The Commemorative Cross to the Romanian Heroes of the First World War (), also called the Heroes' Cross on Mount Cairaman (''Crucea Eroilor de pe Muntele Caraiman'') is a monument built between 1926 and 1928 on

Caraiman Peak The Caraiman Peak is a mountain peak located in Romania, in the Bucegi Mountains of the Southern Carpathians. It has a height of 2,384 m. The nearest town is Buşteni. The Heroes' Monument Close to Caraiman peak lies the Heroes' Cross, a ...

at an altitude of 2,291 m located in

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

, in the Bucegi Mountains of the

Southern Carpathians The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ro, Carpații Meridionali ; hu, Déli-Kárpátok) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Pr ...

. It has a height of and the nearest town is Buşteni. The name of the monument is "The Heroes' Cross", but it is popularly known as the "Cross on Caraiman".

Location and size

The Heroes' Cross is located in the saddle of the Caraiman Mountains, on the slope to the Seacă Valley at an elevation of . The cross itself has a height of and two arms of each. The monument is the tallest summit cross in the world situated at such an altitude, as recognized in 2014 by

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

. The width of the vertical pole is , the horizontal arms have a length by spindle pole of , and a square cross section with sides of . The cross is made out of steel profiles and is mounted on a pedestal of concrete clad with stone high. Inside the pedestal there is a room that originally housed the electric generator that powered the 120 light bulbs of 500 W each located on the perimeter of the cross.

Monument construction

The Heroes' Cross was built between 1926 and 1928 in the memory of the railway heroes who died on duty in

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 ...

fighting against the armies of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,german: Mittelmächte; hu, Központi hatalmak; tr, İttifak Devletleri / ; bg, Централни сили, translit=Tsentralni sili was one of the two main coalitions that fought in ...

. The cross was erected at the initiative of

Marie of Edinburgh Marie (born Princess Marie Alexandra Victoria of Edinburgh; 29 October 1875 – 18 July 1938) was the last Queen of Romania as the wife of King Ferdinand I. Marie was born into the British royal family. Her parents were Prince Alfred, ...

and King

Ferdinand of Romania Ferdinand (Ferdinand Viktor Albert Meinrad; 24 August 1865 – 20 July 1927), nicknamed ''Întregitorul'' ("the Unifier"), was King of Romania from 1914 until his death in 1927. Ferdinand was the second son of Leopold, Prince of Hohenzollern and ...

in order to be seen from a large distance as possible. The overall project was developed by Romanian architects Georges Cristinel and Constantin Procopiu. The construction of the monument began in 1926 and was completed in August 1928. Queen Marie had closely followed the implementation of her instructions until the completion of the project. Inauguration and consecration of the monument took place on September 14, 1928 on the

Holy Cross Day In the Christian liturgical calendar, there are several different Feasts of the Cross, all of which commemorate the cross used in the crucifixion of Jesus. Unlike Good Friday, which is dedicated to the passion of Christ and the crucifixion, these ...

. The monument was made of metal sleepers joined by riveting in a network pattern. The actual construction was done by the ''Heroes' Cult Society'' that mobilized a large number of young people. Tools, wood, metal parts, the remaining components and all the necessary materials were transported by train to the Buşteni railway station. From here some metal beams and other building materials were transported by oxen on the route Buşteni - Sinaia - Păduchiosul Peak - Dichiu Peak - Bucegi Plateau - Caraiman Peak and the remaining materials were transported by the

funicular A funicular (, , ) is a type of cable railway system that connects points along a railway track laid on a steep slope. The system is characterized by two counterbalanced carriages (also called cars or trains) permanently attached to opposite e ...

owned by the Buşteni Paper Mill. The

transported different parts along the Jepilor Valley all the way to Schiel Canton, where they were taken on narrow trails with horses and donkeys to the top of the Caraiman Peak.

Illumination

At first lighting of the monument was made with the help of an electricity generator (located in the concrete pedestal) and 120 bulbs of 500 W each. In 1939 the Cross was connected to the national energy grid and thus the generator was made redundant; the power comes via underground cable from the electrical substation of the Coştila radio relay complex located at an altitude of . Until the communist regime in 1948, the cross was lit on the night of the

Dormition of the Theotokos The Dormition of the Mother of God is a Great Feast of the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches (except the East Syriac churches). It celebrates the "falling asleep" (death) of Mary the ''Theotokos'' ("Mother of ...

(August 15) but also on the Ascension day when the Hero Remembrance Day was celebrated as well. The monument is currently administrated by the Buşteni City Council. Nowadays, at night, the Cross on Caraiman is illuminated with 300 light bulbs of 500 W each and can be seen from dozens of miles away, on the

Prahova Valley Prahova Valley (Romanian: ''Valea Prahovei'') is the valley where the Prahova river makes its way between the Bucegi and the Baiu Mountains, in the Carpathian Mountains, Romania. It is a tourist region, situated about north of the capital cit ...

. There is a new project which aims to cover the cross with a fluorescent dye and on top of the cross to be a projected laser spot.

Image gallery

File:Monumentul Eroilor cunoscut si sub numele de Crucea de pe Caraiman - vedere de pe creasta Caraimanului.JPG, Heroes' Cross File:Crucea Caraiman-vedere laterala.jpg, Heroes' Cross - side view File:Crucea Caraiman-vedere trepte.jpg, Heroes' Cross - view from the stairs File:Crucea Caraiman-vedere.jpg, Heroes' Cross - side view File:Crucea Caraiman - Crucea comemorativă a eroilor români din Primul Război Mondial.jpg, Aerial view

Notes

References