Funded through the Ross Hazeltine Travel Grant:
The effects of gold mining and displacement in the Carpathian Mountains of Romania.
"Save Rosia Montana."
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In 1971, surface mining for gold began in the Cetate mountain in the Rosia Montana valley. For nearly 2,000 years, underground mining in Cetate was the main source of gold in the Apuseni mountains. The surface mine took off nearly 100 meters of elevation off the mountain and was eventually shut down in 2006.
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Tour guide Valentin Rus walks through the underground Roman galleries. Hand chiseled and dating back to the first century, ancient wax tablets were found in the galleries— making Rosia Montana the oldest known inhabited place in Romania.
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Plants grow out of an abandoned gold mining processing plant.
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A child looks at the old mining equipment at the Mining Museum in Rosia Montana.
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”Adoptă o Casă" volunteers have started to rebuild older homes in disrepair in Rosia Montana. The homes are rebuilt with the original materials used from the 18th and 19th century. By rebuilding in this way, it makes the homes historical monuments— preventing the gold company from buying the houses. They Rosia Montana Gold Company currently owns over 80% of the homes in the village.
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Luiza Bereczky, 9, plays tennis in the historic town square center in Rosia Montana. Her dream is to someday become a professional tennis player.
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The Roșia Poieni copper mine in the adjacent valley to Rosia Montana.
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Rosia used to have a thriving economy. But since the mines have closed and the new mining company buying out many of the residents' properties, many have left the area. Now, 'Nea Dinu is the last blacksmith in Rosia Montana.
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An old gold miner's identification card from 1948.
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A local villager herds cows back to her barn.
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Toxic materials from mining waste leaks out into a stream in Rosia Montana. Rosia Montana's name translates to "Red Mountain" after the toxic waste that has leaked out from nearly 2,000 years of gold mining.
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Zeno Cornea pets his dog "Bobby" after a church service. The local Unitarian church was founded in 1796 and would be torn down if the mining plans continued.
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Old Romanian crosses used to be placed at crossroads to ward off evil spirits that caused crashes. While many don't believe in the ancient superstitions anymore, the crosses are still left up to mark crossroads.
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