Via Transilvanica to apply for official status after Romanian Govt issues norms for national trails

Via Transilvanica, the long-distance trail that crosses the country, will apply to be the first accredited long-distance route in Romania after the government issued the methodological norms regulating the hiking trails of national interest.

Tășuleasa Social, the non-profit that developed the trail, called the recently issued norms "a huge step that transforms a bold idea into a national reality."

"We want Via Transilvanica to be the first officially accredited long-distance trail in Romania. We have already started working on the necessary file for this recognition. If we succeed, we will show that a model of transparent and institutional collaboration is possible, on a trail that covers 10 counties and over 120 local communities," it said in a release.

The non-profit also spoke of Romania's "huge" potential in the area. "With a solid legal framework and a network of involved partners, hiking can become a real form of reconnecting with nature, economic development of rural communities, and national pride."

Via Transilvanica stretches between Putna, in northern Romania, to Drobeta Turnu Severin, in the southern part of the country. 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.

It 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 cultural-historical regions: Bucovina, The Highlands (Ținutul de Sus), Terra Siculorum, Terra Saxonum, Terra Dacica, Terra Banatica, Terra Romana, and Terra Borza Teutonica.

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.

(Photo copyright: Asociația Tășuleasa Social)