Report ROMANIA

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Project Comenius SARAH 13/15 ` `

Meeting 5 report October 4th-7th, 2014

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Table of contents A. Program and activities 1. Sunday, February 3rd : arrival of the European partners a. List of the teachers : 12 b. List of the students : 14 2. Tuesday, October 4th 3. Wednesday, October 5th 4. Thursday, October 6th 5. CONCLUSION of the meeting Strong points Weak points

5. APPENDICES Neamt Citadel Dragos Voda Bison Reserve, Neamt County - Bison reintroduction programme - Key management objectives: NeamČ› Monastery Visit to an institution for environment protection The Bicaz Gorges and Red Lake Izvorul Muntelui Dam ~Petre Jitaru~ Biological Researches Station Potoci, Neamt county

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Programme of Romania meeting 6th - 9th

S.A.R.A.H. OCTOBER 2014

SUNDAY, 5.10.2014 - Arrival of guests - Students’ accommodation at their host families, teachers at Roman hotel MONDAY, 6.10.2014 9.00-10.30  Official opening festivity at school  Meeting with the headteachers  Presentation of activities  Press meeting  School visit 10.30 Coffee break 11.00-12.00 Project activity – Presentation of video dictionaries 12.00 – Trip to Tg. Neamt - Lunch at a traditional guesthouse - Visit to Vanatori Neamt Natural Reservation - Visit to Neamt Monastery - Visit to Neamt citadel 18.00 Dinner for teachers, students in the families TUESDAY, 7.10.2014 8.00 Trip to Piatra Neamt-Bicaz - Visit to an institution for environment protection - Telegondola ride 12.00 Lunch at a traditional restaurant  Bicaz Gorges OR Izvorul Muntelui dam (boat ride - optional) WEDNESDAY, 8.10.2014 9.00 - 10.00 Meeting with the city mayor (possible) 10.00 - 12.00 Project activity at school - Meeting with experts from Environmental Clearance - Students’ presentations of their own country’ s specific pollution problems 13.00-14.30 Lunch at school (offered by students’ parents) 15.00-16.30 Project activity (workshop for students, discussions for teachers)

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Evaluation In the afternoon – free time Dinner for teachers, students in the families THURSDAY, 9.10.2014 8.00-9.30 Project activity - Receiving certificates of attendance 10.00 Trip to Iasi - Visit to Botanical Garden - Visit to Palace of Culture - Lunch – in the Mall (free choices) - Shopping at the Palas Mall - Other visits: Metropolitan church, Roman Catholic Diocese of Iasi ….

Dinner for teachers, students in the families.

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Report The purpose of this report is to analyze the outcome and organization of the meeting in Roman (Romania), meeting where students and teachers of schools of Austria, France, Italy, Poland, Sweden, Spain, Turkey, UK took part on.

a. List of the teachers: 12 from 8 countries Country

Teachers

AUSTRIA

Erika Michelitsch-Lickl

FRANCE

Alain Giacometti

ITALY

Patrick Serein MariaAntonietta Violante

POLAND

Giuseppina Salerno Marek Matlok

SPAIN

Francisco Luque Ruiz

SWEDEN

Angeles Benitez García Sofia Fondelius

TURKEY

Banu Tarhan

UK

Alistair Finch

ROMANIA

Dir. Leonard Vacaru Dir. Adj. Cristina Păun Dir. Adj. Daniela Căpraru Dir. Adj. Nicușor Pop Coord. Nadia Cîrcu Gabriela Aioanei Mihaela Petrache Ionela Morarița

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Mintenica Butnaru

List of students Country

Students

AUSTRIA

Nina Gödl (girl) Magdalena Klingler (girl)

FRANCE

Thibault SOUCHE (boy) Sandra SOULE-PERE (girl)

ITALY

Maria Bruna Forastiere. (girl) Katrin Varasano (girl)

POLAND

Rafał Godlewski (boy) Brajan Orzechowski (boy)

SPAIN

Jesus de la Torre (boy) Nerea Madrigal (girl)

SWEDEN

Anton Rosén (boy) Johan Cederqvist (boy)

TURKEY

Serkan Cansever (boy) Fatih Sağlam (boy)

ROMANIA

Marcelin Bordeianu (boy) Paraschiv Andrei (boy) Aura Girlovan (girl) Ioana Ciobanu (girl) Mihai Bargan (boy) Robert Sescu (boy) Palaghia Andrei Vladut (boy) Alexia Arvinte Schiopu (girl) Alexandru Marcu (boy) Costin Micu (boy) Mircea Pavlov (boy) Dragos Durea (boy)

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Monday, 6.10.2014

- arrival of the European partners

Our SARAH Comenius Partners with their students ( 14 students and 12 teachers) arrived at our school at about 9.00 p.m. We were so happy to see each other again and to give start to this new amazing experience.

We had a welcome meeting with all Comenius partners and students! It was the occasion to exchange presents.

Our Head teacher Mr. Leonard Vacaru welcomed our guests and suggested we should make this event the most enjoyable and teaching experience for everyone.

The written media and the regional television station Topall accepted our invitation to join us and, in this way, people in our city and our county learned about the project meeting in Romania and about our guests coming from eight European countries.

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11.00-12.00 Following the official opening festivity, the activities planned for this meeting began. Students from each country presented the video film they made on International Language Day. The videodictionaries were very interesting and we all could learn basic phrases in nine foreign languages.

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The morning activities closed with a visit in our school, laboratories, workshops, gym and kindergarten.

12.00 – Trip to Tg. Neamt - Visit to Vanatori Neamt Natural Reservation Students and teachers boarded a coach and went visiting some of the most famous sites of the region -Târgu Neamt Citadel, Popa’s Folk Art Museum and Neamt Monastery.

In the afternoon we made a documentation trip to Tg. Neamt where we visited "Dragos Voda" Carpathian Bison and Wildlife Natural Reservation. Undoubtedly, the main attraction was represented by the bison specimens.

This trip to "Dragos Voda" Carpathian Bison and Wildlife Natural Reservation enabled us to make some direct observations concerning the animals, the maintaining area, to make comparisons, to use previously-acquired knowledge, team work and to consolidate knowledge.

Walking on a 15-metre high walkway enabled us to closely see treetops, birds and animals in their natural habitat as well as a view of the bisons from a higher perspective.

Students and teachers listened to the explanations provided by the engineer from "Vanatori Neamt" National Park, Romanian teachers interfering in order to emphasise some specific issues.

The Centre's representative showed us with a film about the evolution and semi-freely growth of bisons and offered promotional materials as gifts for the foreign guests. We also visited the Visitors' Centre where we could see the Bison Museum with a series of temporary and permanent exhibitions of which we specify Temporary Exhibition In black and white, Exhibition Crafts and traditions in the land of bison, Exhibition Bison in Neamt County which is, moreover, the main exhibition and suspended walkway built of wood at 15m height over a length of 200m, which allows observation of wildlife and vegetation.

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During their visit, the students could  see the territorial organisation of the reservation;  identify animal species living in the area;  learn about the reservation's historical background;  identify bison tracks in the forest;  exemplify the possibility of monitoring bison in wilderness with the help of Telemetry.

16.00 - Visit to Neamt citadel The guests visited the Neamt Citadel and they were shown relics regarding local history and the importance of the citadel in defending this part of Romania

Tuesday, 7.10.2014 8.00 Trip to Piatra Neamt-Bicaz - Visit to an institution for environment protection Neamt Environmental Agency ensures, through its specialised compartments, the realisation of environmental activities at county level.

The specialists working in this institution presented students materials with information about protected areas in our county - the four parks (three natural + one national) with their beauties, about polluting sources and types of pollution as well as the way of acting in order to diminish the negative effects on the environment, air quality in Neamt county and the air quality monitoring system with the help of the existing automatic stations, ways of monitoring soil and environment quality, the technical devices they use to monitor, environmental factors whose radioactivity is being monitored, the frequency of sample collecting, the preparation, measurement and calculation of specific activities, detection limits and the results' lack of precision.

Students and teachers present showed high interest in the presentation and asked questions about the issues considered important for them.

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10.00 – 18.00 Documentation trip to Bicaz Gorges, Red Lake The guests could see the beautiful landscape, they discussed about natural reservations and compliance with environmental laws.

They learned about the protected areas and protected species in the area, about Izvorul Muntelui Lake and the hydroelectric plant existing there and the ways of producing electricity.

Wednesday, 8.10.2014 9.00 – 10.00 Students and teachers involved in the project had a meeting with the mayor Laurentiu Dan Leoreanu in the meeting room of Roman City Hall.

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On this occasion, the mayor congratulated the participants in the Comenius project and offered the members of the foreign delegation the symbols of our city.

During the meeting, the participants discussed about the activities developed within the project meeting in Roman, about the project final products, emphasising, at the same time, the importance of youth collaboration which allows them to discover, through these meetings, that, although they belong to different civilisations, they are united by the same preoccupations, feelings and aspirations.

The Spanish international project coordinator, Francisco Luque, appreciated the hospitality with which the participants were welcomed at their arrival in Roman and the cultural and scientific landmarks visited during the trips.

11.00 – 12.00 After the meeting with the mayor, the participants in the project attended a meeting with representatives of the Environment Protection Agency at "Danubiana" Technical College. They discussed about the biodiversity of the surrounding area and about the effects pollution has on the environment.

Mr. Cristian Cozma, the representative of the Environment Clearance, presented students and teachers information about the environmental condition, the control over activities which have an impact on the environment, about compliance with environmental laws, execising control over activities which present risks for major accidents and/or a significant border impact on the environment in order to prevent and limit pollution risks.

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Mrs. Manuela Moraru - a commissioner of the Environment Clearance presented information about the activities undertaken to control the compliance of environment regulations regarding the conservation of natural habitats, flora, wildlife and aquacultures, biodiversity and protected natural areas. It was interesting to find out what the protected species in Neamt county are and the measures taken for their conservation.

Protected species: the lynx and the wild cat, species of migratory birds, among which the most common are:the white swan and the winter swan, the mallard, the tufted duck and the red duck, the blue gull, the silver gull, the black stork and plants such as the edelweiss.

12.00 – 14.00 Presentation of students work Students from each country presented the most important environmental issues that are found in areas they come from. The presentations were very interesting, all students were paying attention and had to learn especially the solutions found in each area for those environmental problems.

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15.00-16.30 Project activity (workshop for students, discussions for teachers) In the afternoon, the project team split into two groups, students and teachers.

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Teachers discussed the state of achievement of project objectives, the activities scheduled for the next meeting in Turkey and full year stage sundial in every school achievement and assessment meeting in Romania.

Students in an adjoining room made of paper sundials, worked in multinational groups and then presented their work, even checking the validity time.

16.30 Students from our school presented a show with Romanian traditional games.

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Thursday, 9.10.2014 8.00-9.30 Project activity - Receiving certificates of attendance - Evaluation sesion https://projectsarah.wordpress.com/dissemination-2/in-romania/ After the international project coordinator's, Francisco Luque, conclusions, "Danubiana" Technical College's headmaster awarded the participant students and teachers the certificates of attendance thanking them for their presence in Roman, for their work and understanding, underlining the importance of such projects in developing students' language,social and life skills.

10.00 Trip to Iasi The project participants, students and teachers, together with other students from our school took part in the trip to Iasi where they visited: - The Botanical Garden - "Al.I. Cuza" University - The Metropolitan Cathedral - The Palace of Culture

Strong points – FEEDBACK OF THE FOREIGN DELEGATIONS o *all the delegations appreciated the perfect organization and the hosting families who provided a welcoming atmosphere to their students and how well the host students organized cooperatively the free time of their guests. o *all the delegations enjoyed attending the activities - they appreciated the school tour and their possibility to see the students at bakery workshops. o *all the members of the delegations took part and highly praised the efforts and the success of the Romanian students and teachers in organizing the folk dance moment. o *all the delegations appreciated the cares, attention and kindness they were welcomed with everywhere, they thanked the hosting families for their hospitality.

They appreciated the good matching of the hosting families and their permanent keeping in touch with them. o *all the delegations enjoyed the visiting tours, the possibility to visit a Nuns’ famous orthodox monastery – the Neamt Monastery, to climb the Bicaz Gorges, to see the unique scenery of the Red Lake, to experience the folk traditions live at POPA’s museum. who offered our guests the unique opportunity to discover the richness and

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beauty of the Romanian traditions - to dance together, to learn Romanian dances and to find out how handsome they look in the Romanian folk costume. o *all the delegations thanked the Romanian team for the idea of organizing the common meals for the teachers, in different locations in town, as these helped them in the discussions on the project and also to have some fun with their fellow teachers. o *all the delegations joined together in thanking the Romanian team for all the efforts to solve their problems, to make them feel at home and for making this meeting a great one!

Weak points 

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any activity in internationally mixed groups should be a great idea - doing things together is the best way to establish and develop connections - Comenius students should join internationally mixed groups and fulfill a task together - one of the objectives of the Comenius meetings is to bring traditions and share them with the delegations, and the students should have the chance to take an active role. not enough time for cultural visits, there being many special things worth being known and seen by foreign people in order to get acquainted with and appreciate our country; -the lack of time, the numerous activities and tiredness had their say after the five days spent together.

Conclusions All in all, the delegations enjoyed their time spent in Romania. They had the great opportunity to experience Romanian food and customs live, to socialize with the native people, to attend classes in a Romanian Technical School, to meet experts in environmental protection - to-be and professionals, to interact with the Romanian teachers and get acquainted with the Romanian school system. They also worked together to fulfill the targets of the Comenius project . The good practices of the project will be disseminated in the context of the National Symposium “Modern School” – topic ”Good practices through European projects”, section European School Projects - in May 2015 in Piatra Neamt.

Last, but not least, we want to add that the experience for the students has been superb, and it has had a big impact in our school. Many of our students do not have the chance of travelling abroad, so for them spending time with other partners has been a great experience and has for sure boosted the students towards a higher participation and involving in the project. We also feel very happy with the response of the families of students and we have no news of negative experiences with their host students.

According to our own survey on the families´experience, they are all very positive, they have felt very comfortable with the host student, considering the exchange a great experience with, in some cases, even emotive scenes at farewell.

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Appendix Neamț Citadel Neamț Citadel (Romanian: Cetatea Neamț or Cetatea Neamțului) is a medieval fortress located in north-eastern part of Romania, near Târgu Neamț, Neamț County. It was built in 14th century Moldavia during Petru I of Moldavia's reign and expanded in the 15th century.

The citadel played a key role in Stephen III of Moldavia's defense system, along with Suceava, Hotin, Soroca, Orhei, Tighina, Chilia and Cetatea Albǎ.

In 1475, during the reign of Stephen the Great, on the northern side were added four

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rounded bastions, 30 m high, and the walls were raised with 6-7 m. The new access road into the citadel is represented by an arched bridge, finished by a drawbridge, and supported on 11 stone pillars with prismatic form. The exterior fortification system included also ditches and palisades The garrison had currently 300 soldiers. The fortress was besieged many times by Hungarians, Turks, Tatars, Cossacks, Austrians, Polish, and had a particular importance in the defensive system of Moldavia. Practically, during the 14th-18th centuries, any major event in the history of Moldavia was linked, in a way or another, to the citadel.

In the 18th century, it lost any political or military importance and began to deteriorate. During the reign of Mihail Sturdza (1834-1849) the citadel was protected and in 1866 was declared a historical monument. Between 1968-1972, the walls were reinforced, without the reconstruction of the missing portions. Nowadays, the fortress represents one of the most visited objectives of the region.

`Dragos Voda` Bison Reserve, Neamt County Bison Reserve and Carpathian Fauna Dragos Voda, was founded in 1968. The first three bison were brought here in 1970 from Poland. In 1974, they were born here a male and a

female. Dragos Voda Bison Reserve, currently Zoo Dragos Voda, one of the four protected areas included in the Natural Park Vanatori Neamt, streches about 11,500 ha.

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Of the 28 bison existing at Vanatori Neamt, only 7, two males and five females were housed in tourist purpose by Zoo Dragos Voda. The remaining copies are in The Acclimatization Park which covers an area surrounded by 180 hectares of land. Currently, the garden includes, in addition to bison population, copies of Carpathian deer, fallow deer, one pair of mouflon, deer, fox, one bear, one wolf, and various species of birds. In the zoo there are 3 ponds named Bison`s, Deer`s, Stag`s specially designed for fishing with beautiful specimens of carp, Prussian carp, zander, pike or perch, the most attractive and very well maintained pond is Bison`s Lake located right at the entrance of the reserve, on the left.

Starting with the year 2002, the reserve accommodation spaces from reserve benefits from a modernization program so that in the moment, Bison Reservation Dragos Voda is one of the largest and most representative reserves in Europe and one of the most visited tourist attractions in Neamt County.

Bison reintroduction programme The Bison, apart from its natural function as a keystone species, can serve as an excellent flagship species for the promotion of nature conservation and the creation of public awareness. Its very presence would also provide economic benefits through an increased attractiveness of the region for eco-tourists, naturalists, etc.

A component of the Bison reintroduction programme aims to increase public awareness and the ecological education of children. This was achieved by involving local communities in several actions such as: - Printing leaflets and an educational manual - Lessons for school children - Green Days - Workshops - Press releases

Key management objectives: Maintain biodiversity Develop and implement strategy for free living Bison Sacred natural site Support communities in keeping local traditions and values Promote and support Park friendly activities for students

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Involve public and local communities in conservation of Park values through education and public awareness activities International cooperation Build Park capacity, establish mechanisms for ongoing activity, promote close cooperation with all stakeholders Vanatori Natural Park represents an oasis of peace and beautiful scenery, the beauty of this place comes from the harmony of the environment and the beautiful colored of the seasons. As a tourist once you reached this place you’ll feel an inner peace and you’ll enjoy the picturesque of the monasteries.

In forests like the Silver Forest or the Copper Forest our greatest poet Mihai Eminescu wrote some of his famous lyrics. Agapia is the place where visitors will see the famous paintings of young Nicolae Grigorescu and where Gala Galaction founded the face of his future love.

Neamț Monastery Year Built: 15th century Built By: Stephen the Great Location: Târgu Neamţ Summary: The main entrance to the compound is through a vaulted passage under the bell tower. The lower part of the tower is probably the original construction built during the reign of Prince Alexander the Kind (14001432), but the upper part was added later. The vaulted passage is decorated with frescoes that seem to have been inspired by the popular novel Varlaam and Ioasaf. The frescoes are dated from the 15th and 16th centuries.

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The NeamĹŁ Monastery is first mentioned in a 14th century document, in which Petru I (1375-1391) donates villages and lands to the monastery. Nothing remains of the original buildings. It is not known what happened to the church that Petru I had built, but it is possible that an earthquake damaged it in 1471. The monastic buildings were built and rebuilt several times during the centuries. The present constructions, which form a defensive wall around the church, were built during the 18th and 19th centuries.

The imposing Church of the Ascension of the Saviour dominates the yard.

Visit to an institution for environment protection

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Neamt is a public authority responsible for environment protection at the county level. It has a staff of 40 people and most of them are engineers in different fields of expertise like: chemistry, hydrology, forestry, geology, agronomy, physics, civil constructions. There are also ecologists, biologists, geographers, economists. The overall responsibility of the institution is to implement and to enforce the

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national environmental legislation and the EU Directives including Water Directives. One specific responsibility of the Agency is to record, collect, process and evaluate data and information on the condition and change of the environmental media – water, air and soil.

Based on these data, the Agency develops annual environmental state reports published on website, strategies and action plans. One example is the Local Action Plan for Environment (LAPE) that was developed in 2014.

Mission The National Environmental Protection Agency Neamt has been intended to work in order to ensure a healthy environment, in line with Romania’s economical development and its social progress. The mission consists in a ensuring a better environment for the present and future generations, through a continuous enhancement of air, soil and water quality.

For these reasons, NEPA has attributes in the following areas:

Their responsibilities        

- Ensuring technical support for the elaboration of environmental strategies and policies; - Coordinating the implementation of environmental strategies and policies at the national, and local levels; - Authorizing activities having a potential environmental impact and ensuring compliance with the legal provisions; - Managing of the local reference laboratories for air, waste, noise and vibrations, radioactivity; - Coordinating the processes of environmental planning at regional and local levels; - Elaborating comprehensive documents regarding the state of the environment; - Reporting the priority data flows to the European Environment Agency through the Eionet network; - Ensuring the communication with the National and European Environment Agency and with similar national and federal agencies according to the competencies in the environmental field;

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The objectives of the Authority are to assure a clean environment, a better life conditions and sustainable development for the people of Neamt County. Climate change, water scarcity and drought are almost new problems that we are facing with and these problems have to be included in the Local Action for Environment. Participation in the European projects will be an opportunity for the institution and for the experts to share experience and to learn from more experienced partners about improving water demand-side management strategies, adapting to climate change effects on water management and handling drought periods and mitigate drought effects.

The Bicaz Gorges and Red Lake The Bicaz Gorge (Romanian: Cheile Bicazului) is a gorge in Romania, located in the north-east part of the country, in Neamţ and Harghita counties; it is part of the Cheile BicazuluiHășmaș National Park.

The gorge was excised by the waters of Bicaz River and it serves as a passageway between the Romanian provinces of Moldova and Transylvania, the former border between Romania and the Kingdom of Hungary.

It is a noted location to see the wallcreeper, an uncommon cliff-dwelling bird.

The road along the 8 kilometres of ravines, often in serpentines with rock on one side and a sheer drop on the other, is one of the most spectacular drives in the country. Also within the gorge is Lacul Roşu (the Red Lake), with its traditional cabins, hotels, and its famous lake (situated at 980m altitude) caused by a landslide in the 19th century.

Cheile Bicazului is one of the main rock climbing sites in Romania.

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The road that slices through the Bicaz Gorges (Cheile Bicazului), 20km west of Bicaz, is among Romania’s most spectacular. The gorge twists and turns steeply uphill for 5km, cutting through sheer, 300m-high limestone rocks. At one point, the narrow mountain road runs uncomfortably beneath the overhanging rocks in a section known as the ‘neck of hell’ (Gâtul Iadului). Tourists staggering around, mouths agape, have brought with them the requisite dozens of artisan stalls, stationed right where visitors park their cars.

However, this is mostly forgivable as some of these locally made crafts are actually quite nice. This stretch of road is protected as part of the Hasmas-Bicaz Gorges National Park (Parcul National Hasmas-Cheile Bicazului).

The gorge is a protected area within the Hasmas - Bicaz Gorges National Park which has hundreds of plant species within its environs.

A number of these are rare, for example, there is a rare variety of Edelweiss, also the Yellow Lady's Slipper (Cypripedium) and the pyramid bugle. (Ajuga pyramidalis).

A few kilometers west, you cross into Transylvania’s Harghita County and immediately hit the resort of Lacu Rosu. The lake gets its famous mystique due to the strange forest of dead tree stumps that juts out of its murky waters at 45 degree angles.

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This oddness is due to numerous dead tree stumps which rise out of the waters of the lake at an angle of 45 degrees. Lying as it does, in a pretty valley surrounded by soaring peaks covered with pine forests, a resort with hotels, villas and stores has sprung up over the years to service the many visitors to the lake.

While this is considered to be one of Romania’s weirdest natural wonders, don’t get your expectations up too high or you’ll be disappointed. It’s just a cool sight and a nice place to picnic. Don’t drive way out of your way to get here. This attractive lake was formed naturally when a landslide in 1838 dammed the Bicaz River and created what is often considered to be one of Romania's oddest natural wonders.

Legend has it that the ‘red lake’ or ‘killer lake’ was formed from the flowing blood of a group of hapless picnickers who had the misfortune to be sitting beneath the mountainside when it collapsed, crushing them to death. I’m not sure about the blood part, but a landslide did occur in 1838, which led to a natural damming of the Bicaz River, flooding the valley.

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Izvorul Muntelui Dam The Lake Izvorul Muntelui, also known as Lake Bicaz, is the largest artificial lake on the interior waters of Romania; it was created after the completion of a dam built on the Bistriţa River. The dam is located a few kilometers north of the town of Bicaz.

The dam was built between 1950 and 1960 and is used to generate hydroelectricity at the Bicaz-Stejaru hydro-plant. It has a height of 127 meters, a length of 435 meters, and a maximum width of 119 meters. The lake has a length of 40 kilometers, an area of 33 km² and a maximum volume of 1,250 million m³.

The lake is a popular tourist destination in the region, especially in summertime, when visitors can take the ferryboat from the Bicaz port for a short trip on the lake, enjoying the magnificent view of Mount Ceahlău on the west shore. Bicaz-Stejaru Hydro Power Plant is a hydropower development on the Bistriţa River river, near Bicaz, Romania.

The project was started and finished in the 1950s. It consists of a dam, a reservoir and a hydro power plant.

The dam is a reinforced concrete structure with a height of 127 m; it formed and holds Bicaz Lake reservoir, also known as Mountain Spring Lake ("Lacul Izvorul Muntelui").

The reservoir is the largest artificial lake in Romania; it manages river levels downstream, provides fishing, attracts tourism, fuels the power plant, and controls flooding.

The Oak Hydro-power plant ("Hidrocentrala Stejaru") is equipped with six turbines (four-27.5 MW and two-50 MW turbines) for a total installed capacity of 210 MW. The plant

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generates an average of 500 GWh of electricity per year, at a capacity factor of 30%; it has produced over 20 billion MWh of electricity in the first 50 years since commissioning.

At Potoci, a few kilometers north of the town of Bicaz, there is a biological research facility, equipped with a small submersible used for underwater explorations. The facility was visited by the marine biologist Jacques-Yves Cousteau in 1984.

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