Bigăr (, ) is a

protected area Protected areas or conservation areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognized natural or cultural values. Protected areas are those areas in which human presence or the exploitation of natural resources (e.g. firewood ...

(nature reserve

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

category IV) situated in the administrative territory of

Bozovici Bozovici (; ; ) is a commune in Caraș-Severin County, western Romania. It is composed of four villages: Bozovici, Poneasca (''Ponyászkatelep''), Prilipeț (''Prilipec''), and Valea Minișului (''Ménesvölgy''). The commune is located in the so ...

, in

Caraș-Severin County Caraș-Severin () is a county ( județ) of Romania on the border with Serbia. The majority of its territory lies within the historical region of Banat, with a few northeastern villages considered part of Transylvania. The county seat is Reșița ...

in southwestern

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 ...

. On 7 June 2021, part of the Bigăr waterfall collapsed.

Location

The Izvorul Bigăr is located at the south-west limit of the country, in the south of the Anina Mountains (a group of mountains included in the Banat Mountains), in Caraș-Severin County, on the upper Anina River, in the Cheile Nerei-Beușnița National Park.

Description

Izbucul Bigăr with an area of 175.60 ha was declared a natural protected area by the ''Law Number.5 of March 6, 2000'' (published in Romanian Official Paper Number.152 on April 12, 2000). Bigăr was one of the most unusual waterfalls in the world and one of the most beautiful in Romania. According to The World Geography, there are a number of facts that placed it as number one on the list of eight unique waterfalls around the world due to the way the water spreads and falls in tiny shreds of water, and also the fact that it is located exactly on the

45th parallel north The 45th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 45 degrees north of Earth's equator. It crosses Europe, Asia, the Pacific Ocean, North America, and the Atlantic Ocean. The 45th parallel north is often called the halfway point between the ...

, at the halfway point between the

Equator The equator is the circle of latitude that divides Earth into the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Southern Hemisphere, Southern Hemispheres of Earth, hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, about in circumferen ...

and the

North Pole The North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is the point in the Northern Hemisphere where the Earth's rotation, Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface. It is called the True North Pole to distingu ...

. On 7 June 2021,

Romsilva Regia Naţională a Pădurilor Romsilva or simply Romsilva is a Romanian state-owned enterprise responsible for dealing with protection, preservation and development of publicly owned forests of the Romanian state, and the management of hunting an ...

announced the collapse of a part of the falls due to the weight of

travertine Travertine ( ) is a form of terrestrial limestone deposited around mineral springs, especially hot springs. It often has a fibrous or concentric appearance and exists in white, tan, cream-colored, and rusty varieties. It is formed by a process ...

and

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 ...

that had increased over time. File:Cascada Bigar.JPG, View from above File:Cascada bigar.jpg, View from side

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Izvorul Bigar Protected areas of Romania Protected areas established in 2000 Geography of Caraș-Severin County Tourist attractions in Caraș-Severin County Waterfalls of Romania

Location

Description

See also

References