Oravița

Oraviţa is a town in Caraș-Severin County.

Understand
The current name is first mentioned in 1690 in the census of Marsigli. During the interwar period was the residence of Caras. By the 1700s, Oravița was known by that it possessed gold and copper mines, a forge shop and copper smelters, which required huge amounts of wood and charcoal. In 1816, it is built the first theater in the country (Mihai Eminescu Theater). In 1875, the Anina-Oravița railway is built and it’s the first railway line in Romania. In 1913, the civil school becomes the 8th grade school. The Prefecture Palace is built (the architect is Henriette Delavrancea, the first Romanian lady architect, member of the organization of architects in Paris) between 1931 and 1932. Today it represents Oravița Hall.

By car
Access roads in the town are:
 * 48 km from Moldova Nouă
 * 58 km from Reșița
 * 122 km from Timișoara
 * 20 km from Anina

By train
Traveling to Oravița on the wonderful historical rail system is a natural choice. The train to and from Oravița runs twice a day, and takes almost 2 hours to reach its destination – Anina. But worth it, because of the gorgeous landscapes that can be seen!

By bus
The Autotim Bus Company offers tourists a bus once a day (Monday to Friday), direction Timișoara-Oravița and Oravița-Timișoara.

Get around
Depending on where you're coming from and where you want to get to, buses, minibuses, motorbikes and bicycles are all good ways to get around and the train system also; however the number of locations served is limited. The city is not so big and thus quite walkable. The only mode of public transport inside city is bus. Taxis on the market place and station are quite cheap.

See



 * Culture House Oravița, built on the structure of the second cinema in Banat – House Belgrader – with the first screenings in 1913. It hosts and organizes national-scale events.
 * The Church of St. Elias, located on the ruins of an ancient monastery and painted by famous painters.
 * Culture House Oravița, built on the structure of the second cinema in Banat – House Belgrader – with the first screenings in 1913. It hosts and organizes national-scale events.
 * The Church of St. Elias, located on the ruins of an ancient monastery and painted by famous painters.
 * The Church of St. Elias, located on the ruins of an ancient monastery and painted by famous painters.

Events

 * Feast of St. Elias (Sfantul Ilie) is a festival dedicated to the church blessing of the same name and it’s manifested through music, games and fun.
 * Feast of St. Mary is the festival dedicated to the church blessing of the same name (Sfanta Maria), and it manifests through songs and games.

Buy
Oravița has a number of local artisan shops as well as many European chain boutiques. In this area are several small boutiques and shops, but also a market with natural products (vegetables, fruits, cheese).

Drink
The bars are not busy, but easily accessible.

Connect

 * Cultural House “Mihai Eminescu”: Tel. +40 255-571248
 * “Mihai Eminescu” Theater: Tel. +40 255-572215

Communicate
Public Information Access Point is a center with Internet access created in the Knowledge Economy Project. It is located in the City Hall of Oravița, Str. 1st of December 1918 No. 60, room 14, and provides different services (burn CD/DVD, scan, Internet access, Xerox, print text and photos, renting space, advisory/technical assistance, courses for computer use etc.). Open Monday to Friday, 10am to 2pm.

Go next

 * Discover small towns nearby as Anina, Ciclova Montană, Brădișorul de Jos.
 * In the Cheile Nerei-Beușnița National Park, take a walk to Ochiul Bei Lake and Beușnița waterfalls. In one hour you'll arrive in a completely wooded area, where the first waterfall has a height of 15 meters and is covered with green moss. The limestone formed here several caves. Climbing a few steps of the first waterfall, you reach the second, but less developed in width. After still an uphill path, and meet the third waterfall, the wild. After another uphill path, you meet the third waterfall, the wildest. The entire track is marked with a blue triangle (on trees).
 * Take a 4 hour trip to the Devil's Lake. Getting down further north, you get to Sasca Română, and then the Nera river. The Devil's Lake is on the left side of the Nera, at the mouth of the cave with the same name, 68m long. It has an almost circular shape and a depth of 9m. The lake has been incurred by the collapse of the vault of the cave, in this case a part of the banks being overhang. Devil's Lake is fed by the waters of the Nera, flowing through cracks of limestone, and also by precipitation.