The Valley of the Twelve

THE HYDROELECTRIC PLANT The "Dimitrie Leonida" hydroelectric plant is located at the foot of the Botoșanu mountain, at a distance of approximately 15 km from the dam, following the old stream of the Bistrița river. It was put into operation in 1960, becoming the most important objective under the administration of the Bistrița branch. In a first stage, 4 groups of 27.5 MW were installed, which went into operation in a row between October 1, 1960 and February 2, 1961. The last two groups of 50 MW each went into operation on June 29, 1962, respectively on October 5 of the same year. As a result of the improvements made and the qualification tests, the power plant was selected for the provision of system services: secondary frequency-power regulation, ensuring the rapid tertiary reserve of active power, ensuring the restoration of the National Energy System in case of extensive breakdowns or total failure of the system. The plant has produced more than 20 billion MWh in its more than 50 years of existence. THE SUPPLY TUNNEL The gallery of the water intake tunnel (4,655 m long, internal Ø of 7 m), crosses the Botoșanu mountain and stretches between the 4 openings of the water intake (which consists of an underground part of 90 m long, an above-ground construction of 70 m that supports the grate cleaning machine and the 46 m deep wet well in which there are flat valves of 6.50 x 9.00 m, sealed upstream) - located 1.5 km upstream of the dam and the hydropower plant located 15 km downstream - on the Bistriței stream (which in this area forms a loop that surrounds Botoșanu mountain). The tunnel has an inner layer of reinforced concrete and an outer layer of plain concrete, the final 424 m of the tunnel being armored with sheet metal. From the tunnel to the forced pipes, the junction is made by a 60 t metal piece of 14.2 m trouser type, embedded in a concrete massif. The pipes (which lead the water to the turbines) are in number 2, they are embedded in two anchoring masses, they have a diameter of 4.2 - 3.8 m and a drop of 90 m, they have an oblique aerial portion and a horizontal underground one and are visible from the National Road (DN) 15 . The pipe on the right supplies the 4 small turbines and the left one on the 2 large ones. Two butterfly valves (safety and control) are mounted in series on each line of the pipe downstream of the trouser piece. The balance castle (located on the axis of the tunnel) consists of an - aerial - upper chamber (height 17 m and diaphragm with internal Ø of 33 m) and a shaft (depth of 70 m and internal Ø of 23 m). In order to dissipate the energy, the bottom of the castle has a geometry with side vaults. Geologically, the water intake is located in an area of black shale, and the rest (the derivation pipeline, the balance castle, the valve house, the forced pipeline and the hydropower plant) in one of marl-clay sediments.

The lakes of Pângărați and Vaduri are located on both sides of DN15, being two of the nine reservoirs on the stream of Bistrița. These were declared areas of special avifauna protection, providing favorable conditions for food and shelter necessary for wintering numerous migratory species, especially swans and wild ducks. It's really worth a stop here to admire them!

The royal house of Bicaz is a historical monument located in the city of Bicaz. The beautiful building is located and can be admired on 4 Barajului str. It was built in 1912, and currently houses the seat of Bicaz City Hall.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: The museum is currently closed for renovations. Founded in 1958, the Museum of History in Bicaz has been operating since 1966 in the building of the former village theater "Ion Calinderu". Built at the beginning of the 20th century, the museum building is registered as a historical monument. The permanent exhibition of the museum of history and ethnography is structured on three distinct spaces that illustrate the monographic history of the Bistriței Valley, but also the 102 paintings donated to the city by the painter Iulia Hălăucesu. Source of information and photos: www.monumenteneamt.ro

Gârcina este o comună din județul Neamț, formată din satele Almaș, Cuejdiu și Gârcina (reședința). Aceasta este așezată în partea de sud-est a Munților Stânișoara și la zona de contact cu Subcarpații Moldovei (vestul depresiunii Cracău-Bistrița). Se află chiar în centrul județului, pe malurile râului Cuejdiu, la nord de municipiul Piatra-Neamț. Este străbătută de șoseaua națională DN15C, care leagă Piatra Neamț de Fălticeni.

Roznov is a small town in Neamț, consisting of the component localities of Chintinici, Roznov (residence) and Slobozia. The city is located in the northern part of the Cracău-Bistrița depression, on the Bistrița river, 15 km southeast of the Piatra-Neamț municipality. It is crossed by National Road/DN15, which connects Bacău with Piatra-Neamț and further to Bicaz. At Roznov, this road intersects with the county road DJ156A, which connects it to the north with Girov (where it intersects with DN15D), Dobreni (where it intersects with DN15C), Negrești and Crăcăoani, and to the south with Borlești, Tazlău and beyond in the county of Bacău to Balcani, Pârjol and Ardeoani (where it ends in DN2G). The Bacău-Bicaz railway also passes through the city, which is served by the Roznov station. The main attractions in Roznov are: "Saint Hierarch Nicholas" Church, "Holy Apostles" Church, but also the Central Park and the Obelisk of the heroes of the Russo-Turkish War.

Located near the forest, with a stream running through the back yard and an old little church hidden on the hill, the "Dimineti în Cerdac" House welcomes you with a huge beautifully garden, an authentic Moldavian colored wood verandah called ”cerdac”, with a traditional clay stove, ideal for relaxation and storytelling, in a fascinating interior design reminding you about the warm atmosphere of holidays spent in your grandparents house.

The Cuejdi Hermitage, dedicated to "St. Venerable Daniil the Hermit", is subordinate to the Bistrița Monastery in Neamț County. The founders of the place are the believers of the locality and the representatives of the mayor's office of Gârcina Municipality since 1998. It is worth making a short stop here on your way to Lake Cuejdel, another beautiful creation of nature in our land.

Vasile Manolachi, the head of the Voluntary Service for Emergency Situations within the Tazlău City Hall, is the man who loves traditions who managed to gather a collection of old household objects, in a house on Mocăniței street. In the yard, next to the small wooden house, on a stone foundation, with a porch and two rooms, there is another body, made later, when the family that owned the property enlarged with 5 children. After years, in which the two houses were not lived in, Vasile Manolachi cleaned them and started setting up a future museum of the village, which still does not have an official name. He would like to call it "Grandma's House", as it looks anyway. The "old house" has on the back wall a yoke for cows and one for oxes, winter horseshoes, a tongs (sunffers) that was inserted into the cattle's nostrils, to stand on the horseshoe, a feather hammer for splitting logs, a loom, a wooden rake, the hog's hair basket that no household lacks and, of course, the oven shovel and the spinning spoon in the magiun. On the lintel are the zolitores (archaic washing machines), covets, a spinning machine and a pot for swilling. Inside, the most generous space is occupied by a war of weaving, made from pieces received from several villagers. It is functional and the children will be able to see, live, how the ropes and carpets were made. Anișoara Luca and her mother, who I wrote about here, will explain to the participants of the camp every single operation and describe the pieces of the war. IMPORTANT: On Google Maps the location appears on Ecoului street, near Mocăniței street. However, it is not very clear whether or not the location can be visited by the general public.