Natural and Cultural Landscape: Alpine Pastures in the Southern Carpathians

Râu Sadului is located 35 km southwest of Sibiu at the end of the Sadu Valley in the Southern Carpathians, at the junction of the Cindrel Mountains and the Lotru Mountains. It comprises four distinct zones, depending on altitude and their role in animal husbandry.

The local culture has two main components that still shape the lives of the locals: transhumance and wood culture. The entire local cultural heritage and traditional activities are closely linked to sheep farming and wood processing.

Transhumance serves on the one hand to provide the best food supply for the sheep, and on the other hand to preserve the cultural landscape by preserving the mountain pastures.

Animal husbandry brings income to the locals through the sale of local cheese specialities, especially Telemea and Caș, from which mountain cheese is made.

The wood culture is evident in everything related to the built heritage: log houses with typical decorations such as carvings, verandas and fences, hay huts, alpine huts and work tools of the locals.

Text and pictures:
Cristian Cismaru (DE/ENG/RO) – Tel. +40 (0)722 396 755
Web. mytransylvania.ro