Ciornuleasa Forest

Park

LOCATION

DJ403, România

DESCRIPTION

The Ciornuleasa forest Nature Reserve has an area of 73.2 ha and is 120 years old. The Ciornuleasa forest is located in Bărăganul Mostiştei, and was founded in 1954.

Due to the substrate that has particular peculiarities, it allows the development of characteristic plants to both the beech area and the steppe area.

HISTORY

The natural forest and hunting reserve was established in 1954 in Bărăganul Mostiştei. It is a forest with numerous southern elements, made up of oaks, , hornbeam, lime, carp, fluffy ash, Turkish cherry, elm and other species.

The variety of tree vegetation species and the essential hunting ground in the Ciornuleasa Forest, with rabbits, boars, deer, pheasants, make the Ciornuleasa forest a unique reserve.

The scenery in the area is fabulous. Approximately 4 km of the road connecting Luica Monastery to Oltenita passes through the forest. During the summer, the journey there is really pleasant. Shade, coolness and a wonderful view. The forest is very dense, the trees' crowns on one side and the other side of the road joining in most places to create the feeling of a tunnel. In the summer when it darkens, drivers choose this road unhindered, but in the winter almost no one dares to travel the four kilometers of the road, except for the locals who know the area as the "palm of their hand".

SITE SIGNIFICANCE

An unique natural reserve in the Bărăgan area, the Ciornuleasa Forest is an oasis of relaxation amid the sunburned plains. The forest is a recreational space open to the general public, where children, parents and grandparents can both despise their foreheads by spending their afternoons together.

VISITOR INFORMATION

The Ciornuleasa Forest Nature Reserve is located in Bărăganul Mostiştei, near the town of Mitreni. Preferred road from drivers during hot summer days when it gets darker and the temperature is at least 7-8 degrees lower and the air is rich with the fragrance.

The Ciornuleasa forest is a blessing on hot summer days. The crowns of trees on both sides of the road unites above it, penetrating a green tunnel for those who are willing to spend time there.

The main road is quite accessible and there is no great risk of getting lost because the other alleys are marked with prohibited signs. The Ciornuleasa forest is a recreational space open to the general public, where children, parents and grandparents can both despise their foreheads by spending their afternoons together.

OTHER INFORMATION

An unique natural reserve in the Bărăgan area, the Ciornuleasa Forest is an oasis of relaxation amid the sunburned plains. Preferred by the former dictator Nicolae Ceausescu, the forest stretches over an area of over 70 hectares and is renowned for hunting parties. Here, among secular trees, such as the bumblebee and the fluffy ash, dozens of bird and animal species have fallen prey to the former "beloved ruler". Frequently Ceausescu went there to spend some unforgettable days in the middle of nature. That is where a hunting game made the Ciornuleasa and Călăraşiul forests known in the world after the "first hunter of the country" slayed an unprecedented wild boar 37 years ago. At the famous hunting party, Romania shot down the national wild boar record.

Hunting stories say the boar shot by Ceausescu was an exceptional example: he was over 300 kilograms. The locals also remember that everything was arranged, and Ceausescu shot it from close range, after several forest workers lured it with food. "There was a wild boar living in the forest, in Ciornuleasa, who was fattened for the pride of the great hunter," says Aurel Grigore, 75, a hunting enthusiast.

Only two more trophies exceeded that of the dictator: one from Bulgaria, the other from the former USSR. The Romsilva National Forest Registry notes that Romania's national record for wild boar is still 144.00 CIC points since February 1978. The tusks were harvested in 1978 on the Ciornuleasa hunting ground in the Calarasi County.

SITE CLASSIFICATION

Natural landmark