Man, how stupid we are! – I kept repeating to myself during my walk through Băile Herculane.
I don’t remember seeing them during my childhood or teenage years. I saw other resorts and was horrified by how they looked just a few years after the Revolution.
So maybe it’s better I never saw them in all their splendor, because the bitterness would’ve been even greater.
HERCULANE
I didn’t come here on vacation, but for work, although I had time to walk through the place over two afternoons.
It’s quiet. Few tourists. The hoteliers (from the hotels that are still standing, like Afrodita or Diana) are optimistic: there’s a holiday this weekend and there are bookings, plus a few events.
I walk down the hill through a small park. Its paths are overrun by grass, and the benches too are covered in branches or even bushes that have quietly gone about their invasion.
The fountain isn’t working, but it’s the perfect spot for the kids who came to kick a ball around.
The statue in the center is of Mr. N. Vicol, the father of Romanian balneology. I think he’s been turning in his grave for years now 🙂
I’m sitting on a bench and quickly reading some information, which I later check against a large inscription on a wall.
Băile Herculane, the oldest tourist resort in Romania, is located in the Cerna River Valley, in Caraș-Severin County, 25 km from the Serbian border.
In the year 102, after they had definitively and irrevocably defeated the Dacians, the Romans discovered some healing thermal waters in the Cerna Valley. They dedicated them to Hercules and built baths here, because of course they weren’t foolish enough not to…
I buy a magnet as big as the Palace of Parliament from one of the souvenir stands, a cheese-filled lángos freshly made by a lady perched in a van, and I hear about lots of excursion offers from the seller’s husband, who grabs my attention with information and also from posters stuck in the most random places.
You can take a boat ride on the Danube, visit Bigăr Waterfall, Prislop Monastery, the Jiu Valley, or even go to Serbia, just with your ID card!
I would’ve liked to hop over the border into Serbia or visit the Danube Gorges. But given the limited time and my curiosity to explore the resort, I decide to walk around the area instead.
BĂILE HERCULANE
Hotel Hercules – a complex made up of two buildings, from what I can tell, since I see only one name.
In photos, everything looks okay, but once you’re there, you can’t really tell whether the two buildings are still in use or have been abandoned for some time.
On the way, I come across clear signs for hiking trails you can follow in the area.
At least those look nice…
The springs along the road, which have plaques saying they’ve been restored, look terrible, seriously.
I go down into the largest one I come across.
Walls weathered and overgrown, peeling paint, flooded tiles, missing handrails, the pavement in a sorry state… Everything suddenly drags me into a bit of a depression. Thank goodness for the spring water that smells so awful it gives me the energy to climb the stairs quickly just to get a breath of fresh air.
And the air is amazing! It feels like I’m on a mountain peak, as if it’s cleaning out my lungs. (Later I found out something really cool: the air in Băile Herculane is comparable to that of the Swiss Alps, in the resort of Davos, which sits at over 1,500 meters altitude – while Băile Herculane is at only 168 meters.)
THE IMPERIAL BATHS
What affected me most, by far, was seeing this group of buildings. I saw it from a distance, up close, I studied the details… I tried to imagine its faded glory, the times when “high society” would stroll through here, or even just pensioners coming for treatment.
The splendor of the Baths can still be sensed in the details, the columns, some of the entrances or windows.
The scaffolding marking off a pedestrian path is not a sign of safety. Quite the opposite!
You’re warned more than once! You walk here at your own risk. If something falls on your head, it’s not their problem – they told you so.
The truth is, if I look up, I see the imminent disaster. The walls and the vault are in such a state of decay that I’d rather walk on the street. It feels easier to dodge a car than a collapsing ceiling…
I barely finish that thought when I see, right above me, chunks of masonry caught in a net – put there specifically to protect passersby.
Various little trees and plants have claimed their territory on these buildings. They don’t care that most of them are marked as “Historic Monuments”. They’ve taken root, and they’re not going anywhere.
THE WROUGHT IRON BRIDGE
I see the iron bridge over the Cerna River and I’m excited, thinking I’ll cross to the other side to admire the baths from a distance.
Plot twist: access is forbidden (from both ends, as I later realize).
I don’t know when was the last time a person actually set foot on that bridge, but I now believe it would collapse under the first steps.
This bridge is also a Historic Monument, but what remains of it… is only the history.
HOTELS IN BĂILE HERCULANE
Aside from Afrodita, Diana, and two other “skyscraper-style” hotels (as I like to call them), rising like Jenga towers at the foot of the mountains (from around the 1970s), only two hotels along this Cerna riverside road seem… alive: one is Versay, built right on the water’s edge, dating back to the 19th century. I don’t know who owns it, but it’s clear that someone has taken great care to make it look really sharp.
The other stands out thanks to its architecture, location, but most of all, its color. You just can’t miss it; it peeks out from the trees like something out of a vanilla-scented fairytale 🙂
It’s Hotel Cerna, built in the interwar period in a traditional Romanian style.
Both are historic monuments.
HERCULES SQUARE
The image on the postcards – that’s how I picture this square.
The statue of Hercules stands tall right at its entrance.
To the left, covered in construction netting, is one of the most beautiful and important buildings in the resort. A historic monument currently being restored by the military, because in the past, it was a military sanatorium. Apparently, the army plans to turn it into a medical recovery center for soldiers returning from conflict zones.
At the far end is the Roman Catholic church – the very one where, in 1887, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Sisi) attended Easter Mass, as she was vacationing here in Băile Herculane at the time.
That’s as far as I had time to go.
I walked around the square, felt the vibe of the terrace where people were enjoying a beer in the nice weather, snapped a quick selfie, and then headed back toward the bridge I had already photographed from the saddest side of the Cerna River.
THE STONE BRIDGE
Contrary to the song that says “the stone bridge has collapsed, the water came and washed it away”, this bridge is still standing, and not only that, it’s been restored!
It looks great, which makes it feel like an oddity in the world of crumbling buildings and decaying walls all around.
Here’s a fun fact: the Stone Bridge (from 1865) is the first curved bridge ever built in Europe!
And it has another cool feature: a covered corridor, 2.5 meters wide, designed for pedestrian access.
It’s 36 meters long, just enough to hop over the Cerna River.
Of course, it’s also a historic monument, but at least this one you can cross gladly, seeing how carefully it’s been restored, down to the smallest details, unlike so many other bridges and buildings.
I come across a poster urging us to donate 2 euros a month to help save the Neptun Baths. Then it says “Construction site in progress”. Really?! I don’t think anyone’s worked here since the last millennium…
CENTRAL PARK
Reaching the opposite bank of the Cerna River, I gaze at the Imperial Baths. They look even sadder from over here…
And yet, I count myself among those who love Herculane, even in the state it’s in today…
I’m at the entrance to the small Central Park, in the middle of which stands the Casino building, flanked by two imposing structures, once highly sought-after hotels.
Both are now historic monuments.
To the left is Hotel Decebal (formerly Hotel Ferdinand, originally Hotel Franz Josef), dating back to the mid-19th century.
It’s currently under renovation, which gives me a bit of hope. Even though completion is expected in 2027, at least someone is trying to restore its former grandeur, especially since this was once a prestigious hotel that hosted distinguished guests such as King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth (Carmen Sylva).
It is set to become the first 5-star hotel in Băile Herculane.
I read that it’s a haunted hotel, guarded by a ghost who protects a treasure hidden beneath it. Pretty cool, right? So if its stars don’t attract tourists, the ghost or the treasure surely will…
To the right of the park is Hotel Traian. Also a ruin. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like anyone has taken it over…
In the little park, there are three trees declared natural monuments. I only found one: a Sequoia – the giant tree you really can’t miss.
There are only a few specimens of this kind in Romania. So of course, I couldn’t resist giving it a hug 🙂
Feeling recharged with positive energy, I climb the stairs toward the casino, hoping I might also get a little lucky.
THE CASINO OF HERCULANE
Ugh, no gambling going on… I missed my chance to become a millionaire.
From below, I see both the disaster and the beauty.
I smile reading the Latin motto on the frontispiece: SALUTI ET LAETITIAE. That means Health and Joy. Perfect for a casino, right? May we stay healthy and gamble happily, then cry over the money later 🙂
What a stunning building! An architectural jewel in the Baroque style, a historic monument, like most of the buildings I’ve walked past here.
Though it looks abandoned, you can tell someone has taken care of it. A quick search online surprises me: it’s a functional venue you can rent out – whether for a wedding, a christening party, or simply to feel like a prince(ss) at your own grand ball. Just saying!
CORONINI PLATEAU
On a work-related trip, I make it up to the Coronini Plateau, to see Herculane from above.
I learn two things about this place: first, there are vipers in the area, which makes me dance a little jittery jig through the grass to scare them away (in my head, anyway).
Second, this very plateau used to be an important gathering spot for yogis.
The place is considered sacred, and supposedly every May 1st, thousands of yogis would gather here to form a spiral (and do who knows what else…). But apparently, that hasn’t happened in recent years.
After this walk through the resort, I return to “base camp”, climb up the hotel, and enjoy the view. My God, this country is still so green!
Only my back isn’t anymore 🙂
But no worries, I’m in the perfect place: I’ll go find some healing thermal springs to soak in.
Oh, wait, I’m out of time…
