The strange shape of the Roman province of Dacia [1], which was vulnerable on three sides (West, North and East), was most probably the result of the Romans' desire to posses this salt-mine and some other ones located near-by. Turda used to be called Potaissa [2] back in those days (you can see it in the center of the map that I linked to), and there was almost always a Roman legion stationed there.
There were also some actual gold mines that the same Romans were taking advantage of close-by, at Alburnus Maior (also visible on the map).
The map you linked doesn't show it, but there are mountains to the North and East, which probably gave it a bit of protection. But yeah, the Romans only managed to hold on to it for 175 years, which is pretty short compared to the rest of the empire...
The quirks of .svg maps/links I guess, maybe this one works [1]
As per the mountains, they are not that impenetrable, but you're of course correct, the easiest way was to come through Porolissum, through the North-West passage, the "mountains" there do not surpass 700-800 meters in height.
That's how the Magyars actually did it about 800 years after the Romans, i.e. they came through today's county of Salaj, where the old Porolissum used to be. If I'm not mistaken the name of Turda itself comes after a Magyar ruler/chieftain called Torda (a Turkic-like name itself, but that's another discussion).
Indeed. Salt was the petroleum of premodern warfare, allowing armies to move across longer distances with less foraging. Like petroleum, their civilization would rapidly collapse were the supply impeded, halted . . or adulterated . .
If you're ever in Austria, the 3 Salzwelten (Salt Worlds) transform former salt mines into pseudo-Disney rides complete with slides, underwater boat rides, etc. Cheesy but fun!
I don't think that's a fair reason to downvote, for the same reason it's not fair to downvote phrases like "it's been" instead of "it has been" for being too English/American.
It's pretty clear they meant "picturesque". Also, the only lower-case form of "english" is slang for spin on a billiard ball because "English" is almost always a proper noun, so it should be captialized. ;-]
If you're interested in salt mines, and also in that general part of the world, take a look at Wieliczka and Bochnia[0][1], operating as commercial salt mines for 700 years (until the 1990s). Even the chandeliers are made of salt crystal. There's also a health resort for respiratory ailments 135m underground.
I have been to Cludj. Quite beautifull.
Next time I travel to Romania, I should really try to go down this mine because it looks amazing...
Romania, which has a poor reputation as a touristic country (from France where I live at least) wass really the best surprise this year for me:
- Wonderfull historic city like brazov,
- Many wonderfull Castles,
- Wonderfull countryside.
Wi-fi doesn't work well due to the number of people connecting. You also have LTE connectivity, working poorly due to the number of connected people, but I could send pictures as I was making them, so good enough.
Because(fortunately or not, depending on how you look at it) the air in Wieliczka is air conditioned, so the temperature inside is around 20C with low humidity, very unlike what it should be in a mine like that. I remember visiting it years ago before they made this decision, you definitely needed warm clothing or you'd get really cold otherwise, you can experience what that was like by visiting some other mines nearby like the silver and lead mine in Silesia. I imagine the decision was taken for two reasons - to preserve the interior of the mine better, but also to make the attraction more palatable to the neverending stream of tourists visiting every day, most of whom are coming in shorts and t-shirts especially during summer - in the old days you'd have a seriously bad time if you did that for the entire 3 hour long tour.
Do you happen to know when the air conditioning was added? I recall what seemed a very cold visit nearly two decades ago but couldn’t find any information online as to when the air conditioning was added.
Hmmmm I don't know the exact year - googling it isn't helpful either, I only found this page saying the AC system has been expanded in 2018[0] but I can't find the original date of installation.
Funny. Until about 2006 when the underground amusement park was built, the Turda salt mine functioned as a sanatorium for asthmatics. People praised the breathability of its air.
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There is also another salt mine even larger - Slanic Prahova, the echoes and volumes of space are amazing. Real life Mines of Moria:
https://youtu.be/caJwLueA0SE?t=126