The Tarcu Massif is made up of crystalline schists, granite and some
sedimentary rocks. From its mountainous centre some peaks detach, like Caleanu
(2192 m), Matania (2160 m) and Baicu (2123 m), and to the north-west, Culmea
Jigoriei (1463 m), which links with Muntele Mic. Through a bending with Culmea
Plesa (1413 m), on the Raul Lung and Hideg rivers, the Poiana Plopului and
Poiana Rusca depressions were formed.
Typical for the Tarcu Mountains is the presence of glacial circuses. The Pietrei
and Peceneaga valleys begin from here, and in the superior part of the massif,
we have some very interesting glacial pails, like Groapa Caleanului, Caldarea
Suculetului, Caldarea Izvorului and Caldarea Mutatoare. All these form some
closed areas with a specific flora, fauna and even with small climate changes.
The Godeanu Mountains are made of powerful metamorphosed crystalline schists, on
which sedimentary rocks are found and they gave birth to erosion platforms. In
this area, we have the Godeanu Peak (2229 m), the Gugu Peak (2291 m) and the
Branului Peak (2026 m). Here, like in the Tarcu Massif, we have glacial
formations which give a beautiful alpine look to the whole area. This alpine
group is fairly unknown and wild. The forests, the glacial steeps, the pails,
which are hard to climb, feared the tourists who go in this part of the
Meridional Carpathians. However, the alpine beauties, the plants, the animals,
the fishing and the legends should have attracted tourists. The small
penetrations in the area are too few to account the tourist value, like it
deserves, of this part of our mountains.
The meteorological stations Cuntu and Varful Tarcu cannot host many tourists.
As a result of the work at the hydroelectrically complex Bistra - Poiana Marului
- Ruieni - Poiana Rusca, the lake Raul Alb appeared, which is destined to
capitalize the hydro-energetic potential of the Raul Rece, Raul Alb and Raul
Lung rivers, now in phase of execution. The Rusca barrage, which will dam-up the
waters of the Raul Rece River, base affluent of the Timis River, originating
from under the Tarcu Peak (2190 m), is in a state of execution and will be a
concrete barrage with a height of 75 m. The small settlement of Poiana Rusca is
just the beginning and it would be a good place to extend the rural tourism to a
development of the pastoral tourism, which is well represented in the area, but
also good guided, could lead to attractive tourist activities, unique and with
good perspectives.
We can give as an example some sheep-folds, which well arranged could host
tourists, who could integrate in the pastoral life with curative influences, in
the food and in the atmosphere with a much ionized air. A very old and
interesting custom, often seen in the pastoral areas, is the “masuratul oilor”
(the measuring of the sheep); it is done every year, before the climbing of the
sheep on the mountain.
In the last period a new destination for rural tourism appeared, the Poiana
Rusca - Teregova village, where were built many vacation villas, chalets and
lodging houses (among those is the famous lodging house Wittmann).
Another branch would be the capitalization of forest fruits, like blackberries,
raspberry, wild rose, black bilberries and red bilberries, all these plants
having a well known curative effect. Beside these fruits we also have a large
quantity of medicinal plants, which today are often searched for the naturist
treatments.
We cannot forget the hunting quarter. In the area we had and have the rabbit,
the boar, the roe, the bear, the chamois, the capercailzie, carnivores like the
lynx, the wolf and the fox, but also small rodents, like the squirrel and the
marten, searched for their fur.
Another quarter which can be capitalized is fishing, because in the mountain
waters we can find fish like the trout, the umber, even the chub and the
barbell. In the small waters we can find the crawfish, which is a delicacy in
many areas. Fishing can be extended, not only in mountain rivers and in trout
farms, but also in the lakes on the Tarcu and the Gugu peaks, which can enter
the capitalization circuit of our beautiful mountain area. There are quite a few
legends in this area. So in the northern side of the Tarcu Peak, where remains
of a glacial activity, which imitates a sheep-herd, are still present, in the
centre there is a high rock, about which it is told that it is Baba Dochia, and
the spring at the bottom of the rock is considered by shepherds to be healing
and sin-washing. Another legend is about the natural amphitheatre on the Gugu
Peak, about which it is told that it is the Cogaion Mountain, the sacred
mountain of the Dacians.
Mount Gugu – or the Mount of the Giants – looks like a big fireplace, where the
Dacians had their great sacrifices and communication with the great Zalmoxis
altar. According to the legend presented by Plato, Gyges has a royal shepherd,
who entered a local cave, where he found a dead man, whom the shepherd took a
ring. But, after he put it on his finger, he observed that if he turned it
around, he became invisible and could make the biggest infamies, without the
observation of the others. It is interesting that Victor Kernbach says, in “The
Enigmas of Astral Myths” that Mount Gugu is the center of one of the “essential
energetically points” of the planet.
These little known areas might become – through capitalization care – unique
tourism sources, for Mountain Banat, and also for the Caransebes area.
