Discover Borca – Holiday Apartment in the Eastern Carpathians

The mountain landscape around Borca includes extensive forest areas as well as vast mountain pastures and meadows. The municipality of Borca lies along the middle course of the Bistrița River in the Eastern Carpathians; the river crosses the municipality over a distance of approximately 8 kilometres.

Other places: Poiana Teiului, Bicaz Chei, Schitu Tarcău, Hangu, Tupilaţi, Roman, Trifești, Săvinești.

Landscape and Nature

Around Borca, the Munții Stânișoarei are approximately 75 percent forested; mixed forests of conifers and beech predominate, while the upper ridges are characterised by montane secondary grasslands. Budacu Peak reaches 1,859 metres and is the highest point in the municipality of Borca as well as in the entire Bistrița Mountains. The mountain peaks around Borca offer panoramic views of the Ceahlău Massif, the Rarău Massif, the Călimani Mountains and the Rodna Mountains.

The municipality of Borca contains a 357-hectare forest and fauna reserve at an altitude of approximately 1,600 metres, where the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is protected. The Pârâul Borcuța aquatic nature reserve lies at an altitude of 1,600 metres and covers 1.20 hectares. The Borcut spring is associated with the Borca Fauna Reserve and is mentioned in documentary and geological records dating back to the 18th century.

Hiking Trails and Activities

The Drumul Vitoriei Lipan route can begin in Borca, pass through Valea Sabasei and the hamlet of Pârâul Ungurului, and cross the Munții Stânișoara via Șaua Stânișoarei; it is 24 km long. The route is marked with a blue cross and is considered impassable in winter.

A tourist travel programme includes a hike through the Borca Gorges and, optionally, a hike to Budacu Peak. Horseback riding as well as trips by cart or carriage are possible in the area around Borca; former forest roads offer opportunities for riding off-road bicycles.

Culture and History

In Borca, the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is considered a local destination of historical and tourist interest; it was built between 1886 and 1890. The former house of the administrator of the Royal Crown Estate in Borca was built in 1898, is classified as a historical and architectural monument, and is now a student boarding house.

The “Strămoşii” Ethnographic Museum is housed in three rooms of the town’s old school and displays traditional household textiles, local traditional clothing, products made by craftspeople and folk artists, as well as traditional festive customs. The Piatra Scrisă rock is located within the municipality of Borca, on Mount Goia near the springs of Sabasa.

Borca is home to the “Izvoarele Borcutului” folklore ensemble; in Neamț County, a tourist travel programme includes participation in a gathering with the ensemble. The “Jocul caprei” and the masked performers from Borca are considered centuries-old traditions; they are accompanied by bells, the bucium, signal horns, drums and flutes. The birthplace of the poet Aurel Dumitrașcu in Borca has been converted into a memorial house.

The Drumul Talienilor is over 100 years old; next to it, at the end of the Ocolului Silvic Borca, stands a stone monument to the heroes who fell in the war.

To the higher-level travel overview: Neamt.