Pleși – Wayside Crosses, Gradus Legionis and Mountain Trails

The themed hiking trail Gradus Legionis is almost 46 km long, passes through the hamlet of Pleși and seeks to retrace the Roman conquest route to the Dacian fortress of Căpâlna. In this way, the route combines a clearly named trail with a historical connection that becomes apparent along the course of the trail, rather than only at a single point.

Culture

At the “Găujoare” point in the village of Pleși stands Crucea lui Chirilă, a wayside cross made of painted wood set in a stone shrine. The painted surface depicts the Crucifixion, God the Father, the Virgin Mary, Saint John, Adam’s skull and the city of Jerusalem. The material, iconographic program and precise location each constitute distinguishable features here.

Crucea din Curmătura Greșilor is a Greek-style stone wayside cross at the “Curmătura Greșilor” point in Pleși. At its base, it bears the signs “IC XC” and a Cyrillic inscription: “TOM…”. Its east-southeast-facing side is oriented toward the road and features a simple notched border decoration. Thus, the two wayside crosses differ not only in location, but also in material, design and orientation.

History

In the immediate surroundings of the Dacian fortress of Căpâlna, it was concluded on the basis of differing pedestal dimensions that the pedestals belonged to two different sanctuaries located on the fortress terraces. The archaeological classification is based on a comparison of these dimensions and their assignment to the fortress terraces.

Trails and Landscape

Pleși appears as a named stage of the Săsciori–Curmături–Cabana Şureanu route. This route runs almost entirely along ridge trails and is suitable for mountain biking. This allows the location, the course along the ridge and the stated activity type to be considered separately when classifying a route.

The houses in Pleși are more scattered than in Loman. Beyond Pleși, the houses become less frequent along the route; summer settlements and sheepfolds take their place. The settlement pattern therefore changes within the described section of the route: the scattered buildings in the village are followed by a looser sequence of seasonally used settlements and sheepfolds.

In the regional surroundings of Pleși, a TA-marked route in the Șureanu Mountains connects the area of the Roman fort and the “Frumoasa” visitor center via Pleși with Cetatea Căpâlna. Together with the Săsciori–Curmături–Cabana Şureanu route and the themed Gradus Legionis trail, this creates a picture of different route connections: a named stage, a marked regional link and an almost 46 km-long attempt to retrace a historical route.

Those comparing the trails can therefore first distinguish them by length, terrain and type of activity. The cultural sites complement these landscape connections with specific objects in Pleși, while the character of the place changes along the route through the described settlement pattern.

When choosing a hotel in Pleși, travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions can be considered as separate details. This keeps the comparison focused on the specific planned dates and the desired parameters, without assuming any additional properties of the accommodation.

More destinations

More destinations: Sohodol, Ocna Mureș, Răchita, Vadu Moților, Câmpeni, Mesentea, Săliștea, Lancrăm

To the broader travel overview: Alba.