Hățăgel: Church, Stone Crosses and Open-Air Museum

Culture and History

The “Duminica Tuturor Sfinților” Church belongs to the Hățăgel parish and was consecrated on 28 May 2017. Another memorial stands on the hill at the entrance to the village from the direction of Roman Sarmizegusa: large stones bear old stone crosses leaning against them. One of these crosses was erected in the past in memory of Romanian soldiers who died at the front during the First World War.

More old stone crosses have been preserved along the road through Hățăgel, in the fields and at the boundaries of the settlement. Their distribution therefore follows not just a single location, but several areas between the settlement and the cultural landscape. A separate collection is located in the garden in front of Daniil Stoenescu’s family home. This garden was designed as an open-air museum and is called Grădina Ulpia Christiana.

Grădina Ulpia Christiana includes millstones, river stones, remains of ancient and funerary monuments, as well as petrified fossils. The garden’s origins include the story that Daniil Stoenescu followed an exhortation attributed to Arsenie Boca to speak with stones. Millstones and river stones point to different natural and crafted forms, while the ancient and funerary monuments represent another historical layer. The petrified fossils complement this collection with evidence from nature. In the garden, worked millstones, natural river stones, remains of ancient and funerary monuments, and petrified fossils come together. Current opening hours for the open-air museum can be checked before travelling, as visiting times may change.

Landscape and Waters

The peaks of Măgura Zimbrului, Furcătura Clopotivei, Ciclodan and Cioaca Delertonilor lie in the surroundings of Hățăgel. Hunyad Castle is also located in the wider regional area. Thus, named peaks in the immediate surroundings are contrasted with a more broadly defined regional attraction.

The Galbena River flows through Hățăgel and divides the settlement into two parts. The watercourse is therefore part of the village structure and not merely a landscape feature outside the built-up area. Hățăgel is connected to the centre of the municipality by county road DJ 687 C. Current road and traffic conditions can be checked before departure when planning the timing of an excursion along the landscape points mentioned.

Customs and Traditions

The Nedea “Duminica Mare” in Hățăgel is associated with the first Sunday after Pentecost. Its date therefore follows a church-calendar date rather than a fixed day in the annual calendar. Together with the consecrated parish church, the preserved stone crosses and the open-air museum, the Nedea is one of the specifically named cultural themes of the village. Those interested in the festival tradition can check the event date before travelling, as the first Sunday after Pentecost varies from year to year. For concrete travel planning, the event date should also be checked in advance, because the first Sunday after Pentecost falls on a different calendar date each year.

For the overarching travel overview: Eisenmarkt.

More destinations

More places within the same destination:

Lupeni, Ilia, Hărău, Teliucu Inferior, Uricani, Roșcani, Peştera, Geoagiu.