Tampa Mountain and
Tiberiu Brediceanu Alley |
Brasov is often referred to as "the
city at the foot of Mount Tampa". Tampa is the natural
landmark of Brasov and it can be seen from every corner of
the city. It is 900m above see level high and it has a large
TV transmitter antenna on top. It is actually in the middle
of Brasov, making a clear division between the old medieval
part of the city and the new one, made up of concrete blocks
of flats.
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You can have the best view of Brasov from
the top of Mount Tampa. You can reach it by cable car (called
Telecabina) or
walking up one of the few paths twisting up the hill. Walking
to the top takes about an hour (red triangles) from the cable
car station or yellow triangles from Brediceanu Alley. The
hiking trail is low difficulty level nonetheless, but it
is recommended
in snowless seasons only. Or, if you chose to take the cable
car, from the upper station walk five minutes along the path
to the rocky outcrop (the top, 955m high) for the best views
of the old town. You'll clearly be able to make out the different
parts of Brasov: the German part of town has hundreds of red
roofs crammed between straight streets surrounding Piata Sfatului,
while the Romanian Schei
district to the south is a spaghetti
of small streets, jumbled houses and cemeteries, petering out
towards the hills. On the plain are the later additions to
Brasov:
the 18th and 19th century expansions and of course the flats
and huge factories from the last 50 years. |
 The top of Tampa also provides a stunning view of the surrounding
mountains. From here, it's very tempting to walk across the crests
of the hills to Poiana
Brasov and Postavaru (1799m). There are
marked trails if you decide to do so.
Brasov's
original defense fortress was built on this mount but,
when Vlad
Tepes (the Impaler) attacked Brasov in 1459-1460,
the
citadel was dismantled, and 40 merchants were impaled on
top of Mount Tampa. In the 1950's, when Brasov was named
Orasul Stalin (Stalin City), trees were chopped down so
that the name of the great dictator appeared on the hillside
facing
the old town. Nature has recovered from the shock, and
the hillside is now a nature reservation, hosting protected
species
of plants like the motley tulip and large yellow lady’s-slipper.
In 1896 a column with an archer on top was erected on Mount Tampa. It was known
as Arpad's statue, (the leader of the Hungarian tribes to Pannonia and founder
of the future Hungarian kingdom), though the archer was, in fact, Tuhutum (Teteny),
one of Arpad's commanders. In 1916 the statue was destroyed by unidentified people.
You can still see on the top of the hill the former socle of the statue. The
head of the archer is in the Parish House of the Reformed Church in Brasov.
To get to the cable car you can hike through the old section of the city. Leave
Piata Sfatului on Strada
Apollonia Hirscher. Stroll along to the end of the road, taking a left on Strada
Castelului. The next right is Strada Romer. Follow
this
until it ends and climb the stairs to the cable car. Just below the entrance
are remains of the old city wall, which is being renovated lately. |
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At the foot of Tampa, along the SE side
of the old fortress walls is a very romantic alley. Shaded
by old trees, dotted
with many benches it is one of the favorite strolling spots
for Brasovians. You can ride your bicycle , or use your roller
blades, as well. There are a few tennis and basketball grounds
here, too. Kids can play on the playground.
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