Geamana, The Romanian Village Flooded by a Toxic Lake

Geamăna is an abandoned village in Romania and it is truly looks like an amazing place but it has a very sad story which starts when the valley was flooded by toxic water from a copper-open-pit mine (Roșia Poieni). Copper exploitation at the mines of Rosia Poieni in the Apuseni Mountains, in Alba County, in Romania, was like a scourge for residents of the twin villages located in the foothills where excavations were carried out. Their ordeal started in 1977, when Romania’s communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu decided to exploit the massive copper deposit discovered underground. 

The government forced the residents of the nearby village of Geamana to quit their homes and abandon their way of life in order to make way for the toxic waste from Roşia Poieni mining pit. There’re about 400 families were exiled and their village swapped by an artificial lake that served as a kind of catch-basin for the mine’s contaminated sludge to flow into. The lake water is highly toxic laced with cyanide and other chemicals. As the lake grew, it surrounded what was once an attractive village. Few towers and houses are all that remains today.

Source: Amusing Planet

Salina Turda Salt Mines Transform to History Museum

What was once a massive salt mine in turda, Romania, has now been cautiously renovated by the regional cluj county council into the world’s first salt mining history museum. the salina turda salt mines were excavated in the 17th century, proving a vital source for salt that brought the romans much wealth. Nowadays, the durgau lakes at the mine’s surface responsible for much of the salt deposits in the area are well-liked tourist attractions that guarantee a firm flow of visitors all year around. A trip down the vertical shafts that once transported 1000’s of tons of salt will gradually let slip the immense scale of the excavated earth, made deliberately clear upon reaching the very bottom of the mine which is covered in a sand-like layer of salt, nearly borrowing a certain aesthetic from the deep sea, the bottom of the mine features almost alien structures made of timber members and illuminated with suspended tube lights. the interior maintains a steady 11-12 degrees celsius and 80 % humidity, fully devoid of any allergens and an almost absence of any bacteria, making the exclusive micro-climate a destination for those suffering from allergic respiratory diseases.

Făgăraș Mountains - Romania's rooftop