ȚINUTUL PĂDURENILOR- THE FORESTERS LAND

inutul Pădurenilor is a geographic area in South Transylvania. This land has its own  borders between Mureșului Valley, Hațegului Land and Poiana Ruscă Mountains. The main villages from this beautiful land are Ghelari, Lunca Cernii, Toplița, Cerbăl, Bunila, Lelese and Bătrâna. The first written attestation of the settlements in this land dates from 1279, in a document in which the villages are mentioned as subject of the Hunedoara parishioner.  The above mentioned villages  are the most populated  here, but there are more than 40 small other  villages, where only few souls live. It is very difficult to get there, especially in the winter time.

 

Ținutul Pădurenilor is one of the most iconic lands of Romania, because of its unique and original traditional costumes, especially for women. But, keep an eye on our web site because we will start posting about costumes and  traditions  too, in English section. The surroundings have breathtaking views, with endless forests. What makes these villages more special are the houses. These are made from wood and some of them are 100 years old.  The traditional house from "Pădurenime" has two rooms, one of them used as a bedroom and the kitchen with the pantry. The houses captivate attention by their proportions, the roof being a lot higher than the walls of the house. Outside of the house is a separated kitchen,known as summer kitchen, a barn, which may have a stable too and a shed, where animals and tools for agriculture are kept.

The gates  of this wonderful land are wide opened for everyone who wants to visit them, but everyone should be prepared to be amazed by its beauty. Of course, during time, especially in the last couple of decades, the villages' population have decreased a lot and mostly old people live there.

 

The geographical isolation of the foresters allowed them to preserve their language, customs and dress code. Being located on top of the hills and being close to the mountains peaks, the foresters made their land to be an archaic and authentic land, due to location, agricultural crops on terraced hills, specific costumes, especially for women, and speech.

 

The people of Ținutul Pădurenilor  are very sociable, generous and they welcome everyone in their houses. They have a temperate and warm word. Their speech is like a magnet, which attracts you to long and pleasant conversation. Very happy to meet foreigners  too. Even  if the foresters don't know a  foreign language, especially  elderly, they do  their best  to communicate with others through signs. They think being simple and humble means a lot more than having everything and being rich. They believe it is better being rich in souls rather than social position. 

by Ținutul Pădurenilor - Norana

Photos by:  Claudiu Mladin - Vivid Images