Cristian Lascu
GGhhiidduull PPee¿¿tteerriilloorrddiinn RRoommâânniiaaROMANIAN CAVES GUIDE
Ghid realizat cu sprijinul Federa¡ei Române de Speologie
This touristic guide has been edited with the assistance of the Romanian
Spelaeologic Federation
Traducere
în limba englezå: Pia-Maria Luttman
Redactor carte: Mådålin Foc¿a
Corector: Daniel Voicea
Art director: Daniela Nae
Tehnoredactor: Bogdan Coscaru
Credit foto: Cristian Lascu
Foto coperta I – Pe¿tera Polovragi
Front cover photo – Polovragi Cave
Editurå specializatå în ghiduri tematice ¿i autoeducative,
într-o ¡inutå graficå deosebitå.Toate titlurile beneficiazå
de consiliere de specialitate.
Colec¡ii reprezentative: Ghidul României, Familia,
Gastronomica, Starea de bine, Casa ¿i grådina, Interven¡ii.
© 2008 House of Guides
Tel: (0040)21-317 91 31, Fax: 224 31 86
E-mail: [email protected]
www.houseofguides.ro
© Toate drepturile apar¡in în exclusivitate Editurii House of Guides.
Este interziså reproducerea integralå sau par¡ialå a lucrårii sub orice formå,
fårå permisiunea scriså a Editurii House of Guides.
© All rights reserved. Copyright by House of Guides. This book may not be
reproduced in whole or in part without written permission of House of Guides.
Descrierea CIP a Bibliotecii Na¡ionale a României
LASCU, CRISTIAN
Ghidul pe¿terilor din România
Bucure¿ti: House of Guides, 2008
Edi¡ia a II-a
ISBN 978-606-513-048-7
3
Modul de folosire a ghidului/How to use the guide . . . . . . . . . . 5
Introducere/Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pe¿teri turistice în Mun¡ii Apuseni/
Touristic Caves in Apuseni Mountains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Harta/Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
Unitå¡i de cazare/Accomodations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
Pe¿teri turistice în Banat ¿i Oltenia/
Touristic Caves in Banat and Oltenia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Harta/Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
Unitå¡i de cazare/Accomodations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Pe¿teri turistice în Carpa¡ii Orientali ¿i Dobrogea/
Touristic Caves in the Eastern Carpathians and Dobrudja . . . . 79
Harta/Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
Unitå¡i de cazare/Accomodations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
Rezerva¡ii speologice/Spelaeologic Reservations . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Sfaturi practice pentru vizitatorii pe¿terilor/
Practical Advice for Cave Visitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Adrese utile/Useful addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
Lista pe¿terilor protejate/Protected caves in Romania . . . 128
Cuprins/Summary
4
MODUL DE FOLOSIRE A GHIDULUI
HOW TO USE THE GUIDE
SHORTCUTS
Hotel
Hostel
Villa
Motel
Guest House
Chalet
Bungalow
Restaurant
Summer Restaurant
Pizzeria
Brasserie
Bistro
Pub
Bar
Bar
Night Club
Club
Casino
Cabaret
Disco
Coffee Bar
Sweet-Shop
Wine Cellar
Wellness center
Commune
Town
City
ABREVIERI
Hotel
Hostel
Vilå
Motel
Pensiune
Cabanå
Bungalow
Restaurant
Teraså sezonierå
Pizzerie
Braserie
Bistro
Pub
Bar
Bar de zi
Bar de noapte
Club
Casino
Cabaret
Discotecå
Cafenea
Cofetårie
Cramå
Centru wellness
Comunå
Ora¿
Municipiu
H
Hs
V
M
P
C
Bw
R
T
Pz
Bs
B
Pb
Bar
BZ
BN
CL
Cs
Cb
D
Cf
Co
Cr
SPA
com.
or.
mun.
Abrevieri de unitå¡i în sec¡iunea Hoteluri/Units abbreviations
in Hotels section
Cabanå/Chalet C
Hotel/Hotel H
Motel/Motel M
Pensiune/Board and lodging P
Vilå/Villa V
Hostel/ Hostel Hs
5
Legenda hår¡ilor/Map symbols
1 – Tip unitate / Accomodation type
2 – Nume unitate / Accomodation name
3 – Clådire monument istoric / Historical building
4 – Clasifica¡ie / Classification
5 – Dotåri / Facilities
H – Palace �� **** (+R, T, BZ, BN, D)
Str. Octavian Goga 4; � 0244-31 20 51
www.palacero.com
1 2 3 4 5
România, ¡ara pe¿terilor
¿i a speologiei
Din crestele cele mai înalte ale Fågå-
ra¿ului ¿i pânå la malul Mårii Negre,
pe¿terile stau ascunse, tåcute ¿i mira-
culoase, adåugând peisajului nostru o
componentå verticalå secretå. Cadas-
trul completat anual de Institutul de
Speologie Emil Racovi¡å consemneazå
mii de numere de înregistrare, tot atâ-
tea cavitå¡i mai mari sau mai mici, une-
le abia depå¿ind 5 m lungime, altele, de
zeci de kilometri. Dar aceste cifre, de¿i
impunåtoare, nu spun nimic în compa-
ra¡ie cu ce ne spun pe¿terile însele.
Cåci ele alcåtuiesc o adevåratå geogra-
fie subpåmânteanå complexå ¿i origina-
lå: canioane, såli uria¿e, labirinturi com-
plicate, lacuri ¿i râuri subterane, grådini
de stalagmite ¿i cristale.
Pe¿terile noastre au fost înså ¿i arhi-
ve care au påstrat vestigiile preistoriei
¿i istoriei. Såpând în sedimentul lor,
cercetåtorii pot citi ca într-o carte, filå cu
filå, evolu¡ia climei, a faunei, a civiliza¡i-
ilor care s-au perindat pe la noi.
Romania, the country of
caves and spelaeology
From the highest peaks of the
Fågåra¿ Mountains to the Black Sea
shores, caves lie hidden, silent and fa-
bulous, adding a secret vertical compo-
nent to the Romanian landscape. The
yearly reviewed survey produced by the
Emil Racovi¡å Spelaeology Institute re-
cords several thousand caves and
holes large or small, some of them
hardly longer than 5 m, other ones
dozens of kilometers long. But the fi-
gures, although quite impressing, are
insignificant when compared to the sto-
ries told by the very caves. Because, in
fact, they make up a parallel under-
ground geography, complex and uncom-
mon: canyons, huge rooms, entangled
mazes, underground lakes and rivers,
gradens of stalagmites and crystals.
Our caves also acted as relic preser-
vers, from prehistoric and historic times.
Digging in such sediments, scientists
can read the tale of the climate, of the
evolution of animal life.
6
Introducere
Introduction
Cristale de pe¿terå/Cave crystals
Aparent sterile din pricina beznei ¿i a
frigului, pe¿terile adåpostesc, în reali-
tate, comunitå¡i uneori destul de bogate
de vie¡uitoare. ªi pot fi întâlni¡i nu nu-
mai vampirii cei cumsecade, liliecii, ci
foarte mul¡i dintre reprezentan¡ii zoolo-
giei nevertebratelor. Fiin¡e oarbe, depig-
mentate, tråind ritmuri biologice dictate
de alte legi decât cele de la lumina
soarelui. Primul savant din lume care a
intuit importan¡a studiului acestor ade-
vårate fosile vii a fost Emil Racovi¡å,
care a pus bazele unei noi discipline
¿tiin¡ifice, biospeologia, ¿i a fondat la
Cluj, în 1920, primul institut din lume
dedicat exclusiv cercetårii pe¿terilor.
Urma¿ii lui Racovi¡å au purtat mai de-
parte fåclia cunoa¿terii prin bezna sub-
teranelor. Numårul pe¿terilor a crescut
spectaculos: 980 erau în 1967, 10.000
în 1990, peste 12.500 în prezent.
În ultimii ani, pe¿terile au devenit ¿i
un bun ambasador al României. Faima
unor descoperiri ¿tiin¡ifice, cum ar fi
cele din Pe¿tera Movile, Piatra Altarului,
Pe¿tera cu Oase au fost larg mediati-
zate în presa interna¡ionalå ¿i au
devenit subiectul unor documentare
difuzate pe National Geographic, Disco-
very Channel, ZDF, BBC.
Seemingly barren because of dark-
ness and cold, the caves actually har-
bour sometimes quite big communities
of living creatures. Among them there
are not only the nice vampires – the
bats, but also very many members of the
invertebrate family; blind, discoloured,
they live following biological cycles im-
posed by other laws than those reigning
in the sunlight. Emil Racovi¡å was the
first scientist in the world who was
aware of the importance of investigating
these living relics, and he set the foun-
dation of a new science branch, the
biospeleology; in 1920, in Cluj, he esta-
blished the first world institute dedica-
ted to the investigation of caves.
The disciples of Racovi¡å carried fur-
ther on the flame of knowledge through
the underground darkness. The number
of recorded caves has grown impres-
sively: in 1967 their number had rea-
ched 980, then 10,000 in 1990, and
more than 12,500 nowadays.
In the more recent years, our caves
have become a good ambassador for
Romania. The reputation of certain sci-
entific discoveries, such as the ones
made in Pe¿tera Movile, Piatra Altarului,
or Pe¿tera cu Oase enjoyed extensive
Pe¿tera Limanu/Limanu Cave
Farmecul adâncurilor
Peisajul subpåmântean poate pårea
unora ostil ¿i monoton. Ni¿te stânci
acolo, argilå ro¿ie, frig, umezealå, bez-
nå. Dar privind cu aten¡ie, într-o luminå
potrivitå, peisajul subteran î¿i dezvåluie
atrac¡iile.
Ce putem admira, a¿adar, într-o pe¿-
terå?
Existå în primul rînd o arhitecturå
specificå spa¡iului subteran. Straturile
orizontale sau oblice ¿i fracturile verti-
cale despicå roca dupå direc¡ii precise.
Apele modeleazå apoi golul carstic
urmårind planul trasat de structura geo-
logicå ini¡ialå. Dacå straturile de calcar
sunt orizontale, vom avea bol¡i de tem-
ple egiptene, grinzi masive, tavane pla-
te. Asemenea construc¡ii se pot vedea
la pe¿tera Limanu de lângå Mangalia
sau în pe¿tera Huda lui Paparå de pe
Valea Arie¿ului, în Mun¡ii Apuseni.
Dacå straturile de rocå sunt oblice,
tavanul va avea forma acoperi¿ului
¡uguiat al unei case de mo¡i. Diedrul
bol¡ii preia bine greutatea tonelor de
rocå de deasupra, iar galeria rezistå
sute de mii de ani. Pe¿tera Ialomi¡ei, la
Sala Ur¿ilor, sau marele portal al Cetå-
¡ilor Ponorului sunt exemple elocvente
în acest sens.
Când apa ¿i timpul î¿i unesc for¡ele,
bol¡ile pot evolua spre forma maturå, în
worldwide media coverage and have
made up topics of documentaries
broadcast on TV by channels such as
National Geographic, Discovery Chan-
nel, ZDF or BBC.
The spell of the deep
Some people may fiind the under-
ground view hostile and tedious: some
rocks, red clay, cold, dampness, deep
darkness. But, at a closer look, this
underground scenery reveals its attrac-
tive features.
Well, what can we behold in a cave?
First of all, an architecture typical for
this subterranean space. The horizontal
or slanted strata and the vertical cracks
split the rock along precise lines. Then,
water comes to mould the karstic hol-
low, following the outlines sketched by
the original geological structure. When
the limestone strata are horizontal, we
will see vaults as in Egyptian temples,
bulky beams, flat ceilings. Such con-
structions can be seen in the cave
Limanu near Mangalia or in the cave
Huda lui Paparå on the Arie¿ River
Valley in the Apuseni Mountains.
When the strata run along slanted
lines, the cave ceiling will take the
shape of a tapering roof of a typical
house from the Apuseni Mountains. The
dihedron of the vault sup-
ports easily the towering
weight of the many tons of
rock from above, and the
gallery will keep on exist-
ing for hundreds of thou-
sands of years. The cave
Pe¿tera Ialomi¡ei, Sala Ur-
¿ilor (Room of Bears), or
the huge portal of Cetå¡ile
Ponorului are graphic exam-
ples in this respect.
When water and time
join forces, the vaults can
evolve in mature forms, as
archs or a domes. They
are the most majestic and
lasting and also the most
elegant solutions. From its
very entrance, the cave
Pe¿tera Meziad receives
us with its portal that
seems to have been plot-
ted by an arhitect. The en-
trance to the cave Pe¿tera
Zgurå¿ti or the Sala Bise-
rica (Church Room) in the
Scåri¿oara cave are equal-
ly impressive.
8
Introducere
Introduction
Pe¿tera Meziad/Meziad Cave