Local NGO Tășuleasa Social has opened the fundraising for Via Transilvanica, a pilgrimage route project that will cross the region of Transylvania.

The route will start in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, a city in southwestern Romania, where King Carol I first entered the country, and will end in Putna, in the north-east part of the country. This is where Moldavia medieval ruler Ștefan cel Mare (Steven the Great) is buried. In between the two localities, the route will go through ten counties on a 1,000 km distance.

The planned route will go through the counties of Mehedinți, Caraș-Severin, Hunedoara, Alba, Sibiu, Brașov, Harghita, Mureș, Bistrița-Năsăud and Suceava, and is set to offer those undertaking it various cultural, sports, and leisure opportunities.

Raiffeisen Bank will finance the first 100 km of Via Transilvanica. The bank also supported the NGO's Via Maria Theresia project, which was aimed at reconditioning a historic route in the Calimani Mountains.

The route will be set up in several stages, beginning with a 100 km – long section in Bistrița-Năsăud county this year. Afterwards, the entire route will be marked with andesite milestones. The Via Transilvanica infrastructure will provide information on accommodation and meal options but also historical and cultural info about the various areas the road will go through.

The Via Transilvanica project is inspired by similar routes in Spain and the United States.

Donations for the project can be made here.

Planned long-distance trail explores Transylvania region

(Photo: Via Transilvanica Facebook Page)

editor@romania-insider.com