Piatra Craiului Mountains

Location. Piatra Craiului Mountains is a mountain range situated in the Southern Carpathians, south-west of Brasov. Its name means “Rock of the King”. The massif is bordered in the west by the Dâmbovița Valley which separates it from the Iezer-Păpuşa massif; in the north-west the river Bârsa and Curmătura Foii separates it from the Făgăraș Mountains and in the east the “Rucăr-Bran Passage” delimits it from the Bucegi and Leaota mountains. The southern border is the confluence of the valleys of Dâmbovița and Dâmbovicioara rivers, in the “Podul Damboviţei” village.

Structural features. The Piatra Craiului mountains form a narrow and saw-like ridge, which is about 25 km (16 mi) long. It seems like a sharp blade which hangs 1000 m (3300 ft) above the surrounding depressions, and walking on its ridge you often feel that you’re walking on a knife! That is an unhoped chance for breath taking panoramas. The highest elevation in the massif is the “Vârful La Om” at 2,238 metres (7,343 ft).

Climate. The eyarly average temperature is 0 Celsius with -2 Celsius on the heights. The winds are almost permanent and they are induced by the remote and vertical location of the massif. The precipitation measure 1,000-1,200 mm/year, with a culmination in the months of May and June.

Flora and Fauna. The whole range is included in the Piatra Craiului National Park. The first protection of this area started in 1938 when 4.4 km2 (2 sq mi) were declared as a “Nature Reserve”. The Law 5/2000 enlarged this area to 148 km2 (57 sq mi). In 2003 the external limits and internal zoning were created. Since 1999 a park administration has existed and since 2005 a management plan has been in place.

In the national park area about 300 fungi species, 220 lichen species, 100 different mosses, 1100 species of superior plants (a third of the number of all plant species found in Romania), 50 Carpathians endemic species and also two endemic species for Piatra Craiului can be found.

 

There are also two endemic species of spiders, 270 butterfly species, amphibians and reptiles, 110 bird species (50 listed in the Bern Convention and 6 in the Bonn Convention), 17 bat species, chamois and other large herbivores and also many large carnivores (wolves, brown bears, lynx) living in the national park.