Via Transilvanica: Long-distance trail crossing Romania reaches Şimian Island

Via Transilvanica, the long-distance trail that crosses the country, has unveiled a kilometer milestone on Șimian Island, an island on the Danube located downstream of Drobeta-Turnu Severin.

It is a symbolic extension for the trail, which stretches from Putna, in northern Romania, to Drobeta Turnu Severin, marking seven years since the Via Transilvanica project began and three years since it was officially inaugurated, the project initiators said.

The trail, which spans 1,599 km following the inauguration of the Terra Borza Teutonica extension in Braşov county, is dotted with signposts and andesite milestones, individually carved by Romanian and foreign artists.

Having a milestone placed on Șimian Island signals "the opening towards the Turkish community and the cultural heritage it left in this part of the country," Tășuleasa Social, the non-profit that developed the trail, explained. It is also meant to keep alive the memory of Ada-Kaleh, another island on the Danube inhabited by a Turkish community. Ada-Kaleh was submerged during the construction works at the Iron Gates plant.

"The road that unites is more than a long-distance journey. It is a path to our identity. Via Transilvanica manages to create a much-needed dialogue between rural and urban areas, rooted in deep emotional ties but also on healthy economic activities. It is the opportunity to acknowledge that what is at the heart of our identity is precisely the coexistence of diverse ethnic communities, whose legacies we must take care of," Alin Ușeriu, president of the Tășuleasa Social Association, said.

Via Transilvanica was inaugurated in 2022, following four years of work that involved 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 won 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.

(Photos: Andrei Moldovan/ Asociația Tășuleasa Social)