Munții Șureanu

Munții Șureanu, also known as Munții Sebeșului, are part of the Șureanu-Parâng-Lotrului group of the Southern Carpathians and cover approximately 1,585 km² across the counties of Alba and Hunedoara. They are bordered by the Valea Mureșului to the north, Munții Cindrel to the east, the Strei corridor to the west, and the Hațeg and Petroșani depressions to the south. The highest point is Vârful lui Pătru, at an altitude of 2,130 m, from which the panorama takes in a large part of the Southern Carpathians. Unlike other mountains in the Southern Carpathians, Șureanul does not impress with sharp ridges or glacial arêtes, but rather with the gentleness of its rounded forms, its broad erosion surfaces and the deep tranquillity of its spruce and beech forests. The climate is harsh at higher altitudes — temperatures as low as -7°C in winter and only 8°C in summer above 2,000 m — with frequent temperature inversions in the surrounding depressions. The ridges of these mountains also preserve traces of Dacian civilisation, the area being closely linked to the Dacian fortresses in Munții Orăștiei located in the immediate vicinity.