It's all here in Buşteni in the upper Prahova valley, and
our guide to Buşteni will show you all the maps and top activities in the area. The cliffs of the Bucegi Mountains above the
town are stunning!
Whether
you are hiking or skiing in the Bucegi Mountains, or visiting Peleş castle in Sinaia to the south, the Buşteni
region will keep you entertained in summer and winter alike.
The new
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has photos from our contributors showing the best of Romania!
If you had not been paying attention during your train ride or car
ride on the way up, you're in for a shock as your eyes take in the fantastic
glowering cliffs over Buşteni!
Much like being in the bottom of the Grand Canyon, you are immediately
struck by the enormity of Europe's highest cliff system (up to
so seemingly close you could reach out and touch it!
The Popular Choice!
Vibrant Buşteni is the most popular of the three Prahova Valley
resort towns, with local hotels and amusements targeting the new Romanian
republic's proud and growing middle class.
With an altitude of
at the lovely fin-de-siecle train station, Buşteni is just a trail-hop,
brook-skip or a ski-jump away from your mountain sport of choice, be
it hiking, fishing, or skiing. All activities centre on the spectacular
views, and at Buşteni, the wallet can also enjoy some rather good bargains,
getting far fewer of the price-plumping international jet-setters seen
in Sinaia.
The Heroes' Cross
The memorial cross is un-missable, and towers high over Buşteni
at
to commemorate the lives sacrificed as the Kingdom of Romania was overrun
by German, Austrian, Turkish, and Bulgarian troops in WWI.Read
More about the Heroes' Cross and Romania's Queen Marie
Proud Romanian troops had amassed at Buşteni before staging their
"liberation" of Transilvania to the north in 1916, only to be savagely
driven back when the German army joined the Austrians to push the Romanians
back down past Buşteni, eventually capturing Bucharest and 80% of Romania.
Romanian Mountain High
It's the Rockies and Sierra-Nevada you think of as you survey the
names around Buşteni (which means "Logs"): Stag Mountain,
Pine Valley, Big Pine Peak and Billygoat Meadows (Poiana Ţapului) all
invoke the spirit of the American West.
These nearby and easily accessible natural wonders have made Buşteni
a prime destination, and you'll really get that big-resort feel in Buşteni,
although comparatively, you'll find it's a little-wallet option for
your mountain vacation.
The town has the summer and winter high seasons with shoulders in
early spring and early autumn, although rates tend to be fairly consistent
year-round because of the volume and competitiveness of the local accommodation
market.
Even if you are bound for the slopes, eager for the mountains, and
have visions of grand panoramas in your head, most of the interesting
spots around Buşteni are probably near your accommodation!
If you're driving up in your own car or with your Romanian driver-translator,
or coming into Buşteni on one of the frequent and excellent train services
between Bucharest and Braşov, you'll find the fairly large and grand
Buşteni train station a good base for your Buşteni explorations.
A good first-stop once you're settled into your hotel or ready to
roll, is the tourist information centre on Strada Libertăţii 202, which
is just north from the train station about 120m.
Do take the time to visit the thoroughly charming house of the famed
writer Cezar Petrescu, built in the traditional architecture of the
early 20th century.
The house and museum are a memorial to the man and his works, over
45 years of writing as a jounalist and author, even publishing the delightfully
named "pif-paf-puf" and the more alarming childs book, "Cooki and the
Atomic Bomb" (Cocârţ şi bomba atomică).
Despite his great bodies of work, including 30 years as a journalist,
it's really the house and the furnishing which hold the most charm.
Built in the style common in the early decades of the 20th Century,
the house holds some great collections of ceramics, furniture, statues,
and of course, endless shevles or books and magazines.
The Cantacuzino name has particular significance in Romanian history,
the family once ruling over Wallachia.
This castle was built in 1910 for Gheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino in
his twilight years, where the former two-time prime minister lived until
1913. He had the top job in the Kingdom of Romania between 23
April 1899 and 19 July 1900 and between 4 January 1906 and 24 March
1907. Cantacuzino was born a Romanian noble, a descendant of Romanian
princes (voivods) and Byzantine Emperors.
The "crowning glory" of this castle are the series of grottos, waterfalls,
cascades and artesian fountains which are all strewn across the castle's
parklands.
"Prince" Cantacuzino, also known as "Nababu", or "the Nabob", managed
to fashion a mountain home for himself which has since become one of
the top few dozen important castles in Romania. His primary residence
at Bucharest is also a sight to behold.
Romania's first modern monarchs founded this church in 1889, with
Queen Elizabeth and King Carol honoured with the diverse architecture
and interiors. The icons in the interior were commissioned to
famous painter Gheorghe Tătărăscu.
Using local stone from the quartz, the church (Biserica Domneasca)
is a miniature of the Horezu Monastery, and due to it's exceptional
architecture, age and stately interiors, is one of Buşteni's top sights.
Massive oak furnishings were installed under direction of Italian craftsmen,
with the stunning iconostasis crafted in Vienna. Most of
the alter artwork was done by Agnes Exner, who was responsible for the
same wondrous work at the Sinaia Monastery.
Tired of all the Romanian culture and Royal castles down in Sinaia?
Take some time out to view some great French art, and browse a copy
of Marie Claire for a change of pace!
La Maison Franco-Roumaine (MFR) in the little town of Moissy-Cramavel
in France (about south-east of Paris) paired with it's Romanian
sister in Buşteni, the Casa Româno-Franceza (CRF) in 1996, in a bid
to foster understanding and links between the two countries and localities.
With 12,000 inhabitants in Buşteni, and 15,000 in Moissy-Cramayel, the
towns are similar sizes and sponsor cultural events between the two
towns.
French culture, history and language is made available here for
the northern Prahova valley, and the centre fosters cross-cultural dialog
in the region.
In the recently restored 1930s traditional building, there is an
exhibit hall on the ground floor open to the public displaying local
paintings and art by local artists, as well as the offices of the Fraternal
Association of Buşteni-Moissy-Cramayel.
Upstairs there is a free reading library with issues of recent French
magazines, newspapers, and books (over 3,500 volumes), as well as a
small conference room and classrooms for French language lessons.
The centre also graces the Buşteni township with it's Armonia youth
choir, and makes it's halls available to the community for use.
The Casa Româno-Franceza is across from the mayor's office and cultural
centre on Freedom Boulevard (B-dul Libertăţii)
Just up from the train station heading towards the Royal Church,
this monument to the WWI hero Corporal Vasile Musat went up in 1928,
thanks to the kind donations of the Schiel brothers, owners of the local
paper mill.
The Corporal was from Domneşti in County Argeş, and saw service
in the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Border Regiment which guarded the Prahova
Valley, the corporal having fought fiercely in the 1916 retreating movements
at Braşov (see History below).
Later fighting against the Austrians and Germans in the Vrâncea
Mountains, he injured his left arm, but continued his fight using his
good arm by throwing grenades, as depicted in today's statue at Buşteni.
The inauguration ceremony was auspiced by her Serene Majesty, Queen
Marie (formerly of Scotland, but that is another story), who brought
her court to underscore the solemnity of the dedication.
We've included a few of the more popular day and half-day hikes here which are
right around Buşteni, and don't actually go up into the Bucegi mountains
much, if at all. See our
Bucegi Natural Park
guide for some great trails leaving Buşteni.
Below are three good walks -- the very
popular Wailing Falls trail, taking about 150 minutes to get there
and back, then the trail down the Prahova River valley to Sinaia (but
going on the eastern mountain side), and the
Zamora Saddle and Peak trail, which
goes up the opposite side of the valley from the Bucegi massif in the
west.
The
trail leading south-west from Buşteni leads up into the foothills to
Wailing Falls (Cascada Urlătoare) at . Taking a little over one
hour for most, this accessible trail is open during the entire year.
This is a favourite and well-known walk, frequented by school groups and
tourists alike, this gentle walk through the low woodlands follows the
trail to the south and towards the escarpment (see Map) to the
waterfall, well worth a few good photos. About a third of
the way down, another trail takes off (marked with
) up
to the southwest up "The Stairs" to Burnt Rock (Piatra Arsă).
Starting on Cable Car Street (Strada Telecabinei), you look up at
the amazing band of huge cliffs above, from the Claia Mare Peak, cleft
with the Dry Pine Gully (Valea Seacă a Jepilor).
Taking off to
the right is the old trail to Caraiman along the Pine Valley (Valea
Jepilor), and after some fairly pronounced climbing, you get at the
point called “The Grill” (“La Grătar”).
Here the road branches. To the right, the trail marked with
a
goes to Piatra Arsă Cabin, while our red dot trail goes over a little
bridge, crosses the Dry Pine Gully and after an easy segment through
the forest, the trail comes out at the Wailing Falls (Cascada Urlătoare),
suitably impressive by height and breadth.
Why would anyone drive to Sinaia, when this great forest road runs
along the eastern side of the river? This forest road connects
the Zamora quarter in Buşteni with the Cumpătu quarter in Sinaia.
Get a maxi taxi for the road back up the valley, a great afternoon!
Taking about 3 ˝ hours, the trail is really only accessible during
summer time. Going from the Buşteni train station, you cross the
Prahova river bridge, after it sweeps past Gării and Griviţei streets.
Behind the Zamora Sanatorium, you go south on the forest road, parallel
with the margin of the Zamora forest, up to the Zamora valley (Valea
Zamorei), where the road splits.
The branch of the road going to the left climbs towards Zamora campsite,
while the one on the right goes to Sipa Valley (Valea Sipa), where it
forks once again. Stick with the road along forest’s edge, travelling
through the Tufei Valley (Valea Tufei) and then down into the
little eastern quarter of Sinaia, the Cumpătu neighbourhood, home of
the Enescu Museum and some cute older cottages. Dinner in
Sinaia, or go back via train, maxi-taxi or just stay overnight!
Beat the crowds and head towards the rising sun! Zamora peak,
at to the east of Buşteni, is nothing to be sneezed at, and the
trail will lead you up to the Zamora Saddle and the peak itself, after
about 7 hours of good climbing.
Starting out from the train station in Buşteni, you’ll cross the
rail line and then go over the Prahova river. This puts
you in the Zamora neighbourhood of Buşteni, and soon after the Sanatorium
building, on the left side, you meet the
marker.
Following the marker, the trail takes us to the campsite, and from
here to the Zamora Saddle (Şaua Zamorei), where the trails turns left
up to the summit of Mount Zamora. You’ll have some very
unique views of the major cliff structures of the Bucegi massif to the
west, beautiful in the afternoon sun.
Securely strung along massive
staunchions, the gondolas of the cable car lines
(telecabine) going between Buşteni and the Bucegi Natural
Park area offer stupendous views along the way.
Buşteni is in a great position for easy access to the nearby wonders
of the Bucegi mountains, from waterfalls, to interesting rock formations,
and at all times, simply fabulous views in all directions.
In some ways, Buşteni benefits from having a bit more elbow-room
before the actual abrupt elevations of the
Bucegi Massif begins.
This means some more leisurely trails leading to meadows, waterfalls,
and some nice perspectives on the Prahova Valley.
For those a bit less willing to expend the energy on some local
walks, the very popular cable cars (telecabine, with gondolas the sizes
of small busses), dependably run up and down between the valley floor
and the staggering peaks year-round.
The Buşteni Natural Park
Even in the middle of the peak winter season, this park is a little
wonderland and perfect for a few photos and a walk amongst the fairy
lights adorning the trees and structures.
In summer, it is nature's wonderland, with enough lakes, waterfalls,
trees, chasms, gorges, and bright blue skies to rival Yosemite in it's
graceful grandeur.
The cable cars going up and into the park from Buşteni go to more
interesting destinations than those to the south at Sinaia (which serve
the Cota 2000 ski station more than anything).
Sustained by 6 pylons, heading from an altitude of in
Buşteni, up to up on the Bucegi escarpment, the total length
is over .
The cable car goes on an average height of over one of
the most beautiful alpine areas of Romania.
In 1982, the cable car line was extended down into the Ialomiţa
river valley to the caves, monastery and hotel there, adding a length
of another . You'll want to have the camera ready for views
of Vâlcelul Înspumat, Cascada Caraiman, Valea Jepilor, south side of
Caraiman, Jepii Mici, and finally the Bucegi plateau where you can find
the Caraiman Cabin () perched on the edge of the massif.
During winter time, near the various cabins at Old Women (Babele),
Caraiman and Burnt Rock (Piatra Arsă), you can find ski courses for
both amateurs and advanced.
From Buşteni, you have your choice of getting off at the first stop
once up on the massif plateau, where there are some fun rock formations,
and that great big cross overlooking everything, or continue on to the
Cave Monastery, down in the central Ialomiţa river valley.
Alternatively, you can get out at the first stop, enjoy 45 minutes
or so of seeing the main sights there, and then walk down the well-graded
trail to the caves and monastery below, where there is also
a hotel with cafe suitable for a nice afternoon treat.
For those a bit more ambitious, the entire central plateau, shaped
like a giant horseshoe, is criss-crossed with trails of all difficulty
levels.
Unlike most American park trails however, the Romanian
versions tend to either follow a watercourse rather strictly, or along the spine of
a mountain -- do not expect well-graded switch-backs on your way up
the mountain, as this technique is only used sporadically at best.
At the centre of the great Bucegi amphitheatre of mountains, is
the jewel in the crown, where the Ialomiţa River, flushed with melting
snow runoff, snakes through the Tatar Gorges to open into Lake Bolboci,
the sapphire beauty of the Bucegi.
Ringed with dense emerald forest, the man-made lake fits comfortably
in the main central depression of the massif, lined with tributaries
and a few caves, on of which is home to a rather well-built monastery
and hotel complex.
Once you are up on the main peaks, with Mount Omu being the crowning
glory of the Bucegi Massif, you can see across to the craggy Piatra
Craiului National Park in Transilvania to the north, and south across
the wide Wallachian plains.
If you are a fan at all of the outdoors, the mountains of the Bucegi
Natural park make a fitting introduction to the Carpathian Mountains.
The Old Women and the Sphinx
This decidedly interesting rock formation is one of the better known
on the massif, and really underscores how varied and feature-rich this
rocky plateau is.
Worn by wind and rain for centuries, these two rocks, depending
on the angle, look very much like two old women (babele) huddled in
conversation.
The nearby Sphinx is considerably better known
than the one in the dusty steppe country of Pricopan Range in the Măcin
Mountains National Park in
Western County Tulcea.
Almost directly north of the old women and their pet sphinx is the Big
Baba mountain, looming over her smaller sisters to the south.
The Big Pine Mountains
Just south of the Old Women lie Little Pine Mountain and the
Pining
Spring Creek (Izvorul Dorului) begins it's travels just east of the
main north-south forest road.
Both road and creek head south towards Burnt Rock (Piatra Arsă)
and the Ant Mountain (Vârful Furnica) end of the cable car coming up
from Sinaia.
The forest road is well graded most months,
and you can make the trek down in a bit over an hour to the Mioriţa
cabin and then east to the cable car station along the
trail.
Going north from the Old Woman, you'll find that great cross on
the mountain, and if you look up from anywhere in Buşteni, you can't
miss this memorial to the tens of thousands of Romanians who lost their
lives and were taken prisoner in WWI.
See more
about Romania in WWI in History below
The First World War was savagely cruel to Romanians, as a combination
of over-optimism, bad intelligence and bad planning undermined their
initial efforts to make a grab for Transilvania. As it turned
out, the Germans and Central Powers advanced from all directions to
take 80% of Romania (up to the river Siret) until the end of WWI.
Queen Marie's Cross
The Caraiman Peak is one of the most prominent in the whole Bucegi
Massif which towers over Buşteni, so was a natural choice for the monument
erected between 1926 and 1928, at the behest of Romania's Queen Marie.
She really had suffered greatly along with her subjects, stripped
of her court, clothes and dignity as she fled north and east to Iaşi
to escape the advancing German, Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian troops.
The cross was Queen Marie's heartfelt dedication to all those Romanians
who lost their lives in the horrible slaughter she witnessed through
those cruel years.
It was Queen Marie's wish that the war dead never be forgotten and
after some intense lobbying, bullying and backroom deals to get her
way, her wish and hope still lives with every glance up at the
magnificent cross atop Mount Caraiman.
The sides of the mountain were decorated with strings of ox carts,
each hauling local construction materials in carts up rough-hewn trails.
It's a great thing to see once you're up there, almost high, and
about wide, lit up at night and gives a Christmas-like feel
to Buşteni year-round.
It is unclear how many of the Romanian's who died were not
actually Christians, although surely they would appreciate kind gesture
even if they were Jewish or otherwise.
Map: The Heroes' Cross (Caraiman Cross) is a short walk
from the Old Women (Babele) Cable Car Station
Use the scrollbars to see the full area
around Buşteni, and click on any
Feature to see more info!
Buşteni is nicely placed about halfway up the main Bucegi
escarpment which towers over the Prahova Valley. It has the
added benefit of being fairly equidistant from the main attractions
in the Bucegi Natural Park.
Whether you have decided to aim for the highest peak in the
Bucegi Mountains, or are looking for a relaxing morning hike to the
nearby waterfalls, starting out in Buşteni makes alot of sense.
Starting out at at , this loop excursion from Buşteni goes first
up to Coştila Meadow (Poiana Coştilei) at on the
trail, then across to the Red Picket Meadows (Poiana Pichetul Roşu)
at .
Explore this Trail
More Here
This excellent round-trip from Buşteni does take a full day, but
provides stunning views across a wide variety of Bucegi Terrain, including
the The Mountain Gate, Golden Valley, and the Millers Needles and Miller
Valley.
The trail soon yields to the “The Mountain Gate” (“Poarta Munţilor”),
where the sparse trees perfectly frame the view of the magnificence
ahead.
Very much at the “pinnacle”
of your trail day, you can admire the imposing Miller’s Needles (Acele
Morarului), their spiky spires reaching for the (hopefully) blue Romanian
skies.
Explore this
Trail More Here
Going from Buşteni up first to the Gura Diham Cabin at , and
then on to the Diham Cabin at , the trail takes
about three hours to traverse up to the Diham Hut, accessible during
the entire year.
Explore
this Trail More Here
This summertime route begins in Buşteni and continues to the Pine
Forestry Station (Cantonul Jepi, at ) and then over to the
Piatra Arsă Cabin, at along the route, taking
most just over 4 hours.
Explore this
Trail More Here
This trail going wayyyy up to the Babele Cabin (at !), was
thankfully supplanted by the cable car in 1978, which manages the route
in just 12 minutes up through the stunning Pine Valley.
Explore this
Trail More
Indeed a “trophy trail”, this one wends it’s way up through Stag
Valley and then up to the highest mountain in the Bucegi mountains (and
well within Romania’s top ten at 7th, just lower than the top peak
in the Făgăraş mountains, Moldoveanu).
Read More
Here
Delightful little Azuga is just a few miles north of Buşteni, in
it's own little side valley following the Azuga river up into the
Băiului Mountain range.
Azuga in many ways is a microcosm of the Prahova Valley as a
whole, with it's own little train station, a brewery for the
local Azuga Beer, winery outlet, and a credible ski
resort.
One of the two ski resorts at Azuga boasts Romania's longest ski
run, the Sorica run, next to the newer Cazacu run, with it's own
telegondola (cable car).
Map: The Highest Peak in the Bucegi Mountains is even with
Azuga
Use the scrollbars to see the full area
around Azuga, and click on any
Feature to see more info!
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The National Highway 1 following the
Prahova River valley south of Buşteni
Geography
Located at just from Bucharest on the main
national highway 1 (DN1), as well as on the main rail line running up
to Braşov, Buşteni is
also just from Braşov in the
Transilvania Region.
Just north of town is the tunnel cut in the long-cut spur, with
the road leading north to
Predeal, and to the
south, Sinaia.
Snaking up into the great Bucegi escarpment from Buşteni and the
verdant valley floors are several deep finger valleys, where rivers
have worn their ways from the peaks above, giving the deep cuts their
names, such as Stag Peak Valley (Valea Cerbului), White Valley, and
Pine Valley.
Toward the south of Buşteni sprawls the Billygoat Meadows (Poiana
Ţapului) neighbourhood, and to the east, the Zamora district extends
up into the foothills of the Zamora mountains. The western side
is dominated by the principal north-south spine of the Bucegi massif,
with parts of the town of Buşteni running up to
to the west.
Local Government
Need some local government info? Write the town government
at Localitatea Buşteni, Bdul. Libertatii nr. 91, Buşteni, Jud.
Prahova, 105500 or contact them as follows:
Know of a property or some information we missed?
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Listed below are some local hotels, guesthouses (B&Bs) and other accommodation
in the
Buşteni area.
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 Buşteni History3>
Buşteni Train Station
Proclamation by King Ferdinand, 28 August 1916
Romanians!
The war which for the
last two years has been encircling our frontiers more and more
closely has shaken the ancient foundations of Europe to their
depths.
It has brought the
day which has been awaited for centuries by the national conscience,
by the founders of the Romanian State, by those who united the
principalities in the war of independence, by those responsible
for the national renaissance.
It is the day of the
union of all branches of our nation.
Today we are able to
complete the task of our forefathers and to establish forever
that which Michael the Great was only able to establish for
a moment, namely, a Romanian union on both slopes of the Carpathians.
For us the mountains
and plains of Bucovina, where Stephen the Great has slept for
centuries. In our moral energy and our valour lie the
means of giving him back his birthright of a great and free
Romania from the Tisa to the Black Sea, and to prosper in peace
in accordance with our customs and our hopes and dreams.
Romanians!
Animated by the holy
duty imposed upon us, and determined to bear manfully all the
sacrifices inseparable from an arduous war, we will march into
battle with the irresistible élan of a people firmly confident
in its destiny. The glorious fruits of victory shall be
our reward.
Forward, with the help
of God!
FERDINAND
Source: Source Records
of the Great War, Vol. V, ed. Charles F. Horne, National
Alumni 1923
Serving the early settlements in the upper Prahova valley from Comarnci
to Predeal was a trail along the river, which became known as the Maiden’s
Road.
Going up through Buşteni towards Azuga to the east of the Prahova
river along the base of the Zamora Mountains, the early road found prominence
when the seat of government was changed from Târgovişte to Bucharest.
Prince Vladislav in 1452 wrote that he decided that the Prahova
valley road was free and where you could refresh yourself at old establishments
of the local lords.
However, major villages with permanent larger populations really
didn’t exist much before 1782, when Mihai Sutu founded the first hamlet
in the village with 24 families of retainers (who were free from taxes
in exchange for other obligations to the local lord) from the Sinaia
Monastery.
Springing forth from Sinaia the settlers established settlements
at Buşteni, Poiana Ţapului, Azuga and Predeal.
The Beginnings of Buşteni
Well before the 19th Century, there were several stable settlements
in the upper Prahova valley.
The Lespezi Hermitage near Posada, the Sinaia Monastery, founded
in 1695 from the Grand Knight Mihai Cantacuzino, and the hamlet
of Spring (Izvor), founded in 1782 by the local lord Mihai Sutu with
freed serfs from the Sinaia monastery all dotted the valley. The
Predeal Hermitage was created in 1744, as well as the big wayside refuge,
the Stone Hut Inn (Slonul de Piatra).
The Stone Hut Inn
The Stone Hut Inn was a solid building which provided refuge to
travellers in rough times. It was reported from there that in
February 1788, through the Predeal Pass, came several squads of Austrian
troops, taking over the Predeal and Sinaia monasteries.
In the fighting which took place between the Austrians and the Turks,
who were supported by the Romanian leader Mavrogheni, the Turks razed
the Stone Hut Inn in the Zamora Meadow. It was the sole
inhabited location above Sinaia before 1750, although a few other inns
were established in that area after 1800, such as the Puristoaca Inn
and the Blushing Inn (Hanul la Ruja) in Predeal.
According to a Russian map in 1835, around the Buşteni area were
several hamlets, such as Draguseşti, with 20 families, Trestia, and
the Stony Hut Inn.
The first two hamlets formed the origins of today’s Buşteni, with
the Stoney Hut Inn starting what is today the Zamora district.
The first establishments in Buşteni were in the Stag Valley (Valea
Cerbului) around 1800 and were situated at the lower aprons of the meadows
where the clear land was widest.
19th Century Buşteni
From 1800 to 1802, when presumably there were already quite a few
settlers in the area, a large part of the Bucharest population evacuated
into the valley.
This was due to terrorising by the particularly nasty rebel Pasha
Pasvant Oglu and his band of Turkish soldiers who pummeled and razed
the capital for months at a time.
Another flight of scared city folk from Bucharest ran for the hills
and the Buşteni area again in 1821 when the Turks again terrorised the
capital. Then Russian troops in 1848, and Austrian troops in 1854
increased the attractiveness of the Prahova valley, away from the invading
hoardes.
Road and Rail Arrive
Road and communications improvements, along with new guesthouses
really increased the number of holidaymakers bound for the valley.
Many of the leisure travellers were on their ways to Transilvanian
spa resorts and would break their journeys on the way at Buşteni, already
a favourite stopping point due to it's vantage of the great escarpment.
Many fell in love with the charms of Sinaia and Buşteni, and
development began in earnest in the second half of the 19th century
as the valley turned into a major trade and tourist route.
On the order of the the last great Prince of Wallachia, Gheorghe
Bibescu in 1846, construction on a road was begun between Câmpina and
Predeal, although work was halted when the prince was replaced with
a provisional government in 1848 and progressive reforms swept across
the Wallachian plains (and even up to the Buşteni region to some extent).
As America celebrated it’s Centennial (or Centenary if you’re Australian),
1876 in Wallachia saw work begin on the railroad running up the Prahova
Valley through Buşteni to Predeal.
The accompanying road was opened on 10 June 1879, engineered
by a French firm, Guilla.
Progress and Industry
Administratively, the settlements in the upper Prahova valley became
part of the Neagu Bridge commune (comuna Podul Neagului), which stretched
a distance of about 35km from Comarnic in the south up to Predeal at
the pass at the head of the valley.
As Alexandru Ioan Cuza took over both Wallachia and Moldova in a
personal union, by 1864, the villages of Posada and Neagu Bridge, being
closest to Comarnic, were joined to Comarnic.
Buşteni and the rest of the upper valley villages remained together
in their old commune, still called Podul Neagului until 1884.
The Shiel Mill and German School
Paper milling was big in Buşteni (which means “logs”) since the
late 1800s, with the German owned Schiel paper mill employing 1183 employees.
The upper Prahova valley saw it's first school in 1865, attracting
30 students by 1874 from the little hamlet and surrounding areas. The
schoolhouse itself was more of a modified barn, and the turn of the
century saw the school with 158 students.
In the mid 1920s, the local German community headed by mill owners
Otto and Samual Schiel, built another school for their students, which
taught in the German language until 1945.
The Schiel brothers donated 20,000 lei in gold for the building
of the sumptuous school, which had 15 classrooms, central heating (a
must in wintry Buşteni), and mozaic parquetry on the hall floors.
The school was converted in the communist years to a primary school
and hosted the first high school in the township from 1955 until 1962,
when the high school moved to it's present location.
The German School today serves grades 1 through 8, along with 4 other
primary schools, 5 kindergartens, and a high school, along with a technical
trades school (like a TAFE in Australia).
Big-Time Buşteni
How very proud the townspeople must have been in 1908, when Buşteni
and Billygoat Meadows (Poiana Ţapului) united to form the township (commune)
of Buşteni, with the mayor’s house in the village of Buşteni.
Billygoat Meadow was declared a weather station in 1946 and Buşteni
was declared a town in the same year, with Billygoat Meadow being folded
into Buşteni in the early communist years.
Whilst somewhat popular with the East Germans during the Cold War
years, Buşteni has benefitted greatly from Romania’s burgeoning middle
classes – which have doubled from a measly 19% of the population at
the 1989 Revolution, to over 40% today. They can all be seen laughing
and playing in the snow on the slopes – even if they can’t always afford
a lift ticket or fancy skis!
The war proclamations by Romania's King Ferdinand to his Romanian
people and his army were brash and powerful, full of brave national
sentiments and flowery prose. But the reality of the national
tragedy to follow was in stark contrast.
Sadly, Romania never got the support it needed from Russia, nor
from any of the other alliance members such as Italy or England against
the combined Axis powers of Austria-Hungary and Germany.
Romania invaded Austrian-held Transylvania, but were soon pushed
back, and further became threatened by a combined Bulgarian, Turkish
and German force on the undefended southern border. Romania was
forced to remove troops from Transylvania to cover the Bulgarian border,
leaving both fronts weak.
Oltenia and Dobrogea Fall
The Germans circled around behind the Romanians as they were retreating
from Transylvania in September of 1916, slaughtering the trapped thousands
of Romanian troops. The Germans soon captured Constanţa in October
1916.
A young Lt. Irwin Rommel (the future Desert Fox) led his men from
Transilvania, and marched into Oltenia through Vulcan to take Târgu
Jiu by November.
The Romanians and Russians valiantly fought the advancing German
and Austro-Hungarian troops, but took heavy losses on the Oltenia front,
and lost 22,000 defending the Danube at Tutrakan, with even the Romanian
reinforcements slaughtered or added to the 30,000 prisoners and war
booty claimed by the Germans.
During a lull in fighting, Romanian launched a counter offensive
into Bulgaria, but without the needed artillery, the attack failed and
yet more Romanian soldiers died an inglorious death on foreign soil.
Meanwhile to the east, the line held by the Romanians and Russians failed,
and the Axis powers advanced though Constanţa and took Cernavoda too,
cutting off Bucharest from communications with the Black Sea.
Bucharest and Muntenia Fall
Once 80% of Dobrogea had been held by the combined German, Bulgarian
and Turkish forces, it was a fairly straightforward exercise to simply
put down a few pontoon bridges, which they did in less than a day in
24 November 1917.
With the bridges open for Central Power traffic, they made a coordinated
effort, pouring into the Kingdom from the northern mountain passes,
and from the south across the Danube. Bucharest was in German
hands, and not for the last time in the 20th Century.
The remaining Romanian troops were pushed back across their positions
into the Moldova Region to the north and east of Bucharest at the Ialomiţa,
Putna and Buzău rivers. The Austrian troops similary pushed back
Romanian troops eastwards from the mountains across the Moldovan hills
to the Siret river, and fired round after round on Galaţi.
Less than a year later and after the Russian Revolution (meaning
no more Russian support for Romania), on the 4th of July 1918, the Romanian
Senate ratified the Treaty of Bucharest between Romania and the Central
Powers, although, in typical Romanian fashion, no deal is ever done,
and the Treaty was never "fully" ratified, with Romania going back into
the war.
In the end, the post-war 1919 Treaty of Versailles, and the 1920
Treaty of Paris together gave Romania it's greatest-ever official borders,
with Bucovina, Transilvania and Bessarabia and their ethnic Romanian
populations united with the Kingdom, which held the territories for
just over 20 years until the Second World War.
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The
The
Trail to Wailing Falls
The Path to the 
trail leading south-west from Buşteni leads up into the foothills to
Wailing Falls (Cascada Urlătoare) at . Taking a little over one
hour for most, this accessible trail is open during the entire year.
) up
to the southwest up "The Stairs" to Burnt Rock (Piatra Arsă). 
trail will lead you up to the Zamora Saddle and the peak itself, after
about 7 hours of good climbing. 
trail to the caves and monastery below, where there is also
a hotel with cafe suitable for a nice afternoon treat. 
trail. 
Queen Marie's Cross
trail, then across to the Red Picket Meadows (Poiana Pichetul Roşu)
at .
Delightful little Azuga is just a few miles north of Buşteni, in
it's own little side valley following the Azuga river up into the
Băiului Mountain range. 
Feature to see more info!
See a Road Map of the Buşteni Area
See
an Area Map of County Prahova
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