On entering the Moinesti municipality, coming from Bacau, the traveller is welcomed by an impressive monument that was built here in 1996 by Romanian-born German sculptor Ingo Glass upon request of the city authorities, wanting to mark the 100th anniversary since the birth of the famous citizen of this locality, Tristan Tzara.

A poet, playwright and essayist, Tristan Tzara, by his true name Samuel Rosenstock, after an early experience during his high school years as a promoter of a cultural magazine published under the intellectual guidance of poet Alexandru Macedonski and painter Iosif Iser, he moved to Switzerland, where he co-founded the ‘Dada’ cultural movement. A monument in Moinesti is today called after this important art movement of the 20th century that led to a major cultural revolution back in its time.

The generation of artists from the early 20th century, for the first time facing the horrors of a war that didn’t seem to end soon, was one of the most radical in the history of mankind.

Intellectuals, deserters, political refugees, who were all revolted against how absurd the conflict actually was, used to gather regularly around Romanian writer Tristan Tzara, the organiser of the Cabaret Voltaire in Zurich, the Swiss capital, in the context in which Switzerland managed to keep a stance of armed neutrality. The writer who was born in Moinesti came up with the movement manifesto through which, while trying to respond to absurdity with absurdity, preached rebellion by putting forth more challenging than aesthetic ideas. He later moved to Paris where he intended to launch Dadaism in the European capital of culture.

It was due to his fame he enjoyed in the avant-garde circles in the Unites States and Canada that the Moinesti municipality became known as the Dada City, according to professor Vasile Tobciuc, who wrote three books on Tristan Tzara appreciated by literary critic Petru Isachi as being ‘impressive through the symphony of the avant-garde thinking, the differentiation from the street rhetoric, expressing nonconformity to what means freedom of expression.’

After a slippage towards surrealism, followed by his enlisting in the French Resistance during the World War II and his adhesion to the French Communist Party from which he soon resigned — in sign of protest from the position of a member against what happened in Hungary in 1956, Tristan Tzara died in 1963 in Paris, being buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery.

In 2013, the Moinesti municipality placed a monument to his memory, designed by artist Giulian Dumitriu, in a downtown square known as ‘the Arcade.’ The work made from aluminum and designed following a ‘random cinematic concept’ shows an artist standing with his left heel on the peak of a pyramid placed on the back of a horse also mounted on a four-wheel cart, in French language Dada meaning ‘horse toy.’

‘Obviously, there is something magic about this monument: the artist wearing a cap adorned with disparate letters and bearing on his left shoulder a rich-folded cloak stretches his left arm to point to, most probably, an indefinite future,’ said the artist from Bacau Vasile Craita Mandra.

Whenever the wind blows the folds of his cloak, the carved body easily spins due to a vertical axis based on a bearing system, so that the direction his left hand points at changes randomly.

Moreover, every year, in April, when Tristan Tzara’s birthday approaches, Moinesti becomes the host of the International Symposium and Museum Exhibition ‘Tristan Tzara and the DADA Culture’, a very prestigious event that enjoys the participation of cultural personalities, poets, artists, essayists, literary critics and historians, journalists and professors, passionate with studying the Dada movement and the innovating trends in the postmodern art of all continents.

The annual symposium includes multimedia presentations, concerts, poetry recitals, staging of the DADA manifestos, exhibitions organised at the MansArta Art Galleries in the locality.

Besides, Moinesti was the birth place of many artists. They are no less than 6 prestigious artists who live here today, members of the Union of Plastic Artists, whose works are presented in both national and international exhibitions.

While continuing the tradition, Moinesti hosts every summer the Annual Painting and Sculpture Camp ‘Artists at the Pine Park’, an event that occasions, according to painter Ilie Boca ‘a spectacular parade of ideas and talent of the participants,’ of famous artists from Romania and abroad.

In order to mark the importance of the oil as the main natural resource exploited at industrial level in the area for more than 130 years, the Moinesti municipality also hosts annual manifestations and an exhibition entitled ‘Black Gold: Tradition and Continuity in Moinesti.’

The authorities organise debate sessions on drilling and processing of the oil in the Moinesti area, laced with stories about people and places.

The permanent exhibition of photography initiated at the Moinesti Town Hall on the occasion of the first edition of the event back in 2012, includes images and archival documents.

Moinesti also hosts the annual exhibition of folk art ‘Golden Hands’, with various artists and craftsmen coming here to show their artistry.

Another local event turned international is ?The Medical Days’ hosted by the Moinesti Emergency Hospital. As many as 400 physicians and special guests and also professors from Romania, Italy, Germany, Israel, France the Republic of Moldova and the United States of America have participated in this year’s edition.

‘The event represents an ideal opportunity for guests to present the results of their research, to find out about the latest discoveries in their field of expertise and to exchange experience with the other participants,’ showed the director of the hospital, Adrian Cotarlet.

The Moinesti Hospital benefited from important investments this year from the City Hall and the Bacau County Council, the result of which were a heliport, unique in Romania for a hospital of this size, and it was also established the single research department in Romania approved by the Romanian Academy of Medical Science that is not attached to a university.

In end-July, the Moinesti municipality and the beautiful mountain landscape surrounding it hosts for the second consecutive year the most spectacular competition of the ‘Moldova Auto Rally’, a competition counting as a leg in the National Championship, and also another spectacular competition that requires courage and intelligence, namely the Moinesti Mountain Biking National Championship 2014, this year at its first edition.

‘With so many successful events organised here, in order to be able to highlight even more our region’s scenic landscape, mostly unknown to the wide public and also the hospitality of the people, their desire to communicate through art, culture, science or sports, we though next year to start an annual agenda that to be entirely dedicated to a type of events tourism. We will offers thus to our visitors the occasion to learn new things and notice the particularities of a landscapes that is less known by tourists. We have the human resources that we need, and even the financial resources, and we have already prepared the projects. I believe that we will succeed in doing what we proposed as part of our municipality’s local development strategy,’ said Mayor Viorel Ilie.

Thus, we are currently building a Municipal Culture House with funds from the local budget and the County Council. ‘We want to equip it with everything that is necessary for events o be hosted here to become more and more spectacular and numerous […] We have also drafted projects to get European funds for promoting this type of tourism and also to be able to completely rebuild the street infrastructure of the City, while benefiting from 16 million lei in funds or for rebuilding ‘an unpolished gem’ of our City, which is the Bai Park,’ said the City Mayor.

Situated downtown Moinesti, a park known for its five mineral springs with healing properties welcomes its visitors with its beautiful scenery. One only needs to make a few steps inside to escape from the noisy city and thus feel rewarded.

It seems that the five sulphurous and ferruginous springs in the park were discovered by accident in 1860 by oil workers.

The City used to be visited by a large number of tourists coming from all over the country to drink from these springs thought to have healing properties.

Among the patients who came here for a treatment back in the summer of 1909 was famous painter Stefan Luchian, who was so thrilled with the beauty of the landscape that he went on working on a series of paintings while he was here. The artist even confessed in a letter to a friend that ‘beautiful proves to be just another empty word while used to describe the wonderful scenery surrounding Moinesti…’

The archives from the 1930s notice the fact that Moinesti was among the most appreciated spa destinations in inter-war Romania.

The Moinesti City Mayor, Viorel Ilie, also shared his satisfaction for the hotel near the park — built in 1989 — will finally become the property of the city administration after a ‘long and tiring legal battle.’

‘We will finally have a proper accommodation unit to welcome our guests coming from the various parts of the world, among whom there will be our guests from the Israeli City Rosh Pinna, where the Romanian Jews living in Moinesti went in late 19th century to contribute to the foundation of the Israeli state, a City that wants to become entwined with us, which also makes us very glad,’ said the Mayor.

The City has another park to be proud of, the Dada Park in front of the City Hall, and also the natural protected area ‘The Pine Forest’, a beautiful plantation of Canadian black pine that has been in the care of the Steaua Romaniei Oil Foundation ever since 1930 when it tries to stabilise landslides that were happening in the northern area of the City. Today one can find here restaurants and accommodation units — small wooden houses made by the local builders.

As regards the spiritual treasure of the Moinesti municipality, several important cult settlements could be mentioned: cathedral of Virgin Mary’s Nativity, Church of the Holy Virgin Martyr Paraskeva, dated in 1676, the Saint Voivods Church, built in 1850, the Saint George Church, 1860, the Church of the Holy Martyr and Healer Panteleimon, which is the single wooden church in northern Maramures style in the Diocese of Bacau and Roman.AGERPRES

Choral music, the master key to human sensibility and a source of comfort in troubled times, has been dwelling in the souls of many Bacau locals for at least one century now, as proves the existence of two landmark choirs of the county: the ‘Athenaeum’ Choir of the Bacau municipality and the Peasant Choir of the Oituz commune.

Although the number of choruses has decreased dramatically from the 150 that used to perform in the ?80s in the County of Bacau, an enthusiast of this genre, Professor Vintila Dabija, argues that the need for choral music is still out there, and that, in addition to the aforementioned formations, the „Armonia” student choir of the „George Apostu” National College of Arts of Bacau enjoys particular success in the country and abroad.

„Choral music conveys an extraordinary message, primarily through the harmony created among the voices and through the bond between the spectator and artist, through that state of wellbeing and comfort given by the beautiful sonority. Then, most importantly, it fosters communication between people with different levels of culture, whose sole purpose is to transpose into the ether the wonderful essence of the score. But the choir also shapes characters, reinforces human solidarity. This is about cohabitation within a group, communication, about fine-polishing behaviors and culture,” says in turn Professor Gheorghe Gozar from the „George Apostu” National College of Arts.

The „Athenaeum” Choir started in 1923 as a musical ensemble of the Bacau primary school teachers. After 1949, the choir functioned under the aegis of either the Education Inspectorate, or of the Education Trade Union.

„Currently it has an independent status, as the ‘Athenaeum’ Choral Society and, although it still belongs to the teachers, it no longer acts under the wing of the County School Inspectorate or of the union. Yet, in order to preserve tradition and stay true to form, we keep in its title the formula ‘teachers’ choir’,” says Professor Ion Banica, the ensemble’s current conductor, who turned 81 last month.

This choir was ?fathered’ by Ion Luca, a priest, poet, playwright, but also a reputed musician. Moreover, Ion Luca was the first conductor of the „Athenaeum” Choir, leading the body of singers until 1932. Then the baton was taken by Professor Alexandru Tiron, a former choir member who led the singers until 1941, and after the war Vasile Parlea conducted it for 15 years. Next to lead the choir was Professor George Vranceanu, and since 1971 Professor Ion Banica has taken the podium.

He says that the secret to the longevity of the „Athenaeum” Choir were passion, dedication and love for choral music, as well as the power to overcome hardships.

The first public recognition of the value of the Bacau vocal ensemble came rather late, in 1972, at the National Contest of Chamber Choirs held in Brasov, where 48 ensembles competed and where the „Athenaeum” took the „Gheorghe Dima” Trophy and the Gold Medal awarded by a jury made up of personalities of the trade like Marin Constantin — conductor of the legendary Madrigal Choir, composer Dumitru Botez and other reputed specialists of Romanian choral music.

There followed other commendable participations in festivals organised in Bacau, Botosani, Suceava, Iasi, Buzau, and in 1983 the „Athenaeum” was invited to perform on the stage of the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest.

„It was a great success, and this is the moment when the international career of the ensemble started, sprinkled with tours and prizes, international festivals in Czechoslovakia, Poland, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Greece or Switzerland,” remembers Gheorghe Gozar, who has been a member of the „Athenaeum” Choir for over 20 years.

In 1983, the „Athenaeum” recorded its first Electrecord LP and in 2001 the choir took to recording two CDs; in 2007 it delivered a vocal-symphonic concert where the pičce de resistance was Vivaldi’s „Gloria”, with maestro Ovidiu Balan at the orchestra lectern.

Since 2003, the lack of financing rendered the „Athenaeum” Choir unable to honor invitations to domestic, but mainly international festivals and competitions.

„We received every year 10-15 such invitations, coming from countries where we have performed, but also from Spain, the Netherlands and Italy. Our last concert was in France in 2003, where to our great joy, we won the first prize,” says Professor Banica.

After 1990, many choirs throughout the country, some very valuable, were disbanded for financial reasons, because the trading companies that supported the musical ensembles disappeared. The choirs funded by trade unions or the Culture Centres did not resist either, and the interest in choral performances also dimmed out.

„Some hard times followed for us too. There are only two known choruses left in the entire region of Moldavia, besides the county of Bacau, one is the choir of the Iasi Conservatory, the other is the Opera choir. That’s all. The ‘Athenaeum’ Choir acts in lieu of a Philharmonic Choir of Bacau and this thanks to maestro Ovidiu Balan, who is responsible for the existence of the Bacau symphonic orchestra, but also for the continuation of the activity of our choir. A great man, a friend of ours. We fought together, he for the Philharmonic, I for the chorus, to resist time. We were stalwart to keep this choir of the teachers into being, for the memory of our forerunners — the wonderful teachers who stood in the ranks of the Bacau choir, who brought to the ‘Athenaeum’ their passion for music, but also the joy of being together, convey to the public a bit of the sparkle of these jewels of choral music, of the wonderful experience it offers,” confesses Professor Ion Banica. In fact, in 2014 there are 91 years since the founding of the choral society he has been heading for nearly 43 years now.

Over the years, the formation’s repertoire has included difficult scores from the symphonic universal creations, including famous works by Mozart, Beethoven, Vivaldi, Strauss, Verdi, but also Romanian choral songs of folk inspiration. The „Athenaeum” performed in concerts with famous opera singers from Romania, France, Italy and the Republic of Moldova.

„I am impressed at what the ‘Athenaeum’ choral has done in time. I am sure that Professor Banica, but also the choir members, make efforts to further resist. A revival of choral music could be sensed in the last years, especially around churches. Now, when choral music is freed of political tutelage, its charm and virtues must reach the people just as the ‘Athenaeum’ attempts to do. And nothing they do is superfluous,” says musicologist and composer Liviu Danceanu, conductor of the ‘Arhaeus’ Choir.

The Oituz Peasant Choir was established in 1903 as a church and people’s choir by priest and PhD student Ion Tudorache, grandfather of great actress Olga Tudorache, with the support of Miss Elena Negropontes, the future wife of General Eremia Grigorescu. After several years, the choir was directed by Valeriu Tudorache, the son of its initiator, and after his early death, it was conducted for 17 years by teacher Constantin Radu. Since 1964 it sings under the baton of Professor Gheorghe Oprea.

„It’s 50 years now since I have been directing, organizing, permanently promoting youth and preparing the choir every day. Everything for keeping it alive, for it to live up to the height of those who have set it up and led it into a century-long activity,” says Professor Gheorghe Oprea.

An old photo of 1913, showing the radiant faces of the choir members dressed in national local-specific costumes, is displayed in a visible place in the Cultural Center of Oituz, the venue for the performances of this peasant chorus of legendary fame for the locals.

„These are the forerunners of the chorus that continued activity, they have been present in the spirituality of the community, of the county and the country, since 110 years. I haven’t met the choir members pictured in this photo, nor the founders of the choir. Yet their grandchildren and grand-grandchildren, the current members of the Oituz peasant choir, them I know well. I have been at their side for more than 30 years,” says Oituz mayor Ion Osolos with his baritone voice, himself a reliable member of the ensemble since the time he was a lad.

Nowadays too, most choir singers are farmers, many of them elderly. There are also entire families who have been singing with the ensemble for many years, like husband and wife Aluiz and Maria Balint and their son, Marcel, but also another family: Cornel — a great tenor, his son Eugen — who boasts a clear bass voice. The couples Aglaia and Vasile Lazar, Aglaia and Ion Todirita should also be mentioned.

In the 110 years of the formation’s activity, more than one thousand locals have sung in the choir, have performed in hundreds of shows, and come to evening rehearsals at the Cultural Center, ensuring the longevity of the choir, that joins together Orthodox and Catholic faithful.

„There is also the patriotic aspect. For dozens of years we have participated in all events organized by the community for the anniversary or commemoration of the fierce battles given at Oituz and Poiana Sarata, in the world conflagrations of the previous century. The event closest to our hearts is ‘The Memory of Oituz’, which has been held every year on August 15 since 1973. Oituz-born guests come to attend from all corners of the country, but also from abroad. It’s beautiful and uplifting to perform for them, sing on stage in your native village in front of young and old, to sing the songs that have strengthened the people’s souls in dramatic moments, or songs that reflect the creative spirit of the locals,” said Professor Gheorghe Oprea.

Attending one year the celebrations in Oituz, Roman Catholic Bishop of Iasi Petru Gherghel said that „gratitude should be expressed to those who have toiled over the years to maintain this ensemble, to those who have sung in the choir.”

Bishop Petru Gherghel also revealed that he „holds particularly high” what the Oituz peasant-choir singers are doing „to promote traditional cultural values, as well as for their long-lasting praise to God and ode to the past of this area and the community they live in.”

„The biggest success is that the choir has always been present in the spirituality of the commune, if we get to speak about the cultural activity of Oituz, rich in folklore tradition, and the choir has always been a landmark in this respect,” mayor Ion Osolos adds in too.

The Oituz peasant choir has also drawn recognition in the country, being invited at almost all choral events organized in various areas, and returning with medals and diplomas; it also performed on the television and radio, where it recorded the anthem of Oituz — „Ancient Hearth.”

„Few communes have an anthem of their own. Whatever event we would attend, our performance begins with the Anthem of Oituz,” says choir member Veronica Covaci.

In a remarkable way, the love for choral music is continued by the „Armonia” Choir that brings together students of the „George Apostu” National College of Arts in Bacau.

In the 24 years since its founding, the 40 members of this dynamic formation that changes its structure every year, recorded songs performed in the company of professional symphonic formations, the Bacau Symphony Orchestra, soloists of the National Opera, but also with orchestras from Brasov and Satu Mare.

The „Armonia” Choir also accompanied renowned singer and songwriter Tudor Gheorghe on his ‘Seasons’ tour. Older choir line-ups performed in concerts in France, Ukraine, Poland, Hungary, Italy; the choir was honored with awards and special commendations, including the Popularity Award at the renowned European choir festival „May Inflorescence” hosted by the French city of Tours.

Yet another remarkable feat is the presentation last year in Vienna, in a world premiere, of the „Symphonia Romani’, a composition by 27-year old Adrian Gaspar, who was born in Timisoara and now lives in Vienna.

„This show, initiated by maestro Teodor Coresi, was particularly special, not only because it is a novelty for music lovers, but because it was presented in a sensitive social and political context where Roma ethnics do not enjoy a favorable image in Europe, and many of this community are being expelled from various countries of the continent. The subject of this vocal-symphonic creation is the reflection, through the feelings of a Roma child who has been a prisoner in Auschwitz, of one of the deep tragedies endured by the members of this ethnic group. The performance of the Bacau teens received a standing ovation. I was aware, from previous collaborations, of the value of the ensemble led by Professor Gheorghe Gozar, but what they did to confer deepness to the Symphonia Romani is just amazing for such young voices. The score is very difficult to sing, there are bars that require profound knowledge of vocal technique, a deep living of music. Well, they were able to render all that, even on a stage in the homeland of music, Austria,” says conductor of the show Ovidiu Balan, honorary director of the Bacau Philharmonic.

Created at a time when the choral movement in Romania had entered a certain decline, the ‘Armonia’ Choir, conceived at first as an equal-voice ensemble that turned into a mixed choir in 1996,” resisted through love and tenacity,” said its initiator and conductor, Professor Gheorghe Gozar.

„Every year, a class leaves College and we have to rebuild the composition of the choir. It’s a ‘perpetuum mobile’. It’s a tremendous work to attain high performance, and our choir has reached that peak. It has won the National Contest three times, we are present almost every year at festivals and international competitions,” said the conductor.

In the eighth and ninth decade of the last century, Gheorghe Gozar had succeeded in creating a valuable workers’ choir, with over one hundred members from MRO specialist and aerospace parts manufacturer Aerostar Bacau; this body of singers had reached the performance of playing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Philharmonic and soloists of the National Opera.

The same professor now guides the Orthodox Seminary Choir of Roman, the choir of the „St. Nicholas” Church and the Bacau Pensioners Choir, that has many of his former Aerostar singers in its ranks. AGERPRES

A human face carved by nature in the rock looks down, no one knows since when, on the waterfall of Magura Casinului.

It was discovered by Sorin Ichim, a teacher from Onesti.

Very proud of his ‘discovery’ after ‘long years of hiking in less accessible places’ of Bacau County, he named his rock friend ‘The Loner.’

‘It is an accurate name, as it is placed in a remote place, sits solitarily near the waterfall, as if guarding that wild place,’ the computer scientist and travel passionate explains the option for this name given to his unexpected discovery, which he hopes to become a tourist attraction in the future.

About the rock face carved by the winds and rain, the local people had only known from legends until teacher Ichim’s ‘expeditions.’

‘The Loner’ is only 20 kilometres away from Onesti, in a remote place, in a widely virgin forest, but, as those who were lucky to go to the area say, it boasts a fairy-tale beauty.

One of the stories talks about a young woman who, ‘back in the times when the outlaws hid in the ancient forests,’ is said to have hung herself for love. The legend also says that her face remained carved in stone and her tears turned into a waterfall.

Sorin Ichim’s discovery amazed the current inhabitants of the area, as none of them had anticipated that elements of the fairy-tale they were telling by the fire during the long winter nights could have a hint of truth.

To reach the waterfall on Magura Casinului Mountain, the traveller must walk over 3 kilometres through the woods. But the natural landscape makes the effort worth. On each side of the peak there are clear water springs, cascading on the rocky walls guarded by ancient trees. This is also the trout heaven, as it can easily be spotted in the clear water, but also that of wild animals such as the bear, the stag or the blackcock, very sought for by hunters.

Therefore, an area which is a happy plea for the time that lost its pace or a refuge for the city dwellers irritated by horns, hustle and existential anxieties.

*** In the area, a little over 6 kilometres from the nearest locality, there is also the oldest hunting lodge of Bacau County, still functional, as well as a trout farm, both located in a dream clearing, which the locals call ‘Intarcatoarea.’

Until 1990, this remote place could only be reached by a small train with a steam engine, the cars of which touched the branches of the trees of a dense forest. This was the only transportation mean used by woodcutters to carry logs or by the former communist dignitaries to go to the lodge.

However, trampling on its privileges and disregarding the natural uniqueness of the place, so-called investors greedy for immediate earnings through the exploitation of the old and valuable forest as tree species, eluding the thin layer between ignorance and promise, sent the small train and rails to a scrapyard, opening a road for large lumber equipment. The area was saved by the fact that the investors encountered the hunting lodge and the trout farm on their way, sought for by other investors, in their turn, landmarks which the foresters have successfully fought for until now with all those who did not see the general interest because of their own. And they have something to fight for, as the hunting fund in the Casin and Trotus Valley area could represent a challenge for passionate hunters worldwide.

The four hunting lodges of Romsilva Bacau are a starting point to sought trophies of stag, deer, wild boar, bears, foxes, pheasants and blackcocks.

‘Bacau County is known for its rural area, but also for the wilderness of its forests, as the best habitat for the Carpathian stag. The area of the hunting funds Pralea and Manastirea Casin are called by hunters ‘the golden circle of the Carpathian stag,’ says Romsilva Bacau director Viorel Ghelasa.

Near ‘Intarcatoarea,’ built in the interwar period, Baron von Killinger hunted two stags in 1943, world trophy specimens. Nikita Khrushchev also hunted there rare stag and bear specimens and the world record held from 1982 until 1990 by Nicolae Ceausescu came from the same area, near Pralea lodge. Moreover, the Romanian communist leader commissioned a hunting residence at Pralea, where he shot other nine stag trophies over the years.

After 1990, many hunting passionate foreigners enjoyed the hospitality of Pralea House, built in the middle of a deciduous tree forest, at a great distance from the rural localities, furnished with pieces carved by the craftsmen of Bacau County, as they began to discover with delight the hunting richness, but also the energising wilderness existing in the four hunting funds of Bacau County.

Each year these areas are visited by various world personalities, mainly form Europe and the East.

‘From the talks held, I understood they were glad that they finally found a wilder and more picturesque place than in Hungary, that they want to come back to us as soon as possible,’ hunting specialist with the Forestry Directorate of Bacau Adrian Titianu said.

One of the renowned hunters was, as Titianu recalls, a sheik who came to Bacau in February aboard a Boeing 707, with an over 350 seat capacity, but with only seven passengers aboard with no less than 65 suitcases. ‘He had come for the third time to hunt in the hunting fund of Pralea,’ Adrian Titianu says.

The trophies brought significant amounts of money to the ‘treasury’ of Romsilva Bacau, compensating the care the foresters of Bacau have for this richness — the game.

Important hunting trophies can also be found in the forests around Dofteana locality, where the princes Ghika built in the beginning of the last century a very beautiful palace, devoted mainly to hunters.

*** Those who came to the area were also guided to see a peculiarity of the place — Ochiul Huitoarei.

The locals often look at this grotto located in a rock vertically cut in the slope of a mountain, to find in advance if there will be rain or drought, thus scheduling the ploughing, the sowing, or the weeding, depending on how moist is the rock of the hill hosting the grotto, which is visible even from the road connecting Targu Ocna to Comanesti.

Even the mayor maintains that the best weather forecast has been and is the rock getting moist a few days before the rain, the water strip getting thinner until it is gone before a drought period.

‘It is the cheapest and most accurate barometer we have,’ he says.

The locals say that, when the coming rains are weak and short, the rock gets moist on the upper side, if it is going to rain for a few hours, the visible water strip prolongs to the half of the grotto and if a storm is coming, there is a stream flowing from the highest point of the amazing natural barometer to the foot of the hill, towards the people’s gardens.

The explanation of the phenomenon, the villagers also say, would be the existence of a salt dike that gets moist due to the invisible water vapours in the atmosphere, three-four days before the clouds appear.

Geologist Marius Georgescu does not believe that there is a salt deposit at Dofteana, as people say, because ‘the water flowing on the rock would have to be salty and no vegetation could grow on that slope.’

‘I believe it is about a permeable rock, which absorbs vapours when there is a high atmospheric pressure,’ the geologist points out. However admitting that ‘the phenomenon has not been studied enough,’ Georgescu underscores that ‘at Dofteana there is a very precise natural barometer.’

A fine connoisseur of remote areas or of natural peculiarities of Bacau County is Professor Dr. Catalin Rang, who for years has guided the students of the Faculty of Biology to know ‘the revelations of this county full of surprises for the one thirsty with the wonders of nature, especially the mountain and aquatic ones.’

‘A number of 34 natural protected areas have been declared in Bacau County. Out of these, 23 are of national interest, among which nine are natural reservations (Izvorul Alb, Darmanesti, Magura Targu Ocna, Balatau Mountain Lake, Darmanesti Monastery, Buciasi Waterfall, Casin Monastery, Perchiu Hill near Onesti, Arsura Margineni forest, Moinesti Pine Forest, Dofteana Alder Forest), five special protection avifaunistic areas, and 11 are important sites for Europe, but waiting to be discovered by tourists thirsty for the unseen. In Bacau County there are wonderful natural areas, with ancient traditions, too, such as the ones Prince Charles showed us in the area of Transylvania,’ Professor Catalin Rang says.AGERPRES