The Ghimeș-Palanca Pass ( hu, Gyimesi-szoros) is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since many of the world's mountain ranges have presented formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human a ...

in the

Eastern Carpathians Divisions of the Carpathians are a categorization of the Carpathian mountains system. Below is a detailed overview of the major subdivisions and ranges of the Carpathian Mountains. The Carpathians are a "subsystem" of a bigger Alps-Himalaya Sy ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, situated at an altitude of and located between the

Tarcău Mountains The Tarcău Mountains ( ro, Munții Tarcău, hu, Tarkő-hegység) are a mountain range, part of the Moldavian-Muntenian Carpathians of the Outer Eastern Carpathians. The range is located between the latitudes 46°25′ and 46°57′ N and bet ...

to the northeast and the

Ciuc Mountains Ciuc Mountains (Romanian ''Munții Ciucului'', Hungarian ''Csíki-havasok'') are a mid-high range of mountains of Harghita County in Transylvania, Romania. Geologically they belong to the Căliman-Harghita Mountains group of the Inner Eastern C ...

to the southwest. The Pass is traversed by

national road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the Federal Government of the United States, federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Pot ...

, which connects Ghimeș and

Palanca Palanca may refer to: People *Bernard Palanca (born 1976), Filipino actor *Massimo Palanca (born 1953), Italian footballer *Mico Palanca (1978–2019), Filipino actor *Miguel Palanca (born 1987), Spanish footballer Places * Palanca, Huíla, Ango ...

, in

Bacău County Bacău County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Western Moldavia, with its capital city at Bacău. It has one commune, Ghimeș-Făget, in Transylvania. Geography This county has a total area of . In the western part of the county the ...

. Parallel with the road runs the CFR railway line 501, which connects

Adjud Adjud (; hu, Egyedhalma) is a municipiu, city in Vrancea County, Western Moldavia, Romania. It has a population of 14,670 inhabitants (2011). It lies at a railway junction which has a classification yard and a passenger station. Adjud, situated ...

Vrancea County Vrancea () is a county ( județ) in Romania, with its seat at Focșani. It is mostly in the historical region of Moldavia but the southern part, below the Milcov River, is in Muntenia. Demographics In 2011, it had a population of 340,310 and ...

Siculeni Siculeni ( hu, Madéfalva, Hungarian pronunciation: ) is a Communes of Romania, commune in Harghita County, Romania. It lies in the Székely Land, an ethno-cultural region in eastern Transylvania. The Siculicidium took place here. The commune is ...

Harghita County Harghita (, hu, Hargita megye, ) is a county (județ) in the center of Romania, in eastern Transylvania, with the county seat at Miercurea Ciuc. Demographics 2002 census In 2002, Harghita County had a population of 326,222 and a populatio ...

History

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, there were sustained battles between Romanian and

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

forces for control of the Ghimeș-Palanca Pass. On August 27, 1916 — the day Romania entered the war on the side of the

Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are called ...

— Romanian soldiers surprised the Austro-Hungarian troops stationed at the Ghimeș railway station, and quickly took control of the Pass. Another battle occurred in October 1916, when the

Romanian Fourth Army The Fourth Army (Armata a 4-a Română) was a field army (a military formation) of the Romanian Land Forces active from the 19th century to the 1990s. History World War I The Fourth Army fought under the name of "Northern Army" or "Army of ...

, under the command of

Constantin Prezan Constantin Prezan (January 27, 1861 – August 27, 1943) was a Romanian general during World War I. In 1930 he was given the honorary title of Marshal of Romania, as a recognition of his merits during his command of the Northern Army and of the ...

defeated Defeated may refer to: * "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) * "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community *''The Defeated ''The Defeated'', al ...

the Austro-Hungarian 1st Army, under the command of

Arthur Arz von Straußenburg Generaloberst Arthur Freiherr Arz von Straußenburg ( hu, Báró Artúr Arz de Straussenburg; 16 June 1857 – 1 July 1935) was an Austro-Hungarian colonel general and last Chief of the General Staff of the Austro-Hungarian Army. At the outbreak o ...

. In May 1917, Emil Rebreanu, an ethnic Romanian officer in the Austro-Hungarian Army, tried to cross the front near Ghimeș to the Romanian side. He was found and arrested by a patrol of imperial officers; tried by a military court on a charge of desertion and espionage, he was sentenced to death and executed by

hanging Hanging is the suspension of a person by a noose or ligature around the neck.Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed. Hanging as method of execution is unknown, as method of suicide from 1325. The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' states that hanging i ...

. The protagonist in ''

Forest of the Hanged ''Forest of the Hanged'' ( ro, Pădurea spânzuraților) is a 1964 Romanian drama film directed by Liviu Ciulei, and based on the eponymous novel by Liviu Rebreanu. Ciulei won the award for Best Director at the 1965 Cannes Film Festival. ''Fo ...

'', a 1922 novel by his brother

Liviu Rebreanu Liviu Rebreanu (; November 27, 1885 – September 1, 1944) was a Romanian novelist, playwright, short story writer, and journalist. Life Born in Felsőilosva (now Târlișua, Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania), then part of the Kingd ...

, is influenced by his experience. In 2012, a monument in Emil Rebreanu's memory was unveiled at the border between Ghimeș-Făget and Palanca, around the place where the hanging is believed to have occurred.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ghimes-Palanca Pass Mountain passes of Romania Mountain passes of the Carpathians