Boiţa between the Olt and Lotru Mountains

Geographical setting

Boiţa lies at the foot of the Lotru Mountains, where the Olt River enters the Turnu-Roșu Pass. In the Turnu-Roșu Pass, about 3 km south of Boița, lies the cold, fresh mountain spring Fântâna Împăratului. It was captured in 1852 in honour of Emperor Franz Joseph’s visit to this area.

Other places

Other destinations include Sadu, Șura Mică, Avrig, Gunzendorf, Städterdorf, Cârţişoara, Rusciori and Gura Raului.

Culture

The Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului in Boița is an Orthodox church built between 1812 and 1822. Its architectural layout comprises a pronaos, naos, and main apse. A dome on a drum rises above the nave. The present church was built on the site of, or near, an older wooden church. A church is already documented in Boița from the mid-17th century.

In the forecourt of the present Biserica Adormirea Maicii Domnului, a stone cross-troiță was erected near the south wall; it bears inscriptions on two sides. The troiță is a singular example in this area and cannot be assigned architecturally to any of the typologies of crosses found in Mărginimea Sibiului. The rural ensemble “Centrul localității” in Boița dates from the 18th to the 19th century.

History

The surviving fragments of Turnul Spart date from the 14th century. The archaeological site lies on a narrow strip of land between the Olt and the national road DN 7. Castelul Turnu Roșu in Boița is dated to the period 1533–1930. Today, it is used as Centrul de plasament nr. 18.

At the Turnul Roșu Tower, the construction method is characterised by walls measuring 1.20 to 1.50 metres in thickness. The walls were built largely from river stone. Thus, both the dimensions of the walls and the predominantly used material have been handed down for this structure. The Turnul Roșu Tower complements the historic building features preserved in Boița at several named structures and archaeological sites.

The Roman fort of Ruda is presumed to be identified with Caput Stenarum. It formed part of the north-eastern limes of the Roman Empire in Dacia. In the area of the Ruda Roman archaeological site, Roman roads branched off to the provincial capital, to Apulum, and as far as Dacia’s eastern border.

From the Ruda Roman archaeological site, the entrance to the Olt mountain gorge, the ridge of the Făgăraș Mountains, the Parâng Mountains, the hilly landscape of Transylvania, and the course of the Olt can be seen. Remains of the route called “Drumul lui Traian” by local residents can still be seen today about 2 km south of Boița.

Nature

The municipality of Boița features a hilly landscape at elevations between 350 and 425 metres. On the piedmont hills and some of the municipality’s higher terraces, sessile oak forests (Quercus petraea) alternate with beech stands (Deschampsio–Fagion). In the south of the municipality, in the Turnu-Roșu Depression and the first section of the Olt Gorge, there are rocky grasslands.

To the main travel overview: Sibiu.