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Location: Romania
Significance: Rosia Montana contains the remains of a Roman gold-mining settlement which is part of a large cultural landscape containing numerous important sacred archaeological features dating from the early Romanian Dacian and subsequent Roman periods. These sites include one of the largest circular Dacian mausoleums (2nd-3rd century), Roman cemeteries, and temples dedicated to the gods Silvanus, Ianus, and Geminus among others. A community has continuously occupied the site that now includes 7 churches dating from the 18th and 19th centuries.
The Threat: The Romanian Ministry of Culture has rescinded the protective status given to the site in 2000. This is being challenged in court to preserve the integrity of the law and the integrity of the site. The site (has also been) is threatened by Canadian Gabriel Resources, which intends to develop Europe’s largest open cast gold mining project on this site. A recent court battle has assured that for now the site cannot be mined, however, without legal governmental protection, the site could be destroyed by future development.
Nominated By: Alburnus Maior, an NGO based in Rosia Montana