Up to 900 km of the 1,400 km that make up the long-distance trail Via Transilvanica can now be explored on Google Street View, points out Romania Insider.
Via Transilvanica, a project developed by Tășuleasa Social, crosses 20 different ethnic and cultural regions of Romania and around 400 communities, showcasing 12 Unesco World Heritage Sites.
It starts in Bucovina, at Putna, crosses Transylvania, and ends at Drobeta Turnu Severin, near the Danube shore.
The trail was inaugurated in 2022 after four years of work with the involvement of local communities and over 10,000 volunteers.
It is marked by signposts and and site milestones, individually carved by national and international artists.
Two-thirds of the route are photographed and available on Google Street View. A virtual traveler can see landmarks like the Sucevița Monastery, a site on the Unesco World Heritage list, tour the Teleki Castle in Posmuș, or visit Ulpia Traiana Sarmizegetusa.
Nature sites, such as the forests in Bucovina, the meadows near Viscri or Râpa Roșie are also among the places available for a virtual exploration.
The team tasked with taking the photos used a specially designed recumbent trike fitted with a panoramic camera. The photo-taking process took approximately a month, between August and September of this year.
In the coming period, Via Transilvanica will be published on Google Maps in the hiking trail format.
„I thought that maybe it is an issue not of all journalists hating Romania but of us needing to do something about it. And Tășuleasa Social was born, 18 years have passed, and I think we have reached a second, very important milestone – to have a project that is not based on fear or catastrophe, pandemic or corruption”, Alin Ușeriu, founder and president of Tășuleasa Social, said at the event announcing the availability of Via Transilvanica on Street View.
„With this new project, we invite lovers of hiking, nature, culture and history to embark on a digital trip across Romania, on Via Transilvanica. Tășuleasa Social created something special, a road that unites and highlights authentic places, people, and stories. Street View can be the first step the future traveler on Via Transilvanica takes in the forests of Bucovina or the meadows in Terra Saxonum”, Elisabeta Moraru, country director of Google Romania, said.
The Transfagarasan Road, Brukenthal Museum, Bran Castle, the channels of the Danube Delta and Turda Salt Mine are among the local landmarks that are available on Google Romania Street View.
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