The Semenic-Caraș Gorge National Park () is a protected area (

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

category II

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 ...

) situated in southwest

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 ...

, 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 ...

Location

The Natural Park is located in the and the , a group of mountain included in the

Banat Mountains Banat Mountains 01

The Banat Mountains (; ) are a number of mountai ...

. It is situated in the southwestern part of Romania, in the middle of Caraș-Severin County.

Description

The Semenic-Caraș Gorge National Park was declared a protected area by ''Law No. 5 of 6 March 2000'' (published in '' Monitorul Oficial No. 152'' on 12 April 2000). It features a typical

karst Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...

and

forest A forest is an ecosystem characterized by a dense ecological community, community of trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, ...

landscape and is characterised by its 300-year-old

virgin Virginity is a social construct that denotes the state of a person who has never engaged in sexual intercourse. As it is not an objective term with an operational definition, social definitions of what constitutes virginity, or the lack thereof ...

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 ...

forest, the only one in Europe. The Park contains a number of nature reserves, including the Caraș Gorge (''Cheile Carașului''), the Caraș Springs (''Izvoarele Carașului''), and dripstone and other caves. The Caraș Gorge is one of Romania’s longest, wildest and most beautiful, with rich flora and fauna, including the Semenic flower (''Anntenaria dioica''). It has many caves, some only accessible from underwater, with near-vertical limestone walls and so-called “kettles” on the upper Caraș. On the right bank of the Caraș, above the Caraș Gorge, are the ruins of the thirteenth-century Grat Castle. One of the most beautiful caves in this area, with diverse formations of stalactites and stalagmites, is the dripstone cave of Comarnic. Twenty archaeological sites have been discovered in the Park.

Access

European route E70 European route E70 is an A-Class West-East European route, extending from A Coruña in Spain in the west to the Georgia (country), Georgian city of Poti in the east. Itinerary The E 70 routes through ten European countries, and includes o ...

București Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater metropolitan area of 2. ...

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Craiova Craiova (, also , ) is the largest city in southwestern Romania, List of Romanian cities, the seventh largest city in the country and the capital of Dolj County, situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It i ...

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Drobeta-Turnu Severin Drobeta-Turnu Severin (), colloquially Severin, is a city in Mehedinți County, Oltenia, Romania, on the northern bank of the Danube, close to the Iron Gates. It is one of six Romanian county seats List of cities and towns on the river Danube, lyin ...

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Orșova Orșova (; ; ; ) is a port city on the Danube river in southwestern Romania's Mehedinți County. It is one of four localities in the Banat historical region situated just above the Iron Gates where the Cerna River meets the Danube. History ...

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Topleț Topleț () is a commune in Caraș-Severin County, western Romania with a population of 2923 people. It is composed of two villages, Bârza (''Börza'') and Topleț. Natives * Ioan Talpeș Ioan Talpeș (born 24 August 1944) is a Romanian senator, ...

– National road

DN6 DN6 () is a national road in Romania which links Bucharest with the Banat region in the western part of the country and further to the East-European capitals Budapest and Belgrade via the border with Hungary near Cenad. It is a very traveled road ...

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Mehadia Mehadia (; ; ) is a small market town and Commune in Romania, commune in Caraș-Severin County, Banat, Romania. It lies on the European route E70, in the Cerna River (Danube), Cerna River valley. The town is located on the site of the ancient An ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Semenic-Cheile Carasului National Park National parks of Romania Geography of Caraș-Severin County Protected areas established in 2000 Tourist attractions in Caraș-Severin County Primeval Beech Forests in Europe