Azuga Resort

Azuga is a town at the northern tip of Prahova County, on the border with Brașov County, on the upper course of the Prahova where it receives the Azuga river. It lies at about 930 m, at the foot of the Bucegi and Baiu Mountains, near the Sorica and Cazacu ridges. It covers 83 km² and had 3,901 inhabitants at the 2021 census. The DN1 road and the Ploiești-Brașov railway, with Azuga station, run through the town. Until 1881 the settlement was called Între Prahove ("Between the Prahovas"). A document from 1815 mentions the Căciula Mare inn, also called the Între Prahove inn, the first building in the area, and the first houses appeared in the early nineteenth century. In 1884 Predeal, Azuga, Bușteni and Poiana Țapului together formed the commune of Predeal, and in 1889 the town hall moved to Azuga, into a building provided by King Carol I. In the second half of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century, factories opened here for glass (1830 and 1879), cheese (1882), cement and hydraulic lime (1885), woollen cloth (1887), timber (1888), sparkling wine (1892), beer (1898-1900) and fireclay (1908). The Orthodox Church of the Holy Trinity was built in 1902-1903 on the site of an old inn, with support from the Royal House; its stained-glass windows were made in 1902 by a German craftsman at the request of King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth. The World War I Heroes' Cemetery, laid out in 1920, is a historic monument of national importance, and ten other buildings in the town, including Ghimbășanu's cheese dairy (1878), are listed monuments of local importance. Azuga was an industrial town until 2002, after which it developed as a resort. The beer, glass and cloth factories were demolished, while the Rhein sparkling wine cellars are still in operation. The ski area, served by a gondola since 2007, includes the Sorica (2,100 m) and Cazacu (1,920 m) runs, both homologated by the International Ski Federation. In summer the town is a starting point for hikes towards Predeal, Bușteni and Sinaia, and the forest roads along the Azuga valley are used by cyclists.