Gârda De Sus: Ice Cave, Mountain Churches and Moți

Gârda de Sus combines protected nature, impressive caves and a vibrant religious and craft tradition. Cheile Ordâncușei is located in Apuseni Natural Park, a 10-hectare protected area designated by Law No. 5 of 6 March 2000. A concrete road leads through the gorge. Apuseni Natural Park also has a visitor centre in Gârda de Sus.

Other places in the same destination area include Sălciua De Sus, Șugag, Sebeş, Alba Iulia, Ocna Mureș, Mătișești, Laz and Vadu Moților.

Nature

One special feature of Ghețarul Scărișoara is its permanent ice body, with a volume of more than 100,000 cubic metres. The cave was the first cave in Romania to be declared a natural monument, in 1938. It contains the two chambers Sala Mare and Sala Biserică.

Access to Poarta lui Ionele begins in the centre of Gârda de Sus via the DJ 750. Poarta lui Ionele Cave is illuminated and equipped with walkways, metal staircases and railings. At Cotețul Dobreștilor, the spring is easy to see. The entrance to Cotețul Dobreștilor Cave is 10 metres wide and 4 metres high. The flooded cave through which the water flows, however, can only be traversed by trained cavers using autonomous diving equipment.

Churches and Traditions

The wooden church “Naşterea Sf. Ioan Botezătorul” in Gârda de Sus dates from 1792 and was altered in 1863. The Biserică veche Gârda was also built in 1792. A more recent sacred attraction is Bisericuță Călineasa: the wooden church stands on a mountain summit and can be reached by an asphalt road. It was consecrated in 2015 and is dedicated to Saint Elias. Services are held there only in summer, when the Moți are in the seasonal settlements of Poiana Călineasa.

Poiana Călineasa includes coniferous forests, meadows, individual trees, seasonal settlements and freely grazing animals. The Moți move there with their animals and stay from May to September. The inhabitants process wood and prepare traditional products from milk and forest fruits. In Gârda de Sus, visitors can also learn the local craft of Ciubărărit. For those interested in culture, the churches from different periods of construction stand alongside the Moți’s seasonal craft traditions.

Biserică Ocoale serves as a place of rest and prayer for people ascending through Cheile Ordâncușii to Ghețarul Scărișoara Cave. It is intended for Sunday and holiday visits by residents of Ghețar, Ocoale, Dealul Frumos and Hănășești, as well as by other visitors. At the annual church festival of Biserică Ocoale, the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, the Moți from Gârda de Sus and the surrounding places gather for worship on 6 August.

To the overarching travel overview: Alba.