Turda Gorge ( ro, Cheile Turzii, hu, Tordai-hasadék) is a

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or o ...

(on Hășdate River) situated 6 km west of

Turda Turda (; hu, Torda, ; german: link=no, Thorenburg; la, Potaissa) is a city in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in the southeastern part of the county, from the county seat, Cluj-Napoca, to which it is connected by the Europ ...

and about 15 km south-east of Cluj-Napoca, in

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

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 ...

Geography

The canyon, formed through the

erosion Erosion is the action of surface processes (such as water flow or wind) that removes soil, rock, or dissolved material from one location on the Earth's crust, and then transports it to another location where it is deposited. Erosion is dis ...

of the

Jurassic The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

of the mountain, is 2 900 m longVioleta Nicula, p. 64 and the walls have heights reaching 300 m. The total surface of the canyon is of 324 ha. Cheile Turzii contain one of the richest and most scenic karst landscapes in Romania. More than 1000 plant and animal species (some of them rare or endangered, like the wild garlic or some species of

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

) live here.

History

The site has been inhabited since the

neolithic The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several p ...

Flora

More than 1,000 plant species can be found in the reservation, including Allium obliquum, Dianthus integripetalus, Viola jobi.

Fauna

67 species of birds, butterflies (Eublema, Heterogynis, Dysauxes, Phybalopterix etc.) fish, amphibians and some mammals (

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

es,

weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slender b ...

martens A marten is a weasel-like mammal in the genus ''Martes'' within the subfamily Guloninae, in the family Mustelidae. They have bushy tails and large paws with partially retractile claws. The fur varies from yellowish to dark brown, depending on ...

wild boar The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...

s etc.

Caves

There are some 60 known caves, almost all of them being of small size (the longest one is 120 m).

Other tourist attractions

Cheile Turzii are just a few km away from two other canyons ( Cheile Turului and Cheile Borzești) as well as from '' Ciucaș waterfall''. Cheile Turzii is one of the main rock climbing sites in Romania.

Picture gallery

Tordai-hasadek.JPG, Turda Gorges seen from the west end Tordai hasadék ML.jpg, Turda Gorges seen from the east end CheileTurzii02.jpg, Cheile Turzii Cheile Turzii-Podeț-(48).JPG, One of the bridges of Cheile Turzii Cheile Turzii (2).jpg CheileTurziiPesteraBalica.jpg, "Balica's Cave" in Cheile Turzii CheileTurziiCabana.jpg, The chalet 2007 06210073Turda.JPG, Cheile Turzii seen from

Henric Trenk - Intrare in Cheile Turzii.jpg, Henric Trenk's painting of Cheile Turzii

Notes

External links

Turda tourism

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