Bicaz (Oraş Bicaz)
Before the construction of the dam (1950–1960) the settlement was just a mountain village in Eastern Carpathians where the main economic activity was timber harvesting. By tradition, the tree trunks were linked together, forming a raft (pluta); a raftman (plutaș) used to drive the raft on the Bistrița river downstream to wood processing facilities in Piatra Neamț.
Building the dam created also a horizontal industry: two cement and aggregate plants were built in Bicaz proper and nearby Tașca. This, together with the construction of the Bicaz-Stejaru Hydroelectric Power Station (10 km to the east) triggered a relative economic boom during the communist period.
The Bicaz cement plant was shut down after the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and is slowly being taken apart. On the other hand, the Tașca cement plant was acquired by the German group HeidelbergCement and was completely overhauled. The town has also a few timber factories and wood processing facilities.
Map - Bicaz (Oraş Bicaz)
Map
Country - Romania
Flag of Romania |
Europe's second-longest river, the Danube, rises in Germany's Black Forest and flows southeasterly for 2857 km, before emptying into Romania's Danube Delta. The Carpathian Mountains cross Romania from the north to the southwest and include Moldoveanu Peak, at an altitude of 2544 m.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
RON | Romanian leu | lei | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
HU | Hungarian language |
RO | Romanian language |