THE BEST AND MOST BEAUTIFUL ROAD IN THE WORLD
Transfăgărășan is cited by some as the best road in the world. Others say it is the most beautiful road in the world. This trip across the Fagaras Mountains in Romania is in any case a dream for every real rider, adventurer or cyclist – if you go through it at the right time.
Romania is rich in cultural and natural beauties. However, in this area, this country is synonymous with Timisoara and Dracula tour. But there are some other areas and some other roads like the one from Sibiu to Brasov where you can see fortified churches in the villages, you can also deviate from the planned tour to see Tranfagarasan – a road across the Fagaras mountains, which is a kind of attraction that connects Transylvania and Wallachia.
Where did this road come from here and what preceded the construction of the Transfagarasan?
The year is 1968, and the Soviet Union entered Czechoslovakia and rattled with weapons towards other socialist countries, which are not yet in their bloc. Fearing a Soviet invasion, and in order to defend the country and speed up the movement of military troops, Romanian socialist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu decides to build a road across the hitherto inaccessible terrain. Over the Carpathian mountains, more precisely the Fagaras mountains.
Although Romania had several strategic mountain routes built before and in the early years of communism, their biggest drawback was that they were in river valleys or gorges that were easy to block and control by enemy troops.
The construction of Transfagaras began in 1970 and lasted for 4 years. It all cost a lot, but the financial aspect is not in the foreground. Namely, the road was built by the Romanian army and 40 soldiers lost their lives. The number is large, but considering that 6 million kilograms of dynamite were used for the construction, we wonder how Romania still exists.
The highest point of this road is at an altitude of 2,034 meters and is a real challenge to cross it by car, let alone by some other means of transport. However, the Transfagarasan is visited by many cyclists and other passengers. The highest point of this road is Lake Balea.
One of the interesting things is that the road is blocked, that is. it is impossible to pass through, because it is mostly snow-covered and is open in the period from June to October. At the place where the concrete block is placed, which does not allow the passage, there is a cable car that makes it possible to reach the top.
Unfortunately for the driver, but fortunately for the passengers, due to the constant serpentines, the lake can be reached by cable car, ie gondola. The price of the ride is around 10 euros in Lej’s equivalent (the ride is free for journalists). The view from the cable car is beautiful, and from it you can see that the road is snowy.
Speaking about the southern side of the Fagaras Mountains and Transfagaras, which passes through these areas, we should know that this is where the real castle of Count Dracula, ie Vlado Cepes, is located. It is about the fortress of Poneari, or the castle of Arges, but – look at the miracles – the “Dracula tour” does not lead through these areas.
There are about 480 kilometers from Belgrade to the town of Cartishoara, and if the road makes you go to these parts, do not miss to take any means of transport through Transfagarasan. The crew of the show “Top Gear” once declared it “The best way in the world”.
This road it became a kind of tourist attraction and crowds became common when the weather was nice. In any case, plan carefully to drive this way, because the crowds or the wrong time of year can ruin your plans.
The 90-kilometer-long Transfagarasan is also characterized by the fact that it has the most tunnels of any other road in Romania, a total of five and the most viaducts of all the roads there. Due to the configuration of the terrain, serpentine and other curves, the average speed on it is 40 kilometers per hour.
