An American in Romania

Baile Herculane - Day 2

Ok, when was the last time I was awoken at the crack of dawn by a rooster outside my window? The answer is very easy - NEVER!!!! Little did I know when I opened my window the night before, there would be a big-ass chicken thinking I needed to get up when he and his flock of chickens did.

My chicken friend was not alone - he had some turkey with him and a couple guinea fowl who all sang in chorus together (in Romanian). It was pretty funny.

After wiping the tears from my eyes from laughing, I crawled downstairs and had breakfast with the crew. While they all got ready to set out for the day, I went outside to see the sun crest over the mountain top. It was incredible.

In the yard owned by the hotel keepers was an amazing magnolia tree, grape vines, and this really cool picnic table they made.

It was time to head out so we drove into the town center and parked so we could enjoy the Central Park and other sights. One of the wildest things was to find an actual sequoia tree growing in front of the old casino (which closed after the fall of Communism but is not being rebuilt). Who would ever think my first sequoia tree sighting would be in Baile Herculane in Europe. I didn't know they existed anywhere except northern California. This tree is pretty small in comparison because it is a young tree, it is only 30 meters tall so far and has a base diameter of 1.5 meters. It is a very rare species and has been declared a Monument of Nature by the Romanian government. The locals say baron Deitrich Josef, owner of vineyard in northern Romania, brought the sequoia gigantea seedling from California in 1845. There are many more sequoia here in the mountains to the north of here.

Near the giant sequoia in the Central Park was another beautiful magnolia tree in full bloom I couldn't resist.

Across from the casino (above) is one of the sights I had been wanting to see since I first started researching Romania - the abandoned train station in Baile Herculane. This was once the most beautiful and full of history railway station in all of Romania. Erected between 1778 and 1886, the building was initially a hunting house of the Emperor Franz Joseph of Austria. A faithful copy of the hunting castle near Wien of the Empress Maria Theresa, the baroque building is highlighted by an elegant appearance. The inside is decorated with murals representing elements of Romanian mythology. Our wonderful tour guide told me she had been here in the mid-80s and the train was still running. But with the fall of Communism, it fell into ruin. Fortunately, an investor has purchased it and is going to bring it back to its original splendor.

Our walk continued through Baile Herculane and this time to my number one goal - the statue of Hercules in a square named after the Greek semi-god. The spa town of Băile Herculane has a long history of human habitation. Numerous archaeological discoveries show the area has been inhabited since the Paleolithic era. The Peștera Hoților (Cave of the Thieves), contains multiple levels, including one from the Mousterian period, one from the Mesolithic period (late Epigravettian) and several from the later Neolithic periods. The spas, rich in hot springs since Dacian times, are located on an ancient volcanic fissure in the south-west of the country, a part of the “Domogled–CernaValley” National Park.

Legend has it the weary Hercules stopped in the valley to bathe and rest. Unearthed stone carvings show visiting Roman aristocrats turned the town into a Roman leisure center. Six statues of Hercules from the time have been discovered. The bronze replica of one of them (the one I have posted here), was molded in 1847; made from a melted down Austrian cannon, stands as a landmark in the town center. Austrian and Ottoman troops clashed here after the Ottoman victory in the battle of Mehadiaon in 30 August 1788. The Ottomans won the skirmish, took the town on 7 September 1788 and advanced to Caransebeș. It was retaken by the Austrians at the end of September 1789.

The spa town is documented from 153 AD on a votive candle table discovered in the archeological sites opened in the mid-19th century:

“To the gods and water divinities, Ulpius Secundinus, Marius Valens, Pomponius Haemus, of Carus, Val, Valens, sent as Roman delegates to assist in the election of their former colleague Severianusas consul, returned unharmed and erected this tribute of appreciation”.

Discovering the hot springs of Dacia, Emperor Trajan, who borrowed the spa cult from the Greeks, laid the foundations of a spa town (102 AD) in the valley of the Cerna River. Here, at Therme Herculi, the Romans built several spas dedicated to Hercules (the patron of hot springs) and, in time, they started to be appreciated for their therapeutic value. Today there is even an geriatric hospital where patients are treated with the "Fountain of Youth" waters of this spa town.

A postcard of this square dating back to what we believe are the 1920s

The German in the postcard is translated as: "The main road from Hurculesbad with the Hercules fountain. Locally this city found fierce battles with Romanian troops."

I tried to recreate the postcard photo - minus the German soldiers

In the square was a local man playing a Romanian flute, he was really talented and delightful to listen to.

Adjacent to the statue of Hercules and at the end of the square is a beautiful very small Catholic Church we visited.

Across the street from the church is the Bath of Apollo, they are also being renovated.

We had to stick our camera lenses through the boarded up windows to get these shots. They look quite promising for future visitors. The modern history of Herculane Baths begins after 1718, during the Austrian Empire, as the spa town was rebuilt and modernized after 1736 in a baroque style. Besides the therapeutic use of the waters, the hot springs also benefit from spectacular natural scenery. The spa town is reknown for its supposedly natural healing properties: hot springs with sulfur, chlorine, sodium, calcium, magnesium and other minerals, as well as negatively ionized air. Before World War II, when the first modern hotel was built (1930) it remained a popular destination with Western Europeans. During the Communist rule, mass tourism facilities were built, such as the 8 to 12-storied concrete hotels Roman, Hercules A, Hercules B, Afrodita, Minerva, Diana, UGSR, etc., which even today dominate the skyline. We walked past them on our way into town from our hotel. It was visited by all kinds of people, but was especially popular with employees and retirees, who would spend their state-allotted vacation vouchers there, hoping to improve their health.