The Surduc Pass (in Romanian: ''Defileul Jiului'' or ''Pasul Surduc'', in Hungarian ''Szurdok-szoros'') is a
mountain pass in the
Gorj and
Hunedoara
Hunedoara (; german: Eisenmarkt; hu, Vajdahunyad ) is a city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania. It is located in southwestern Transylvania near the Poiana Ruscă Mountains, and administers five villages: Boș (''Bós''), Groș (''Grós'' ...
counties of Southwestern Romania, connecting the
Petroșani Depression
Petroșani (; Hungarian: ''Petrozsény''; German: ''Petroschen'') is a city in Hunedoara County, Transylvania, Romania, with a population of 34,331 (2011). The city has been associated with mining since the 19th century.
History
"Pietros" means ...
with
Oltenia
Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania ...
.
In Surduc Pass, the
Jiu River
The Jiu (; hu, Zsil ; german: Schil or Schiel; la, Rabon) is a river in southern Romania. It is formed near Petroșani by the confluence of headwaters Jiul de Vest and Jiul de Est.
It flows southward through the Romanian counties Hunedoara, ...
divides two mountain ranges that belong to the
Southern Carpathians
The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ro, Carpații Meridionali ; hu, Déli-Kárpátok) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the ...
: the
Vâlcan Mountains
The Vâlcan Mountains are a chain of mountains in the Southern Carpathians in Gorj County, Romania. They are part of the Retezat-Godeanu Mountains group. They run for approximately and the highest peak is the Vâlcan Peak at . The mountains run ...
to the west and the
Parâng Mountains
The Parâng Mountains (; hu, Páring-hegység) are one of the highest mountain ridges in Romania and Southern Carpathians, with the highest peak, Parângu Mare, reaching 2,519 m.
Description
The Parâng Mountains are located in the south-wester ...
to the east.
In 1947, a road (
national road
The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the Federal Government of the United States, federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Pot ...
, part of the
E-road E79) and a railway line were opened that connect
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 ...
with
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...
(the two other passes in region are in the
Timiș-Cerna Gap
Timiș-Cerna Gap () is a mountain pass in South-Western Romania, mostly in Caraș-Severin County, dividing the Southern Carpathians and the Banat mountain ranges, both part of the Carpathians.
The pass follows the paths of the rivers Timiș (w ...
and the
Turnu Roșu Pass
Turnu Roșu Pass ( ro, Pasul Turnu Roșu, hu, Vöröstoronyi-szoros, german: Roter-Turm-Pass, tr, Kızılkule Geçidi, all of these names meaning ''Red Tower Pass'' in the respective languages) is a mountain pass
A mountain pass is a naviga ...
). In August 2005, a
national park
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individua ...
with an area of was created in this pass.
The Romanian name of the pass derives from the Hungarian word "szurdok", which means "defile" or "canyon".
Mountain passes of Romania
Mountain passes of the Carpathians
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