Rodna Mountains ( ro, Munții Rodnei, hu, Radnai-havasok) are a subdivision of the

Inner 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 ...

in northern

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 ...

. The name comes from the nearby Rodna Veche village. At , is the highest peak in all of the Eastern Carpathians. The main ridge of the Rodna Mountains constitutes the

natural border A natural border is a border between states or their subdivisions which is concomitant with natural formations such as rivers or mountain ranges. The "doctrine of natural boundaries" developed in Western culture in the 18th century being based u ...

between Bistrița-Năsăud and

Maramureș Maramureș or Marmaroshchyna ( ro, Maramureș ; uk, Мармарощина, Marmaroshchyna; hu, Máramaros) is a geographical, historical and cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine. It is situated in the northeastern Carpath ...

counties. From an administrative point of view, 80% of the massif's surface is in Bistrița-Năsăud and 20% in Maramureș.

Geography

The Rodna Mountains have one of the longest continuous

ridges A ridge or a mountain ridge is a geographical feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for an extended distance. The sides of the ridge slope away from the narrow top on either side. The line ...

in Romania, with over from west to east and a width of over . The massif covers an area of about . The highest points are Pietrosul Rodnei at 2,303 m,

Ineu Peak Ineu (also Inău) is a peak in the Rodna Mountains, Romania with an elevation of .Izvorul Tăușoarelor, the deepest cave in Romania, reaching about beneath the surface and , deep.

Location

The Rodna Mountains are partly in the region of

, in northern

, near the

Romania–Ukraine border 300px, Political map of Romania The Romania–Ukraine border is the state border between Romania and Ukraine. It consists of both a land and a maritime boundary. The total border length is including by rivers and by the Black Sea.Olga Fil ...

. To the north lies the town of

Borșa Borșa (; Hungarian: ''Borsa'', German: ''Borscha'', yi, בורשא ''Borsha'') is a town in eastern Maramureș County, Maramureș, Romania, in the valley of the river Vișeu and near the Prislop Pass. Linking Transylvania to Bukovina, Prislo ...

and the village

Moisei Moisei ( hu, Majszin) is a commune in Maramureș County, Maramureș, Romania. Composed of a single village, Moisei, it is one of the oldest communes in Maramureș County, first attested in 1213. This place is well known for the monastery near the ...

. To the west the massif ends at the (), which connects it to the

Transylvanian Plateau The Transylvanian Plateau ( ro, Podișul Transilvaniei; hu, Erdélyi-medence) is a plateau in central Romania. The plateau lies within and takes its name from the historical region of Transylvania, and is almost entirely surrounded by the Easte ...

. To the east are the ; the river

Bistrița (; german: link=no, Bistritz, archaic , Transylvanian Saxon: , hu, Beszterce) is the capital city of Bistrița-Năsăud County, in northern Transylvania, Romania. It is situated on the Bistrița River. The city has a population of approxima ...

has its source here, in a

cirque A (; from the Latin word ') is an amphitheatre-like valley formed by glacial erosion. Alternative names for this landform are corrie (from Scottish Gaelic , meaning a pot or cauldron) and (; ). A cirque may also be a similarly shaped landform ...

at the foot of the Gârgalău Peak. The

Prislop Pass Prislop Pass ( ro, Pasul Prislop), is a mountain pass in northern Romania, connecting the historical regions of Maramureş (historical region), Maramureş and Bukovina over the Rodna Mountains, in the Eastern Carpathians. The Prislop Pass is situ ...

() and the () connect the Rodna Mountains to

Western Moldavia Moldavia ( ro, Moldova), also called Western Moldavia or Romanian Moldavia, is the historic and geographical part of the former Principality of Moldavia situated in eastern and north-eastern Romania. Until its union with Wallachia in 1859, the Pr ...

. To the south lie the villages

Rodna Rodna (formerly ''Rodna Veche''; hu, Óradna, Radna; german: Altrodenau) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Rodna and Valea Vinului (''Radnaborberek''). Its name is derived from a Sl ...

Șanț Șanț ( hu, Újradna; german: Neurodna) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Șanț and Valea Mare (''Máriavölgy''). The commune is located in the northeastern corner of the county, ...

Maieru Maieru ( hu, Major; german: Meierhof) is a commune in Bistrița-Năsăud County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of two villages, Anieș (''Dombhát'') and Maieru. People * Emil Rebreanu * Maria Cioncan * Octavian Utalea Octavian Utale ...

, and Anieș and the town of

Sângeorz-Băi Sângeorz-Băi (also spelled ''Sîngeorz-Băi'', ; Hungarian: ''Oláhszentgyörgy''; german: Sankt Georgen) is a spa resort and town in the mountain region of Bistrița-Năsăud County in Transylvania, Romania. The town administers two villages ...

, in

Bistrița-Năsăud County Bistrița-Năsăud () is a county (județ) of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Bistrița. Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Beszterce-Naszód megye'', and in German as ''Kreis Bistritz-Nassod''. The name is identical with ...

. The Someșul Mare River has its source in the Rodna Mountains and separates them from the

Bârgău Mountains The Bârgău Mountains ( hu, Borgói-hegység) are a mountain range in the Carpathian Mountains, part of the Căliman-Harghita Mountains in the Bistrița-Năsăud County, in the north of Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country loca ...

Access

The most used access points to the mountain are: * Șetref Pass, by car or train, from the Dealu Ștefăniței train station. *

city, by car or bus; from the center of the city there is a path to the Iezer

weather station A weather station is a facility, either on land or sea, with instruments and equipment for measuring atmospheric conditions to provide information for weather forecasts and to study the weather and climate. The measurements taken include tempera ...

and lake. * Borșa ski resort, by car or bus; access is made from the top of the ski slope, directly to the main ridge at "Șaua Gărgălău". *

, by car; from the pass there is a marked path that meets the one from the top of the ski slope, also leading to "Șaua Gărgălău". * Rodna Veche village, by train or car; from the village there are two marked paths leading to the main ridge, one of them going directly to the

Ineu Peak Ineu (also Inău) is a peak in the Rodna Mountains, Romania with an elevation of .

Nature reserve

The entire Rodna Mountain is included in the Rodna National Park and Biosphere Reserve. This is a reservation in the Eastern Carpathians with brown bears, lynx, gray wolves, black capercaillies, and eagles.

References

External links

* * * * {{Authority control Mountain ranges of Romania Mountain ranges of the Eastern Carpathians Nature reserves in Romania Geography of Maramureș County Tourist attractions in Maramureș County Geography of Bistrița-Năsăud County Tourist attractions in Bistrița-Năsăud County