Weekend escapade: Nucsoara village – nature & history

In Southern Central Romania sits the Nucsoara commune, often recognized as an idyllic place, still capturing the ways of a traditional local village. The commune is made up of four villages: Gruiu, Nucsoara, Sboghitesti and Slatina, all in Arges county, some 180 km from capital Bucharest.

It sits at the bottom of the Fagarasi mountains, at an altitude of 879 meters and the richness of landscapes that can be admired is only enhanced by the two peaks framing its borders: the Magura peak and the Varful Strungii peak, each at a height of approximately 1,000 meters. The Gruiu hill, covered with wide pastures and fruit trees, and the Neagului and Dealuri hills, heavy on beech and fir trees woods, are also in the vicinity. The place is perfect for hiking, mountain trailing or simply relaxing over a quiet weekend.

Besides its natural beauty, Nucsoara also stands out for its recent history, as one of the places hosting one of the tens of groups of resistance against communism. The anti-communist resistance began in 1945 and lasted for more than 20 years, some groups of isolated fighters making it into the 70s. The people enrolled in the resistance movement hid in the mountains and were hoping to intervene to change the regime in the event of a war between the UK – US alliance and the Soviet Union. The group in Nucsoara was the longest standing in the country.

There are a few villas in the area where you can check in and you can probably find a place as the tourist traffic is not very high, making Nucsoara perfect for those looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city.

Photographer Cezar Machidon recently captured the beauty of the place in the Spring in Nucsoara series.

To find Nucsoara on the map, and figure out your way there, check Google Maps here.

(Photo source: en.db-city.com)