The Stonehenge of Romania: Sarmizegetusa Regia, a two millenniums old capital
View of the big circular temple and the Andesite Sun
A late Iron Age development
Tucked in the beautiful forests of the Carpathians mountains, this legendary capital of the Dacians', an UNESCO world heritage, is a must-see for all of those who travel to Romania. This visit will surely give you a better understanding of the Romanians' origin.
Located in Sureanu Mountains, in Gradistea Muncelului-Cioclovina Nature Park, Sarmizegetusa Regia is an impressive site, totally worth being visited.
This amazing site built at 1200 m altitude, has over 30.000 square meter surface. It was not only the Dacian capital for more than 150 years, but also the most important military, spiritual and political centre of the Dacians' prior to the wars with the Roman Empire. These ruins belonged to a fortress that consisted of six citadels which were the back bone of defensive system in the Orăştie Mountains. The archeological studies revealed that the capital was founded in the 2nd half of the 1st century BC. It was designed as an urban space with residential areas, dwellings, workshops as well as a sacred zone, all fortified by massive stone blocks. The artifacts found in these three distinct structures showed that they had water supply systems (they used ceramic pipes), a sundial and thousand of iron objects. Also there is a stretch of 200 meters segment of paved road, 4 m in width, bordered with limestone blocks. All of these are the indicators of a flourishing society with a high standard of living. The sacred zone has seven temples: two circular and five rectangular. The large circular sanctuary resembles to England's Stonehenge. It is famous for its rich healing energies and a place of pilgrimage for those who believe in paranormal and the ancient history buffs. Rumours say that Sarmizegetusa is more than meet the eye as it sits on top of a much bigger buried complex city. The site is merely the tip of the iceberg! This pre-Roman architectural site is an unique place. You should definitely add it to your bucket list! The ancient positive energies felt in this mystic place are beyond words! The Andesite Sun which served as a sundial showed the Hellenistic Greek influence in the Dacian culture. It is believed that they were not strangers to geometry and astronomy. Based on the mysterious form of settlements researchers believe that these were astronomical observation shrines. Although the ruins of these temples have been preserved, there is no clue about the Deities to whom they were dedicated. This druid-like temple of wood and stones is a reminder of the relations between the Dacians and the Celts. The closest bigger cities are Hunedoara and Orastie. If you drive, you can take the road to Costesti and pass by the Blidaru/ Costesti Fortress. From Costesti village, head towards Gradistea de Munte and take a right turn on the bridge next to the church. Keep on going straight and after seeing a power plant, you will need to turn left. Continue on this road for a few more kilometres and you will reach the parking lot of the site. Once you parked your car, get ready for a 2 kilometres hike uphill. You can also hop on a bus from Orastie to Costesti, a village which is only 20 km away from the site. From this point you may either walk or hitch a ride because there is no public transportation connecting the village to the site. The entrance fee for the Sarmizegetusa Regia is 1 euro for children and 2 euros for adults. Here are other travel related posts: ECUADOR SERIES - DUE DILIGENCE TRIP LAURENTIANS MOUNTAINS: COTTAGE TRIP AT LAKE CACHÉE OTTAWA LIGHTS SHOW ON PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS HIKING AT DANUBE’S GORGES, ORSOVA, ROMANIA DECEBALUS CARVED STATUE, ROMANIA PIRATES TREASURE PLAYGROUND, CONSTANTA, ROMANIA DOLPHINARIUM 2, CONSTANTA, ROMANIA DOLPHINARIUM 1, CONSTANTA, ROMANIA GONDOLA RIDE IN MAMAIA RESORT, ROMANIA BEACH DAY IN CONSTANTA, ROMANIA BUBBLES - INDOOR PLAYGROUND IN CONSTANTA, ROMANIA VISITING DAMARLI ESTATE IN BOQUETE, PANAMA BAHIA DE PAQUERA, NICOYA GULF, COSTA RICA EXPLORING AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS MACKINAC BRIDGE, MICHIGAN, USA CHASED BY TORNADOS IN MINNESOTA MINNEHAHA FALLS REGIONAL PARK, A GEM IN BETWEEN THE TWIN CITIES BANFF, A RESORT TOWN INSIDE THE BANFF NATIONAL PARK, ALBERTA, CANADA OLD PORT OF CONSTANTA, ROMANIA TEN FACTS OR MORE ABOUT BOQUETE, PANAMA MORAINE LAKE, A SURREAL BEAUTY IN ALEBERTA, CANADA TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE A LIVING WHILE TRAVELLING THE WORLD FEELING UNINSPIRED? VISIT A WELSH RETREAT: GLADSTONE’S RESIDENTIAL LIBRARY TURDA’S 400 FEET UNDERGROUND AMUSEMENT PARK, A HIDDEN GEM OF TRANSYLVANIA, ROMANIA CARIBBEAN PARADISE: BOCAS DEL TORO BOQUETE’S FLOWERS AND COFFEE FESTIVAL, PANAMA VISIT TO SAINT-JOSEPH’S ORATORY IN MONTREAL, CANADA Unless stated otherwise, all photos used in this posts are taken and owned by myself. If you wish to use any of my images, please contact me! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it! Please leave your feedback in the comments, I would love to hear your thoughts!
The lime stone temple
View over the terraces
View over the sacred area
The paved road
Site opening hours:
Entrance fee
For extra 8 euros you can request an audio-guide at the entrance of the site.
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Thank you!
I had never heardof this site so thank you for sharing with us, such an interesting place
It's one of the hidden gems of Romania!
I can see why what an amazing place
It’s beautiful out there! I wish that one day I could visit some historical places that I only see in books and over the internet!
I hope you will! It's definitely worth your time!
With the kids? it will be hard! Hahaha maybe in 10 yrs 🤣
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Absolutely stunning!
Are you from Romania @lymepoet?
:)
Glad to see you enjoyed this post! Born and raised there. ;-)
These ancient sites tell us so much, and yet so little! We really have to use our imaginations. But just the fact that there was communication with the Celts is interesting, and indicates that there may well have been a Stonhenge-like structure there.
Usually I am not too kin on visiting ruins, but these ones were special.
I enjoyed reading this post, beautiful sites full of history 😊
Thank you for the read!
This is so beautiful. I really wish I could visit. Historical sites are always the most amazing places to visit. As one learns so much. There is always so much history behind each rock, each brick. I enjoyed reading it. Thank you for sharing :)
You're welcome! It was a place filled with history and energy!
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!STOP!I absolutely love your travel posts! I can almost imagine sitting in the circle and feeling the healing energy surrounding me! Fantastic pictures and write up, thank you for sharing! x
Thank you! This place had an amazing vibe!