Welcome to Abrud in County Alba,
part of the Transilvania region of Romania! Discover historic Alba Iulia and
surrounding villages, see things to do and understand the rich Transilvania
culture unfolding in historic county Alba. Rest Romania will help
you find the perfect hotel or B&B in our section on Abrud lodging, B&B
(bed and breakfast), or great activities further out in County Alba.
Check
out your transportation options in Abrud in County Alba, part of
the region of Transilvania in Romania. Find your accommodation options in
either Abrud or Alba Iulia, with fun things to do from eoc-tourism, to
nearby hiking and even skiing.
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Abrud is a town in western County Alba in the Transilvania
Region. It's a sleepy little town, with the houses huddled
along the roads which wend along the small river valleys of the
Cerniţa and Abrud rivers, about 70km into
the Apuşeni mountains from Alba Iulia.
The surrounding area, featuring the villages around Bucium Meadows
and it's spectacular display of daffodils each spring, is a beautiful
landscape of villages, farms, and stunning mountain views.
With a population in 2006 of just under 6,000, Abrud is a small
regional centre serving the few dozen villages surrounding it,
complete with quite a few churches and services.
Gold in Them Thar' Hills!
The region around Abrud was mined for gold as far back as 200BC
during the Dacian period and the gold mines were a prime reason the
Romans moved in to
Dacia Superior
as they named their province.
The Romans removed a surprisingly large amount of gold from the
region during their few hundred years of influence in the area, enough
to supposedly pave a road from Romania to Rome.
The despot Ceausescu rather savagely exploited the region for
it's riches, effectively levelling the Cetate plateau with open-pit
mining operations.
Alot of the activity in Abrud is through traffic and services
for the gold mining operations, and Abrud's prominence is due to
swell slightly as the old houses of Roşia Montană
are dismantled and moved to make way for yet more effective mining
of the region.
In addition to some great hiking and climbing opportunities
(including some great rock formations), the Abrud and Roşia Montană
area offers a touch of Dacian and Roman history from the mining
activities, so don't miss the mining museum and more (see our
Activities section below)
If you have some information for us about Abrud
or County Alba, please
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Land of Daffodils
The truly spectacular Spring
flush of daffodils, native to the region and completely
charming
The town of Abrud is the gateway to the
Roşia Montană and Bucium Meadows
districts of the Apuşeni and Abrud Mountains
region
Old Abrud Town
Some great old baroque period architecture can be found amongst the
older homes in Abrud and in Roşia Montană (if
it's still there when you read this).
Many of the Abrud houses use old stones taken from Roman ruins, not
particularly unique, but interesting enough. The main central
square, Heroes' Square (Piaţa Eroilor), has all
the main services from banking to transportation. Maxitaxis and
busses leave from the Abrud bus station for Câmpeni,
Roşia Montană and Bucium, check locally for times and fares
(quite cheap, more info below).
Trails North and East
Take the 7 km trail (marked by ) leading up the
mountain from Abrud to the gold mining region at Roşia
Montană for some fresh views on the region.
Another
trail leads to the west for about 90 minutes from
Roşia Montană to the meadows at Bucium
(Bucium Poieni), where a
red line trail leads to the Detunatele, two old trachyte plugs
or blasts (columns of rock) towering above the landscape (see
Maps and about the
blasts below).
A conglomeration of several small villages, the Bucium Meadows area
has several drawcards, the most striking being the twin towers of the
Detunatele, two rather striking basalt towers,
remnants of old volcanic vents.
Each Detunata (roughly, a "blast") is named, one being called Bare
Blast and the other Spiky Blast, referring the lack of and the abundance
of spruce fir trees respectively, with Bare Blast just under and Spiky just over 1200
metres tall.
The tall rock formations are surprisingly
uniform, giving the effect of the long pipes of an old pipe organ, in
some spots.
Just a kilometre apart, ranging between the two peaks makes for a
marvellous morning or afternoon, with great views of the surrounding
area in between. Certainly worth taking the camera for views
across to Chook Peak (Gaină mountain), Black
Peak (Negrileasa), Big Mountains (Muntele Mare), and Vulcan.
Take a lunch with you to marvel at their grandeur!
Where you have mountains and trails, you
have the opportunity to enjoy some of nature's wonders, and around
Abrud, that means habitat for the
mountain wildcat,
the Carpathin lynx, as well as the
Carpathian Bear
and more!
In the deep forests around Abrud and Bucium,
you can harvest black currents, strawberries, bilberries, huckleberries,
blueberries, and blackberries -- a delicious summer pasttime!
Roşia
Montană
If you're not on a trail to get to this mining centre, a taxi
from Abrud will work just fine.
There is an interesting little mining museum just outside the
now-closed entrance to the mine, containing all the usual suspects a
mining museum might have, from old picks and extraction techniques, big
wooden stamps used to crush orr, mine carts, lamps, and other
paraphernalia.
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Coming from Alba Julia, you'll drive up the Ampoi river valley along
Route 74 past Zlatna to Abrud. Or, conversely, coming south from
Câmpeni, you'll follow along the Abrud River
valley.
The Bucium Meadows commune of villages is positioned on national
route 74, about 70 km away from Alba-Iulia. Coming from Alba-Iulia, take
the right road at the intersection 3 km before Abrud. The intersection
is marked with the indicator "Bucium Cerbu/ Mogos".
Busses and maxitaxis run from Alba Iulia and Câmpeni daily from the
Abrud bus station, with direct bus services to Cluj, Brad and Deva as
well.
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Fefeleaga Inn, in Bucium Şasa. Bar, two rooms, camping,
The Ursiţa Inn,
at Bucium Poieni on the road to Bucium. Singles
€15, Doubles €25, Breakfast €3 (+tax
for all), Kitchen equipped with all facilities at your
disposal.
You can order traditional dishes from
villagers and have them served at the cottage (booking required).
Prices are about €5 per each
course (appetizer, entree, main course, dessert).
Pensiunea Carmen, Bucium
Şasa. 8 rooms,
4 baths, sleeps 14. Jacuzzi, terasa, dining room and separate
kitchen.
See also County Alba
for accommodation in other nearby towns.
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.
Early Abrud
History
The town was founded by the Romans, with the name of "Abruttus" and it
was the place where a small fortification was built that was part of the
defence system of the gold mines nearby, in "Alburnus Maior" (nowadays,
Roşia Montană).
Abrud gained town status in 1427, during the Middle Ages. In 1727, the
leaders of a revolt gained control of the town. Another serfs' revolt
began in the area in 1784 with Horea, Cloşca and Crişan as leaders
fighting the Austrian Imperial forces, Abrud being captured by the
uprising's members on 6 November, before the revolt was crushed by the
Austrian army.
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) leading up the
mountain from Abrud to the gold mining region at 
trail leads to the west for about 90 minutes from
red line trail leads to the Detunatele, two old trachyte plugs
or blasts (columns of rock) towering above the landscape (see
Please Use the links above for Agenţi in each town. If you own a business, please check out our advertising options for Agenţi!, 
See a Road Map of the Abrud
Area
See an
Area Map of County Alba
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