The Bucegi Mountains ( ) are located in central

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

, south of the city of

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

. They are part of the

Southern Carpathians The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ; ) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Prahova River in the east and the Timiș and ...

group of the

Carpathian Mountains The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...

. At , '' Omu'' is its highest point. To the east, the Bucegi Mountains have a very steep slope towards the popular tourist destinations in 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 c ...

, such as

Bușteni Bușteni () is a small mountain town in the north of Prahova County, Muntenia, Romania. It is located in the Prahova Valley, at the bottom of the Bucegi Mountains, that have a maximum altitude of . Its name literally means Logging, tree-logs in Ro ...

and

Sinaia Sinaia () is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery of 1695, around which it was built. The monastery, in turn, is named after ...

. At a higher elevation is the Bucegi Plateau, where wind and rain have turned the

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

s into spectacular figures such as the

Sphinx A sphinx ( ; , ; or sphinges ) is a mythical creature with the head of a human, the body of a lion, and the wings of an eagle. In Culture of Greece, Greek tradition, the sphinx is a treacherous and merciless being with the head of a woman, th ...

and '' Babele''. The Bucegi is believed to be the Dacian holy mountain ''Kogainon'', on which the God

Zalmoxis Zalmoxis is a divinity of the Getae and Dacians (a people of the lower Danube), mentioned by Herodotus in his ''Histories'' Book IV, 93–96, written before 425 BC. Said to have been so called from the bear's skin (ζάλμος) in which ...

resided in a cave.

Name

The exact origin of the name "Bucegi" is disputed by philologists. "Buceag" or "bugeac" seems to be the source of the name, a word designating in the language of

mountain people Hill people, also referred to as mountain people, is a general term for people who live in the hills and mountains. This includes all rugged land above and all land (including plateaus) above elevation. The climate is generally harsh, with s ...

both the

moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

in the forest and the wilderness or the

juniper Junipers are coniferous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Juniperus'' ( ) of the cypress family Cupressaceae. Depending on the taxonomy, between 50 and 67 species of junipers are widely distributed throughout the Northern Hemisphere as far south ...

s. An archaic version of the name "Bucegi" is "Buceci", name still used today by elders in the mountains, and about which linguists say it is derived from "huceag", "buceag" or "bugeac". Linguist

Sextil Pușcariu Sextil Iosif Pușcariu (4 January 1877 – 5 May 1948) was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian-born Romanian linguist and philologist, also known for his involvement in administrative and party politics. A native of Brașov educated in France ...

claims that the name of Bucșoi, one of the mountains that reach the Omu Peak, derives from "Buc", "Bucur", just as "Buceci", "Bugeci" derives from "Buc" with the same suffix like "Măneciu" or "Moeciu". And "Bucur" is a genuine Dacian name. In

Iorgu Iordan Iorgu Iordan (; also known as ''Jorgu Jordan'' or ''Iorgu Jordan''; – September 20, 1986) was a Romanian linguist, philologist, diplomat, journalist, and left-wing agrarian, later communist, politician. The author of works on a large variety o ...

's work, ''Toponimia romînească'', the name of the mountains is derived from Slavic '' buk'', meaning "

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

Ranges

The mountains are grouped in three ranges: * Bucegi Mountains, with highest point

Omu Peak Omu Peak () is a mountain peak of the Bucegi Mountains in Romania. It is located in Brașov, Dâmbovița and Prahova counties. The top of Omu Peak is flat and sprawling. It houses a weather station and a tourist shelter (Romanian cabana) Omu ( ...

, at *

Leaota Mountains The Leaota Mountains are located in central Romania, north of the city of Târgoviște. They are part of the Southern Carpathians group of the Carpathian Mountains, and have as neighbours the Bucegi Mountains to the east and Piatra Craiului to the ...

, with highest point , at *

Piatra Craiului Mountains The Piatra Craiului Mountains (, ) are a mountain range in the Southern Carpathians in Romania. Its name is translated as ''Kings' Rock'' or ''The Rock of the Prince''. The mountain range is located in Brașov County, Brașov and Argeș Coun ...

, with highest point , at The Rucăr-Bran Pass separates the Piatra Craiului and Leaota ranges; it was marked by

border crossing Border control comprises measures taken by governments to monitor and regulate the movement of people, animals, and goods across land, air, and maritime borders. While border control is typically associated with international borders, it als ...

s between

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

and

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

, and was defended by the

Bran Castle Bran Castle (; or ; ) is a castle in Bran, southwest of Brașov. The castle was built by Saxons in 1377 who were given the privilege by Louis I of Hungary. It is a national monument and landmark in Transylvania. The fortress is on the Trans ...

Tourism

The Bucegi Mountains are bordered by

, an area with the most

ski resort A ski resort is a resort developed for skiing, snowboarding, and other winter sports. In Europe, most ski resorts are towns or villages in or adjacent to a ski area–a mountainous area with pistes (ski trails) and a ski lift system. In North Am ...

s in Romania. Since 1935, part of the Bucegi Mountains has been included in the list of protected areas in Romania, with national park status.

Ski resorts

Among the most popular ski resorts within the Bucegi Mountains are

and

. Nicknamed the "Pearl of the Carpathians", Sinaia offers the possibility of performing winter sports. Ski slopes within the resort are serviced by

ski lift A ski lift is a mechanism for transporting skiers up a hill. Ski lifts are typically a Lift ticket, paid service at ski resorts. The first ski lift was built in 1908 by German Robert Winterhalder in Schollach/Eisenbach, Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald, ...

, accessible by cable car. The main tourist attractions are

Peleș Castle Peleș Castle ( ) is a Neo-Renaissance palace in the Royal Domain of Sinaia in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia, in Prahova County, Romania, on an existing medieval route linking Transylvania and Wallachia, built between 1873 and 1914 ...

, Pelișor Castle, Royal Station, Sinaia Monastery, Casino, and the

George Enescu George Enescu (; – 4 May 1955), known in France as Georges Enesco, was a Romanians, Romanian composer, violinist, pianist, conductor, teacher and statesman. He is regarded as one of the greatest musicians in Romanian history. Biography En ...

Memorial House. Bușteni, located at an altitude of 800–900 m, features a diversified base of accommodation and meals (

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a re ...

s, rest homes,

chalet A chalet (pronounced in British English; in American English usually ), also called Swiss chalet, is a type of building or house, typical of the Alpine region in Europe. It is made of wood, with a heavy, gently sloping roof and wide, well-su ...

s, tourist stops). A cable car links Silva Hotel and Babele Chalet, on the mountaintops. This area has unusual rock formations, such as the

and Babele. Bușteni is the starting point of

trekking Backpacking is the outdoor recreation of carrying gear on one's back while hiking for more than a day. It is often an extended journey and may involve camping outdoors. In North America, tenting is common, where simple shelters and mountain hu ...

on some of the most attractive routes in the Bucegi Massif. In the winter months, Bușteni offers the possibility of practicing

skiing Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow for basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and the International S ...

and sleighing. There are ski slopes with varying degrees of difficulty. Bușteni is also a cultural point, featuring Cantacuzino Castle and

Cezar Petrescu Cezar Petrescu (; December 1, 1892–March 9, 1961) was a Romanian journalist, novelist, and children's literature, children's writer. He was born in Cotnari, Hodora, Iași County, the son of Dimitrie Petrescu, an engineer and a teacher. Af ...

Memorial Museum. There is a trout farm in the area.

Rucăr-Bran Corridor

The Rucăr-Bran Corridor is a

mountain pass A mountain pass is a navigable route through a mountain range or over a ridge. Since mountain ranges can present formidable barriers to travel, passes have played a key role in trade, war, and both Human migration, human and animal migration t ...

that has the Bucegi Mountains on one side and the

and Iezer-Păpușa Mountains on the other side.

Bucegi Natural Park

The Bucegi Mountains area, whereof exist references since the 15th century, has been proposed for protection in 1936, due to peerless landscapes and great diversity of plant and animal species. This proposal was taken up only in 1990, when materialized through the Minister's order no. 7/1990. Bucegi Natural Park covers an area of 32,663 hectares across three counties ( Dâmbovița, Prahova and

), having more than 60% of the territory covered with forests.

References

External links

Photo gallery of Bucegi Mountains

* {{Authority control Mountain ranges of Romania Mountain ranges of the Southern Carpathians Place names of Slavic origin in Romania Protected areas of Romania