The central Romania city of Brașov will turn into the third entry point to the long-distance trail Via Transilvanica, after Putna and Drobeta Turnu Severin, according to Biz Brașov.

The trail, which spans some 1,400 km at the moment, starts in the northern Romania region of Bucovina, at Putna, crosses Transylvania, and ends at Drobeta Turnu Severin, near the Danube shore.

Brașov has been added to the trail as part of an extension announced earlier this spring. The upcoming Terra Borza Teutonica section of Via Transilvanica will cross the area of 14 administrative units, namely Buneşti, Jibert, Şoarş, Ticuş, Mândra, Şercaia, Şinca, Şinca Nouă, Poiana Mărului, Zărneşti, Moieciu, Bran, Râşnov and Braşov.

The trail is dotted with signposts and andesite milestones, individually carved by Romanian and foreign artists. For the new segment, eight additional milestones have been unveiled. Drawn by artist Ștefan Câlţia and engraved by sculptor Virgil Scripcariu, they feature vegetal and zoomorphic details inspired by the agricultural landscape of the village of Șona.

Tășuleasa Social, the non-profit that developed the trail, aims to expand the project to cover all of Romania's historical regions in a bid to revitalize local communities.

The trail was inaugurated in 2022 after four years of work with the involvement of local communities and over 10,000 volunteers. It showcases 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites while crossing ten counties: Suceava, Bistrița-Năsăud, Mureș, Harghita, Sibiu, Brașov, Alba, Hunedoara, Caraș-Severin and Mehedinți. It is divided into seven cultural-historical regions: Bucovina, The Highlands (Ținutul de Sus), Terra Siculorum, Terra Saxonum, Terra Dacica, Terra Banatica, and Terra Romana.

In 2023, the trail the Public Choice Award of the European Heritage Awards and was among the winners of the Citizens' Engagement and Awareness-raising category of the same awards.

It attracted more than 30,000 hikers in 2024 alone.

(Photo:  Milestone in Daia (Szekelydalya), Harghita by Wirestock | Dreamstime.com)

simona@romania-insider.com