Romania’s Salt Mine Spas

Dear friends of RRI, you are invited to participate in a new prize-winning contest entitled “Romanias Salt Mine Spas, dedicated to one of the countrys main mineral resources, salt,

Diana Baetelu, 09.01.2013, 21:34

Dear friends of RRI, you are invited to participate in a new prize-winning contest entitled “Romania’s Salt Mine Spas”, dedicated to one of the country’s main mineral resources, salt, which has both economic and health importance, given the therapeutic qualities of salty air. With 2.35 million tonnes extracted in 2011, Romania is one of the biggest salt producers in the world, while mining is one of the oldest occupations on this territory.

Salt deposits are found in places whose name often contains the word “ocna”, which in Romanian means “salt mine”, or “slanic”, which means “salt” in Old Church Slavonic. Such examples are Ocna Sibiului, Ocnele Mari, Ocna Mures, Targu Ocna, Ocna Dej, Slanic Prahova, Slanic Moldova, etc. Salt mines can also be found in Praid, Turda and Cacica. Salt is extracted by SALROM, the National Salt Company. Experts say Romania has salt reserves to last it a thousand years.

Salt mine spas are an increasingly popular tourist attraction. The curative properties of salty air have led to the development of speleotherapy and climatotherapy, the treatment of conditions underground, in caves and salt mines. This form of treatment consists mainly in the inhalation of the air in salt mines and is used to cure respiratory ailments such as asthma, bronchitis and allergies. Not to mention that the former salt mines have excellent acoustics, which makes them ideal venues for concerts.

All you need to do in order to win a prize is to listen to RRI’s broadcasts, visit our website, as well as our Facebook, Twitter and Flickr profiles, and provide correct answers to our questions in writing. The contest closes on 28th February 2013 mailing date.

The Grand Prize is a 10 day trip for two, with full board accommodation for 9 nights, between 15th and 24th May 2013, in four different areas in Romania that are famous for their salt mines: Slanic Prahova (in Prahova County), Targu Ocna (in Bacau County), Praid (in Harghita County) and Turda (in Cluj County).

The sponsors of our competition are SC Salina Turda Durgau SA and Pensiunea Elena and Motel Anda in Targu Ocna. Our contest partners are the Bacau County Council, the Prahova County Council, the Ploiesti City Hall, the Turda City Hall, the Harghita Intercommunity Development Association, the Metropolitan Bishopric of Cluj, Alba, Crisana and Maramures, The National Salt Company SA, including its branches in Targu Ocna, Slanic Prahova and Praid, as well as the Ploiesti, Bacau and Turda branches of the Union of Fine Artists, the Harghita County Cultural Centre, the Turda Municipal House of Culture, the Tudor Jarda Arts and the Crafts School in Cluj-Napoca.

As usual, winners are responsible for transport to and from Romania and, if necessary, the entry visa. For the runners up we have prizes and special distinctions provided by our partners consisting in objects related to the exploitation of salt and the four above-mentioned areas.

The questions:

1. For how long can Romania cover its salt consumption from domestic reserves?

2. Name at least three salt mine spas in Romania.

3. What is the name of the treatment using the curative properties of salty air?

4. What salt mine spas will be visited by the winners of the Grand Prize?

Please let us know what motivated you to take part in the contest and your alternative sources of information, if applicable, aside from our broadcasts, website and Facebook profile. As always, our mailing address is: Radio Romania International, Str. G-ral Berthelot nr. 60-64, sector 1, Bucharest, PO Box 111, cod 010165, fax 00.40.21.319.05.62, e-mail: engl@rri.ro. We expect your answers by 28th February, post date. The winners will be announced after 15th March 2013, allowing them to prepare their journey to Romania. Good luck!