The Sphinx 

The Sphinx of the Apuseni Mountains in Roșia Montană, also known as "Căluț" or "Monumentul Băieșilor", sits atop the Cârnic Massif and is visible from all parts of the village. Miners of the past, deeply religious, placed a large wooden cross on the Sphinx for guidance and protection as they worked in the galleries below in search of gold. From this vantage point, one can admire the Orlea and Văidoaia Massifs on the horizon, overlooking the multicultural village of Roșia Montană, rich in history, heritage sites, and churches of various denominations. This village was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021, and you can find more information about each landmark from there via the QR signs or from our website.

But let's turn our attention to the other side of Mount Cârnic, namely to the current Citadel pit or Cetate. In the past it was called the "Roman Citadel". We will now talk about the ancient and recent mining of this place of which today only this open pit remains.

Following the Roman conquest of Dacia around 105-106 AD, gold mining experienced significant advancement. Skilled engineers emerged, proficient in geology, ventilation, water drainage, and mine support. The Roman mining networks, characterized by illuminated tunnels and courtyard-like openings, resembled fortresses, earning them the name "Citadel." These networks included ingeniously designed inclined tunnels  with connecting stairs, exploration tunnels , and drainage systems. This intricate labyrinth of Roman-era mining infrastructure persisted until the communist period, with remnants still visible..

During the communist period, extraction at Roșia Montană began with small-scale pits at the Mount Citadel and the nearby Napoleon area, contributing around 5% of the total production. In the 1970s, open-pit mining became prevalent, but the underground sectors were repurposed for other activities. Despite this shift, underground tunnels remained crucial for ore transport, facilitated by conveyor belts and a railway system. Ore production saw a significant increase, reaching six times the 1948 levels by the 1970s and eleven times higher by 1975. Underground mining prevailed until 1970, after which open pit mining took over.

After 1989, when the communist regime fell, there was no investment in developing the former state owned Mining Exploitation and the area saw a stark economic decline. In 2006, the Government issued a Decision to privatize the former state mine. After 2000, the exploitation license for Roșia Montană was transferred to a joint venture called  Roșia Montană Gold Corporation (RMGC). It is owned between the Canadian miner Gabriel Resources and the Romanian state. Despite RMGC's promises of significant foreign investment and the implementation of advanced techniques, these plans didn't materialize due to vehement local and national opposition. RMGC's proposed project sparked widespread controversy and street protests across major cities in Romania. Failing to commence the project, RMGC initiated an international arbitration case against the Romanian State to recover expenses. However, in 2024, the Romanian state won the case, and Gabriel Resources was ordered to pay expenses to the Romanian State.

Before we conclude, we would like to tell you about an important component of the heritage of Roșia Montană - our surface archaeological heritage - from which only a very special funerary monument is currently visible. The Găuri-Hop-Hăbad area is located to the left of the Citadel pit, to the south, in the area currently covered by a forest that you can see from this point. We invite you to visit this area, where we will tell you more about the surface archaeological remains of the Alburnus Maior site.

Also, you can learn more about the surface archaeological heritage at the Mining Museum, in the Lapidarium area on the premises, where ancient stone artifacts are explained in the context  to the archaeological areas where they were discovered.

You have listened to the content dedicated to the Sphinx of the Apuseni Mountains and the Citadel pit in Roșia Montană.

The UNESCO tour of Rosia Montana is a project implemented by the non-governmental organization ‘Rosia Montana in Patrimoniul Mondial’. The audio-tour is co-financed by Romania’s Administration for National Cultural Funds. We based our story telling on local anecdotes and the works listed on the bibliography on our website. We encourage you to follow the trail that we prepared for you via our website. This will ensure that you discover all objects and their stories of Rosia Montana. Have a pleasant journey and ‘drum bun’ as we say here.