More than 150 kilometers in length the Transfagarasan Highway is Romania’s most spectacular and best-known road and, thanks to an appearance on BBC Top Gear in 2009, now one of the country’s most popular tourist attractions.
It runs through the Fagaras mountains (trans + Fagaras), a part of the Transylvanian Alps. The road connects Transsylvania with Muntenia. The Transfagarasan starts at Bascov, near Piteçti. It follows the valley of the River Area and after mounting to the highest point, it descends to Cartisoara in the Olt valley, where the road ends.
The Transfagarasan rises to a height of 2134 meters and has sharp hairpin turns, a challenge for every driver. The maximum speed is 40km/h (25 miles/h). The road is often closed from October till June due to the snow that is blocking the road. Sometimes the road can be open as late as November, but on the other hand, it has been known to snow as late as August so it's always good to check ahead of time on the weather and road conditions.
The Transfagarasan was built between 1970 and 1974 by military forces. After the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviets, Nicolae Ceausescu had it built as a strategic military route to cross the mountains in the event the Soviets attempted a similar move into Romania. The builders used 6000 tons of dynamite to clear a path for the road on the northern side of the mountains (this is the most spectacular) and on the tunnel. 40 soldiers lost their lives during construction.
