer very good conditions for rest and comfort to those who prefer the coolness of the mountain, the shade of the forest and the tranquillity of the lake. The Dam House Pontoon provides the expected comfort of having „mountain and sea” at the same time grace to the beach, bathing and … fun. For rowing lovers, the lake’s wind-protected water mirror gives everyone the chance to compete with the „times” of the Romanian champions. The favourite place for fishermen is the Gând(r)eşti on the left bank of the lake. The greenery belt of the banks, mirrored in the water, borrows an emerald colour and it is „a great source of inspiration” for the painters. Watch the shade of Stupina Hill from the suspended bridge in the summer and notice how it is reflected in the water of the lake and you will „have” an image painted by the vacation houses, hostels and hotels have sprung up „like mushrooms after the rain”, which dressed up the resort in „new clothes” and rejuvenated the four former pontoons: Hydropower, Semenic, CSR-TMK, UCMR (now Aquaris jewelery).

And because the appetite grows in the mountains, other new boarding houses and two new hotels, Claris and The Swallow, invite you to a rest and to try natural-tasting food on Draguta Hill, at the edge of the forest.

From the hill, the bell is heard with its multiple echoes from the small and beautiful Roman Catholic chapel (1862), situated on the Bârzavei River bend, before it flows into the lake. If on the plain the sounds are lost in distances with no return, the voice of the mountain’s bell hits the slope and returns like an echo to the place it came from.

Pleasant and easy trips can be made to Vila Klaus and then to Semenic Trout Farm, at an hour’s drive upstream on the forest road along Bârzava water.

The Klaus Villa. The Klaus Villa Youth Recreation Camp is situated at an altitude of 730 m in the middle of nature, surrounded by fir trees, on the Bîrzava valley, at the foot of Mount Semenic, 5 km away from Lake Gozna. The camp offers 52 places per series, from these 40 places are in the central villa, in rooms with two to eight beds, and 12 places are in 4 wooden cottages, each room containing three beds. The beautiful building of the Klaus Villa was erected in 1853 and rebuilt in today’s Swiss mountain style in the years 1902-1903 by StEG, the owner of Resita’s factories and of the nearby domains. In front of the building, between the road and the river there is a beautiful park with silver trees and benches inviting the passer-byes to have a rest.

The name of the villa derives from the German word „klause” with the Romanian significance of „dam „, reminding everyone that the first Barzava water dam was constructed behind the villa in 1865. The construction was made of stone and beams carved from fir trees with a width of 76 m and a height of 11.5 m. When the storage lake was full, the water stretched over a length of 500 m and accumulated almost 150 thousand m³.

Klaus Lake was used to floating the „small logs” of 1 m size downstream from the Semenic forests to the Reşiţa plants, where a lot of charcoal was needed. When there was enough water accumulated in the lake, the spillway was unlocked with a wide aperture of 8.5 m, forming suddenly an „artificial wave” (hait) that carried the woods prepared in advance.

The 38 miles between the Klaus Dam and Resita were covered by the wood – wave during 6-7 hours. On the bank, workers manoeuvred the wood with grappling irons and spears to avoid blocking the waterway. At the end of the road the water was squeezed through the so-called „rakes” where the „logs” stopped, which, after drying, were burnt in „kiln”, and turned into charcoal, the coal prepared form wood.

After the creation of the Semenic-Grebla Canal System in 1904, they renounced to the man-made wave transport that had intermittently been used during 1865-1905. Becoming useless in time, the dam was dismantled, and nothing reminds of it today, except for the nearby villa that bears its name.

Semenic Trout Farm. After another mile from Klaus Villa one arrives at Semenic Trout Farm, whose „ponds” are fed directly with the water of Barzava River. The Bârzava Trout Farm was founded in 1877, when it had 7 pools and a „hatchery”. For those who are not familiar with the „salmon culture,” some useful information is needed: „Trout is at the forefront of the fish species living in the Carpathian waters. Salmon culture deals with trout breeding for food consumption and waters restocking for sport fishing. The waters must have a constant flow and a temperature between 1 and 20 degrees Celsius and must permanently be oxygenated. „[Meila M., 2012].

When you arrive at Semenic Trout Farm, you should try to identify the trout species known as „indigenous”, „rainbow” and „fountain” in the concrete or earth basins called „ponds”. You will see some smaller basins called „pools” for the juvenile trout. In addition to pools, do not forget to ask the „hosts” about the hatchery incubators called „hatchers” and the bank hollows for shelter called „ovens”. Admire the small waterfalls built for oxygenating the water, spreading it in the shape of a rainbow. And catch the „moment” of trout feeding, which offers an unforgettable show when, after throwing the nutrient into the pools, the water comes to life, and the agitation of the fish makes it seem like it is boiling.

Do not leave without eating a grilled trout and buying at least several pieces to cook them as you please.

After 2 hours of hiking over the mountain, you reach the Comarnic cave, and to the east, if the new cable car is put into operation, you can climb Mount Semenic.

In the past, slightly above the valley of Văliug village, from the main road to Semenic a paved road could be seen that used to branch off,  descending along the Gozna creek, still shining its silver waters through the boulders and rocks, cascades and whirlpools; on this road one could reach after a mile of walking the Semenic climbing station of the first cableway to in Romania. The chairlift was put into operation in 1941 and climbed for 658 m, almost 3 km across the deep valleys, through the beech and spruce forests, at the edge of which rich raspberries were embraced by their scented ruby fruits. The road to the station below Piatra Goznei peak (1447 m) lasted almost 30 minutes, and 120 people were transported per hour. Each chair had two seats and was protected only with a small sheet of metal. The chairlift’s chairs did not have cabins; in winter, the passengers protected themselves with blankets, but the discomfort was compensated by the spectacle of nature dressed in a white cloak.

The chairlift was especially useful in winter, when the DJ 582 E access road from Prislop to Semenic was blocked due to the bad weather conditions of blizzard and black ice. The chairlift has no longer been working for nearly 25 years, since 1987.

The mountain lovers are still waiting for the day when the cable car starts functioning again.

Until then, during summer, from the Văliug crossing you can climb to Mount Semenic by car, motorcycle or bicycle using the DJ 582 road to Prislop (9 km). From Prislop you can climb to Semenic touristic resort or descend into the depression where the tourist village of Gărâna and the touristic resort of Trei Ape are situated.

In winter, tourists can ski on the new slope Baraj – Văliug House, inaugurated in 2011. The ski slope has a length of 800 m, with a height gap of 110 m, being provided with a chair lift, nocturnal lighting installation and snow cannon:

Moreover, the slopes of Semenic and Văliug were joined by the new Semenic–Văliug slope, having a length of 5800 m, for the tourists who want to descend from the Mount Semenic, from the area of the Mountain Friends Association down to the shore of Lake Văliug.

Until the installation of a cable transport system linking the two resorts, the managers of the slopes have introduced a bus line, where the access is only possible with the ski pass from the ski lift.

All along the slope, from an altitude of 1430 m (on departure from the Semenic) to 610 m (on arrival next to the Dam House), the white tourism lovers are rewarded with wonderful sceneries in which „the colour white reaches its superlative.” [Meilă M., 2012]:

Beside the winter sports and the accommodation / lunch services offered „downhill in Văliug”, certain initiatives should be taken related to the recreation opportunities in all seasons, such as the Bârzava Lakes Festival organized on the pontoon beach of the Dam House on the shores of Lake Gozna. Throughout the three days of the festival, during the day they organise contests of wet T-shirts, photographs, water-bikes, swimming, with numerous prizes, and in the evening we have shows, dancing and surprises.

Semenic Touristic Resort. Starting from Văliug to Semenic, after 2.5 km, you reach the first belvedere spot (bird’s eye view from the parking lot above Văliug), from where you can see the blue eye of Lake Gozna surrounded by beech forests. Here and there, the beech forests makes place to the clearings with meadows, and along the road there are blueberry bushes and clear springs with ice-cold water inviting you to rest  under the green cedar .

After 9 km, you can reach Prislop, where the „sons of the forest” invite you to the freshest berries. Only on Mount Semenic you can pick and eat the tastiest blueberries and blackberries. And raspberry has the flavour of a delicacy that lingers on your lips.

From Prislop (1000 m altitude) to the right, after 5 km you reach the „wind farm”, the entrance to Semenic Touristic resort, at an altitude of 1400 m.

It is the „gateway” to the Semenic Plateau, the most difficult in winter, when the blizzard throws snow on the road, forming snow-drift as big as houses.

The resort is located on the undulated plateau of the mountain on an area of 4,000 hectares, where you can find: the Gozna Hotel, the Dusan and Son Hotel, The Central Chalet, the Andra Chalet and the Birta Villas. If in the 1970s the resort could accommodate more than 750 visitors at the same time, today the number of places has been reduced to half. Because nowadays it is considered more modern and more efficient for the accommodation structures to be at the foot of the mountain and not at the top, some of the old buildings are left in the „blow of the wind and wild privatization„. When you look at them, you feel a sad nostalgia combined with a bit of hope that „the second that has just passed is already in the past, and the one that follows the present moment will be the first in the future. Since time is infinite in both directions, most of it is not accessible to our understanding. „[Meila M., 2012].

A future hope is the „Alpine Reşiţa” project, promoted by the Caraş-Severin County Council, through which, in the next years, the transport and accommodation connections between Văliug-Crivaia will be realised, Semenic and Trei Ape resorts and Resita being departure point to certain touristic adventures.

As any place „left behind” can have unseen „opportunities” for future revival, Mount Semenic is a „corner of heaven” for nature lovers as long as human intervention has left no trace, and there are still places of wild beauty.

The Semenic Plateau has the shape of a wave of earth surrounded by forests and crossed by an arched road that creates the sensation of flight toward the three famous peaks: Piatra Goznei (1447m), Semenic (1446m) and Piatra Nedeii (1437m). The peaks rise in the form of agglomerations of edgy gray rocks that emerge from the green carpet of the alpine herbs. From place to place, the meadow is sprinkled with clumps of beech and fir trees arranged in a geometry known only by the enigmatic nature. This is the „Fir Trees Cross” next to the Antenna, near Gozna peak. It is the ground „landmark” for the aviators during the flights over the Banat.

The cross „seen from the plane” is in a celestial harmony with the Orthodox Hermitage „Saint Elijah”, where you can see the most beautiful „iron” icon of St. Elijah the Prophet.

On the mountain three is also the weather station, monitoring the vagaries of the weather. So it has been noted that on average there are 150 days of rain per year on the Mount Semenic, especially in summer, in July and August. The drier months are September and October when there are the best hiking conditions.

On Mount Semenic snow lasts from the end of November till the beginning of April, allowing winter sports to be practiced for almost half a year.

The nickname of Mount Semenic is the „water castle” of the Mountainous Banat. Springs and crystalline water rivers start on all sides. Two streams spring even from the peak of the mountain, forming the Timiş River: the Grădişte brook and the Semenic brook. The two streams meet the Brebu brook in the Three Waters’ reservoir. Nera River springs between Piatra Nedeii and Gozna.

The Bârzava River flows to the west and Mehadica River to the southeast, leading a part of the Semenic waters to the Cerna River, and on the shortest way, to the Danube.

From the north, below Nemanu Mare, springs the Poganis River.

Between Piatra Goznei and Piatra Nedeii, under the Vultures Stone, 1.5 km away from Semenic Resort, there is a small lake formed in one of the depths formed by the snow of the past geological age; it is called the Vultures Bath, and its waters are thought to be healing.

The Vultures Bath mirrors the sky bringing us closer to it. For this closeness, people sought to thank the Good Lord by erecting a 19-meter high metal cross and a bell tower in 1935. The cryonival lake’s water has crystal clarity and, whether it is summer or winter, it has always the same temperature of 6⁰ C. The birds of the high sip strength from it, especially the vultures, from which the name is drawn. It is not known where this power comes from, from the heavens or the depths, but it has become a tradition to do a pilgrimage to Semenic every year on July 20^th, for a rest and a prayer at the Vultures Bath. Here, the first church of the Hermitage was built in 1935, a place of worship that burned to the ground. In order to keep the remembrance of the place alive, the believers built another church, which is the current „St. Elijah” Hermitage, right at the top of Mount Semenic.

The tourist who climbs the Semenic or Piatra Goznei Peaks has a magnificent view of the four cardinal points. From the Semenic Peak you can see the panorama of the Gărâna Tourist Village downhill to the northeast, the depression being bordered by the Three Waters storage lake to the east.

To the northwest we can see the valley between the blue shiny waters of two lakes, Gozna and Văliug, and at night, the lights of Resita can be seen on the horizon.

Towards the east, the horizon opens across the Timis Valley like in a parade from north-to-south: Muntele Mic Mountain, Mounts Ţarcu, Gugu and Godeanu.

From Piatra Goznei peak one can see the small mounts Doman and Valea Carasului to the west and from Piatra Nedeii peak one can see the Nera Valley, far away to Almaj, as well as the high peaks that descend to the Cerna Valley.

In summer, the plateau is covered with flower-rich meadows, such as the frail bellflower with bluish-violet petals and the bundle of white–pink coloured dwarf semenic flowers. On the thick and fresh grass you will see sheep herds climbing from the meadows to the mountain in spring, and in autumn climbing down from the mountain to the plain, in a century-old ritual. Only when a tourist approaches is the tranquillity disturbed by the shepherd dogs, true guards of the flocks, and hardened by the wilderness where they live.

For hiking enthusiasts Mount Semenic provides a very high number of touristic routes, either marked or not, on the slopes of the forested land or on the empty plateau, described with much passion by the locals. [Mihai G, 1990], [Negrea Şt., 2004], [Sencu V, 1976], [Terchilă M, 2009].

            In winter, the slopes of the mountain, which are not too steep, become ski slopes between the Gozna and Semenic peaks, their number increasing year by year, reaching to 6 tracks in 2011:

            Besides skiing, other winter sports may also be practiced: sleighing and snow bob. The latest fashionable sport is snowboarding, sliding on the snow with a board.

The Association „Friends of the Mountains”, founded in 1977 by a group of tourism lovers from Resita, organizes annually camps for children in order to shed light on the mysteries of skiing and of the beautiful „Snow Feasts”.

On Semenic, all mountain lovers are urged to admire and take photos of unforgettable views. In winter, in the clear days, the distant image of the Ţarcu Mountains is delightful. When the sprawling snow has a reflective icy sheen, the difficulties of transport are forgotten in front of the wonderful landscape. The fir trees covered by the snow surpass in beauty any winter tree adorned by the hand of man during the holidays.

As the wheel of seasons spin and changes, that is how the appearance of Mount Semenic’ forest changes too: „It’s beautiful in autumn when feeling the cold coming, it turns into warm colours. The yellowish or golden, brown or reddish foliage makes the forest appear like polished. Then the waters cool and the leaves fall and rains come and the winter cold spreads. After they have lost the ornament of leaves, the deserted trees contrast with their black and gray colour the white cloth of the snow cover. The mist of the clouds descends from the mountain, filling the valleys with their fluffy curtains. At midday, the wind starts blowing; the mist dissipates, leaving room to the clearness of the fresh mountain air. When, with the arrival of spring the snow melts, everything seems to be rustling in the woods. The new leaves appear shyly, later than in the forests from the hills. Refreshing itself, the forest covers itself with a raw green. The green of May. Nature is wearing new clothes. The weather is warming up in the approaching summer. The summer sun is spreading heat and light slipping through the trees. „[Meila M., 2012].

Then every part of the day is accompanied by another image of the mountain:

„The spectacle of nature begins at dawn, when it comes as justice done to the earth, and the mountain scenery reveals its pure beauty. Sometimes the morning in Semenic is shrouded in fog, but at noon the clearness of the air allows the eyes to gaze far away. Admired from the Mount Semenic at sunset, the sun seems to be sitting on the shoulders of the Anina Mountains. Sunset is taking place in a truly cosmic setting. The evening seems to just descend. „[Meila M., 2012].

„The inclusion of the mountain in the shadow of the dusk happens the other way around than usual. Twilight actually climbs the mountain; the valleys darken first, and the ridges remain the last lightened, as an extension quickly faded of the day. „[Meila M., 2012].

Certain „weather phenomena” are found only on Mount Semenic.

In summer, on Mount Semenic, the weather may change unexpectedly. Grey clouds gather lower and lower, and running on the sky flash lightning and shout with thunder. The forest becomes „a cathedral where the wind blows” [Barbu E., 1984]. The rain falls into the ground, swelling with water, and the air currents fill the „pitchers” of the springs. From their overflow the streams are drinking, and swelling the rivers in the valley. The phenomenon described is not at all rare, because Semenic has the reputation of being one of the rainiest regions in Romania.

Another impressive phenomenon is the „sea of clouds„, when the mountain remains in the clear above a white carpet of clouds and may be seen „from heaven.” The same day, while dark and muddy at the foot of the mountain, it may be serene and lighted by the sun on the high plateau on Gozna Peak. The blanket of clouds seen from above seems unreal, and the fascinated viewer lives for a while in a dream world. The „lucky” tourists who will live such a day will never forget it.

In the forests of Mount Semenic, „every tree has a name, and on every branch there is a singing bird” [Toma George Maiorescu, 1980]. That’s why, for hikers with good physical training, it is a delightful surprise to walk through the unspoiled beech forest, a European rarity, situated not far from the Nera’s spring. The „virgin” forest is included in the reservation called „Nera’s springs”, where hundreds year old trees are protected.

If you take the hike through the forests of Semenic in autumn, before frost, look for a beech tree mushroom picker. You will recognize him by the pole he wears on his shoulders, which ends in a metal blade that scraps the trees to uncover the delicious delicatessen. You will find that work not too easy, because the mushrooms often grow up high, just under the crown of the beech. From place to place, in leafless tree crowns, you will discover the places where the bird nests have been hidden.

            From the Mount Semenic, in sunny and serene days, the tourists can see the „green-yellowish” and winding ribbon of the Danube, bordering the south-western part of Banat.

The touristic village of Gărâna. From Reşiţa, through Văliug and till Prislop, you cover 33 km, and then you can go down into the Wolf’s Valley. After 5 km you reach Garana, then Brebu Nou, passing through the touristic resort of Three Waters.

Garana is today a well-known touristic village in the Mountainous Banat “well known” to jazz, folk and rock lovers. It has become known especially through the International Jazz Festival, which has been organised every summer in July since 1997. Through this cultural event, Garana turned from an abandoned traditional village into a picturesque mountain resort.

Garana is a „hearth of history, an oasis of health and recreation” [Fabian F.V., 2002].

The touristic village of Gărâna is situated on the slope next to Wolf’s Valley, the houses being strung together at an altitude of 800 m at the entrance, 1000 m in front of the Roman Catholic Church „St. Theresa de Avilla „(1971) and 1100 m at the top end of the community.

Garana, located northeast of Mount Semenic, is connected with Brebu Nou located on the Brebu Hill, near Three Waters Lake.

The villages of Brebu Nou and Garana were founded almost in the same time, in 1827 and respectively in 1828, by settling the first German colonists in these places (67 families in Garana and 72 families in Brebu Nou). The names of Germans „Pems” come from Bohemia, region situated in the north-west of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Some of them came from the hilly and mountainous parts of Tyrol or the German Alps.

The name of the village of Garana has the meaning of „laceration in the woods” and in German it is called Wolfsberg. For the tourists who have not been in the area, the commune to which Garana belongs bears the name of the other village, its „twin brother”, Brebu Nou. This village is called Weidenthal in German.

The two villages are considered „twins” because they have a common history regarding the life of the inhabitants. 185 years have passed since the German Pems were „settled” here by the Habsburg administration of the time. But only five years after their arrival, on September 14^th 1833, due to the very difficult living and working conditions, they were approved to „spread through the country”: „As a result, 268 families, counting also those from Lindenfeld and Sadova, dispersed in the western Banat’ villages, most of them settling in Maureni, their villages remaining desolate, and no smoke ever came out from the chimneys of those deserted houses.” [Fabian F.V, 2002].

After only two years of „wandering through the Banat’ plain,” where life was not a bit easier, a part of the Pems, who had left earlier, returned to the abandoned houses at the foot of Semenic to continue their lives here. „There were 53 families in Garana, and in Brebu Nou another 46 families who resumed their living and their habits, beginning to reanimate the place and its surroundings.” [Fabian F.V, 2002].

In the period that followed, that of the St.E.G, the work of the German Pems in the forest was not at all easy for providing the necessary wood for the production of charcoal. During the week they worked on woodcutting and rafting, and on Saturday they came back home and worked in their own gardens. Proving to be good-natured farmers as well, the German Pems applied the „crop rotation” long before it became a fashion, in order to get the best harvest of potatoes and turnips in their gardens, and in field, oats and rye. The Pem women were very hard-working, and while the men were in the woods, they were performing the hard work in the field, digging and mowing the grass. They were the ones who prepared the flax, separated the cream, prepared the sweet cow cheese, and beat the butter, and then they were travelling dozens of kilometres on foot, with their „load on the back” to Resita, to sell their products and gather additional money, necessary for their living and their household.

Keeping their households in a state of enviable order and cleanliness, the hikers sought accommodation in the Pem owners’ homes. The starting was made by a local old man in 1900, who, as a man with high initiatives, made available his home for the occasional visitors who were coming to Garana to visit the beautiful mountain village.

At “Jacob Bacsi’s” even the leaders of UDR used to spend their holidays (Auschnit and Pop) and, like other tourists, they used to take long rides on horse-drawn sledge or go skiing. In this place the specialities of the place were served, satisfying even the most refined preferences.

World War II led to a regression of the population, many men fell on the front. The second ordeal was the deportation of the Germans in the USSR for the so-called „reconstruction work”, which was actually an extermination labour.

Out of the 250 Pems (118 males and 132 females), only 228 returned home after 2-6 years. Since 1975, more and more went to Germany, culminating with the departure of 1448 persons between 1989 and 1991.

Now, grace to the efforts of the German Democratic Front, the old traditions are revived, including that of the October Kirchweih, an ancient religious and cultural celebration that annually gathers the ex-sons of the village from other countries, but also many Romanians. They return home whenever they have the opportunity; those who did not sell their house set up their households and organise balls and feasts, feeling further at home on this land that attracts them as a magnet.

To reach Garana, the main access road is the Reşiţa – Văliug – Gărâna route, with a length of 38 km. From the Prislop-Three Ape main road the communal road starts, crossing the settlement, climbing the hillside, but as it climbs to the centre of the village of Garana, the slope becomes gentler. Going through the village, you can see the simple old, but very neat houses with the front on the street, clean and whitewashed in the two white and green colours that always gave them a pleasant and uniform look. Among them are the renovated or newly built houses. Here, like in Brebu Nou, the houses have changed their owners and inhabitants from Timisoara and Resita live in them, instead of the emigrants; especially seasonal tourists in love with these mountain places.

While walking through the village, look for the houses that have glazed geraniums in the window in summer, and cucumber jars left in the sun in autumn. Here you will taste fresh traditional products. And at the at the Wheel Mill House (1832) you will find cream, sweet cheese and butter like in the good old days or „like your mothers.”

The area impresses from the very first moments. If a sunrise is caught on the road from Prislop to Three Waters, one shall remark that the air above the valley of the Gradiste stream flowing to the right of the road has a bluish shade and a special fragrance given by the buds and the resin of the fir trees along the slope descending from the peak of Semenic. This air is actually the ozone released by the oxygen in the atmosphere. It is known that the oxygen obtained under certain conditions of temperature and atmospheric pressure, under the influence of ultraviolet rays, can form molecules composed of three oxygen atoms, i.e. ozone. This ozone is a powerful oxidant of the blood, hence its miraculous therapeutic qualities.

Although Garana is situated in a full mountain area at 900 m altitude of 900 m, the touristic village is protected by the surrounding heights, so the summers are pleasant, cool and humid, the temperature situating between 180C and 250C, a quite comfortable one for tourists.

The winters are cold and even frosty, and heating is needed in the houses made of dried beech wood or acacia, crackling at the fireside.

There are 10 boarding houses, one more interesting than the other, with well-chosen and suggestive names for visitors: La Răscruce / At Crossroads, Briza Muntelui / Mountain Breeze , Gotschna, Wolfsberg, Sus în Sat / In the Upper Village, La Scena / At the Stage, etc. The stage of the great festivals is situated in the Wolf Valley and creates an image in which the rustic and the modern take shapes that converge and get integrated in the landscape in a marvellous way.

Near Garana, you can bath in the Grădişte stream or you can find camping sites along the creek. From Garana there are many possibilities for hiking to the three peaks of the Mount Semenic, to the Vultures Bath Lake or to the „St. Elijah” Hermitage.

If Garana is the fertile place of arts meeting, from jazz, folk and rock music to sculpture and painting, Brebu Nou is the starting point for motorcycle enthusiasts participating in the rugged terrain competition Enduromania.

Long walks (5 km) can be made daily between Gărâna and Three Waters.

The touristic resort Three Waters. Only 3 km away from Garana the tourists can find the touristic resort “Three Waters”, situated on the shore of the lake with the same name. Three Water reservoir Lake, whose construction was completed in 1971, is named so because it gathers the waters of three streams: Grădişte, Semenic and Brebu. The Grădişte brook (reinforced settlement!) springs from the northern side of the Semenic Peak and flows through the Garana depression on a distance of 10.5 km to the lake. The second stream, Semenic, springs from the south-east of Semenic Peak, from the place called „At the Fountain”, descends along the „Semenic Backside” and flows into the lake through the bay on the right side of the dam. The third water is the Brebu brook (5.7 km), which passes next to the village of Brebu Nou and flows into the lake forming an empty passage to the left of the dam, besides the road leading to Slatina Timiş.

Three Waters Lake has a depth of 30 m at the dam and stretches 3 km on Gradistea water, 4 km on the Semenic brook and 2 km on the Brebu creek, with an area of 53 hectars. It is the dam from Mount Semenic built at the highest altitude, 850 m.

From the water of the lake, over the dam, the river Timis can be seen. Prior to the construction of the dam, the Grădişte brook was considered to be Timiş, and the streams of Semenic and Brebu were tributaries.

Among the Banat rivers, the largest one is Timis. Its length from the spring to the confluence is 339 km, out of which 241 km are on Romanian territory.

 It has the privilege of being the first river to be found on the Romanian territory which flows directly into the Danube River at the confluence from Serbia. Before Timis, the waters of the other rivers reach the Danube through Tisa.

             The name of the river is used to „baptise” the plains and the Banat County.

From Three Waters to Teregova, the river Timiş is a sumptuous mountain water which, as it descends, tends to gradually melt away „reminding of the turmoil of the Banat’s anticommunist partisans who, after 1946, fought and resisted in the surroundings of the villages of Teregova, Domaşnea and Cornereva and the slopes of Semenic. [Meila M., 2009].

Vacations and excursions to the Three Waters Resort are particularly enjoyable both due to the charm of nature and the pontoon arrangements for your favourite water sports. Nothing is more soothing than a boat trip through the three bays created at the confluence with the three waters in the lake.

            More adrenaline, however, can be brought about by a water bike ride, swimming and water skiing.

It is a favourite place for relaxation, with plenty of fresh air, sun and shade. The young girls can sit by the beach on the pontoon and amateur fishermen cannot miss a fishing trip in the lake’s waters. Hikers can go up Mount Semenic, to the touristic villages of Gărâna and Brebu Nou or to the Timiş Gorges and Waterfalls.

If you do not like accommodation at the „Trei Ape” Hostel with 45 accommodation places, the restaurant and the terrace or the 16 cottages (37 places) of the „Trei Ape / Three Waters” 1 and 2 bungalows, then you can choose to camp in tents in the meadows stretching along the road  from Garana to Brebu Nou.

Semenic with its resorts: Văliug-Crivaia, Garana-Brebu Nou and Three Waters are important touristic areas of Mountainous Banat. With the acquisition of the four lakes – Secu, Breazova-Văliug, Gozna-Crivaia and Three Waters – by the Czech CEZ group, new opportunities for recreational development are opened in the mountain resorts, and tourists will take more and more advantage of the beauty of the area.

After the completion of the asphalting works on the entire county road DJ 582 Reşiţa – Prislop – Slatina Timiş, the trip can continue on the route Three Waters – Slatina Timiş (18 km), then on the European road E70 (DN 6) between Slatina Timiş-Caransebeş  and finally on the county road DN 58 from Caransebes to Resita (42 km).

Until then, from Resita, tourists can take the route through Bocsa to the lakes of Dognecea (24 km).

Theme Park nr. 1. NATURE’ SPECTACLE:

The Dognecea Water Lilies Lake – A CORNER OF PARADISE

The man of the 21st century is increasingly subjected to psychic pressure, living more in the world of technology, with a coffee in his hand, a phone to his ear, and his eyes focused on a computer monitor or a tablet. This is why the following question arises:

            How long will he endure all kinds of hardships that grind his daily life?

… the answer can also be given by another question:

            Is there time to recreate our soul and mind in the so distinctive and appealing fragrance of nature?

 It is necessary that at least for a day per week to escape from our daily routine and return to nature, without telephone, without television set or without computer, to heal our soul and cure our body and then fortified, to be able to go on.

In the Mountainous Banat „Nature has dosed everything with great care.” [Birou V., 1982]. What describes best the landscape from Caras is the word „therapy”. The Dognecea Water Lily Lake offers the opportunity to relax in the middle of nature in a place that resembles to a „corner of heaven”. Here, watching The Spectacle of Nature, as a tourist you will never feel like leaving. You will feel continuously that everything is free, given by nature. Clean air, quiet, coolness, relaxation, beauty and charm, everything in a perfect harmony to help you relax and forget for at least one day our agitated thoughts.

Touristic therapies begin with breathing pure air, strongly ionized with negative ions, similar to that in a spa resort. Then you can bathe in clear water, sit in the sun and, most of all, enjoy peace. A half-hour walk can be taken along the lake shore; on the surface of the lake white lilies are sparkling with their big white flowers opened in the middle of the green leaves. You will have the image of wild beauty of nature, unaltered by the hand of man. If you are not a fishing fan, look for the mother of pearl shells that you can pick in this lily paradise.

To quench your thirst, you can take a hike to the water spring of Calina, where the Viennese Empresses loved to drink the second best still mineral water after Evian. Also at Calina, you should enter for a prayer in the first wooden church built in Banat. Finally, enjoy your favourite food at the guesthouse „Corner of Paradise”.