Ţara Moţilor

Ţara Moţilor, also known as "Ţara de Piatră" ("The Stone Land") is an ethnogeographical region of Romania in the Apuseni Mountains, on the superior basin of the Arieş and Crişul Alb River rivers. It encomprises parts of the Alba, Arad, Bihor, Cluj and Hunedoara counties of Romania and a section of it forms the Apuseni Natural Park.

Ţara Moţilor's inhabitants are know as "moţi". Some scholars consider the 'moţi' as descendants of the Celts, because of their blonde hair and blue eyes, elements more frequent here than among other Romanians; however, the hypothesis is not accepted by mainstream historians due to its lack of consistency. Other scholars believe that they are the descendants of Slavs, for the same very reasons, or of the Alans. Yet another group of scholars consider them the descendants of Germanic tribes (Gepids). Due to their blonde hair and blue eyes, so far seventeen theories regarding their origins have been formulated. The first, and most probable and accepted theory, is that they are direct descendants of the Dacians.

They live in scattered villages at altitudes up to about 1,400 m, higher than any other permanent settlements in Romania. The 'Ţara Moţilor' traditionally begins at Bistra, just before Câmpeni, formerly called Topani by the motis themselves or Topesdorf by the Austrians, traditionally considered the 'capital' of the 'moti', while the villages down the Arieş towards Turda such as Lupşa, Sălciua etc. are inhabited by the 'mocani'. The 'moţi' were also known under the name of 'topi' (in German 'Die Zopfen'). Before the last change of the old administrative boundaries there existed an 'Arieş' county in its own right.

Etymology and history

The term "Ţara" means literally "country" (cf. Latin and medieval Latin: "terra"); exceptionally in this case (differently from Ţara Bârsei, Ţara Oaşului, Ţara Făgăraşului, Ţara Haţegului, Ţara Zarandului and Maramureş), it doesn't imply any political, social or administrative status. It is, instead, an archaic term referring to an enclosed and more or less isolated depression between the Carpathians. The region has a long history of resistance and fighting for political, economical and social rights, with movements such as the Revolt of Horea, Cloşca and Crişan (1784-1785) and the Romanian part of the Transylvanian revolution of 1848 having their origins here.

Economy

Industry

Logging, woodworking and mining are the main traditional industrial activities in Ţara Moţilor, with leather processing, blacksmith work, the miller's trade, and the manual combing and spinning of wool as secondary activities. Oak, beech and pine forests provide the material for the famous barrels, furniture and artisanal objects made there. Coal (at Brad), iron (at Băişoara), silver and gold (at Baia de Arieş, Bucium, Roşia Montană, Zlatna, Băiţa, Musariu, Criscior), bauxite (at Vârciorog, Roşia, Dobreşti, Zece Hotare), mercury (at Izvorul Ampoiului), copper, lead, zinc (at Băiţa, Săcărâmb, Roşia Poieni) and molybdenum (at Băiţa) are all extracted here to the present day, with some of the mines (Roşia Montana) being almost 2000 years old.

Agriculture

Because of the highland area conditions, the moţi practice especially extensive animal husbandry. Their main livestock of choice is cattle and the local highland cattle, called "Pinzgau de Transilvania", a variant of Tyrolese Pinzgau breed, was introduced by the Austrians during the early 18th century. The sheep, poultry and pig farming are a secondary choice for farmers in the area.Along the sun oriented mountain slopes, and along the narrow river valleys one can found scatered cultivation of potatoes, barley and even cold-resistant vegetables.

Tourism

The zone is renowned for its folkloric traditions, stunning landscapes, and the variation of the Karstic relief which produced over 800 natural caves such as Scărişoara, Focul Viu (both of them with surviving glaciers inside) and Peştera Urşilor (which contains fossils of "Ursus spelaeus", the cave bear). Agritourism and ecotourism are also widely practiced in the area. The main winter sports center for the area is in Arieşeni.

A partial list of tourist attractions

*Avram Iancu
*Arieşeni
*Vidra
*Peştera Scărişoara ("Scarisoara Cave")
*Peştera lui Ionete ("Ionete's Cave")
*Focul Viu Cave ("The Cave of the Living Fire")
*Peştera Urşilor ("Bears' Cave")
*Cheile Turzii ("Turda Gorges")
*Cheile Gălzii ("Galda Gorges")
*Cheile Ampoiţei ("Ampoita Gorges")
*Cheile Ordăncuşii ("Ordăncuşa Gorges")
*The Maidens' Fair on Găina Mountain.
*"The Hill With Snails" west of Vidra.
*The Barren Detunata
*The Shaggy Detunata
*The Arieş River gorges