GEOGRAPHY

Vatra Dornei, a history place known as the Land of the Dorna’s has the shape of a depression surrounded by the Northern branch of the Eastern Carpathians and the Borgo Pass leading to Campulung Moldovenesc; It looks like a natural city surrounded by the mountains of  Bistriţa, Rarau, Giumalau, Suhard and crossed by the Bistriţa river, and  Dorna si Neagra Creeks.  The Calimani mountains, of a volanic nature has as its highest peaks Pietrosu (2.102 m), Negoiul (2.046 m), Izvorul Calimanului (2.031 m), Retitis (2.021 m), Pietricelu (1.991 m), the mountains of  Bistrita, and Giumalau – Rarau and  Suhard with its peaks Omu (1.931 m) and Ousoru (1.639 m)

CONNECTIONS

• It neighbors to the west with Transylvanian Bistriţa area by Tihuta (1.217 m) and Ilva (910 m) Passes
• It neighbors to the east with Campulung Moldovenesc, by the Mestecanis Pass(1.096 m).
• To Maramures, toward Northalong the Bistriţa Valley by the Prislop Pass (1.416 m)
• To Moldova beyond Carpathians through the Bistrita Gauges

 

ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION

The Land of Dornas includes 12  administrative units (the communes of Dorna Arini, Dorna Candrenilor, Cosna, Iacobeni, Panaci, Poiana Stampei, Saru Dornei, Brosteni, Crucea, Carlibaba, Ciocanesti, comprizing about 45 communities) having as center point the town and resort of Vatra Dornei.

ECONOMY

Located din The Eastern Carpathians, the Land of Dorna is covered extensively with woods populated especially with spruce fir (Picea Excelsia), the strongest and most searched for construction wood in the Norther Romania. The wooden construction tradition last for millennia here, the people living here have built for centuries for families and community. Even today’s wooden buildings of more than 100 years old are giving evidence for the beauty, durability and comfort provided by the wooden materials. In addition to the wood processing, the area is known for the tourism (agro tourism, ecotourism), milk processing and as a natural sparkling water supplier.
VEGETATION
The Dorna Depression id located at an average altitude of 800 meters, within the area of pine tres and about 60% of its areas is covered by this “green gold”.

CLIMATE

The Dorna`s Land has a temperate continental climate of an alpine nature, which means that the depression has a cool mountain climate, with long periods of time of temperature inversions (in the lower-lying places the temperature is lower than on the slopes, in certain conditions); in autumn and during the winter, the medium temperature of January is usually under 6 °C and in summer the medium temperatures of the July barely exceed 14°C. The medium annual temperature is 4.6°C. The annual precipitation quantity is over 600 mm, the dominant winds blow from South-West, West-East, North-East, with a generally reduced speed. A characteristic of this climate is the impossibility of cereals growing (excepting the barely, the oat, and the rye), of vegetables because they cannot bear the frost and the fruit trees because of the late spring and early autumn hoar frost. The only relevant culture is the potato.

HIDROGRAPHY
The surface hydrographical network is very rich. The most springs form streams of different sizes. The number of the springs on the slopes is wide enough, with a relatively constant flow. The presence of the fault lines is marked by the mineral water springs, called "borcut” by the local people.