Kalan: Roman heritage and medieval churches

Kalan’s historical themes range from the Roman site of Aquae to medieval churches and an ancient quarry. This offers different focuses for planning: archaeological traces, thermal waters, architectural history, and preserved paintings. Aquae combines Roman archaeology with thermal baths; the churches in Streisîngiorgiu and Strei represent different architectural and artistic periods. The Măgura Călanului quarry draws attention to limestone as a building material for Dacian fortresses.

Roman Aquae: archaeology and thermal waters

Aquae is an archaeological site from the Roman period in Călan. Its archaeological features include a Roman pool carved into the rock. It measures 7 × 14 metres and is approximately 3.60 to 4 metres deep. These dimensions give the pool a specific scale within the Roman heritage. The thermal-mineral water at the Aquae thermal baths comes from spring 4371 H. There are five pools, one of which is covered, and the water temperature is 27 to 29 °C. If you plan to visit the baths, check before your trip whether bathing is currently possible.

Church architecture and medieval painting

The Church of Saint George in Streisîngiorgiu is a Romanesque stone church dating from the fourth decade of the 12th century. It was preceded by a wooden structure from the 11th to 12th century. The transition from the wooden predecessor to the Romanesque stone church marks two distinct building phases. The oldest surviving layer of wall paintings dates from 1313–1314 and is attributed to Teofil Zugravul. The church’s construction and its oldest surviving paintings therefore date from different periods: the 12th-century building history is followed by a layer of wall paintings from the early 14th century. The church is also on the European Route of Romanesque Heritage.

In Strei stands the Orthodox Church of the Dormition of the Mother of God, a stone courtyard church from the 13th century. Fragments of the 14th-century exterior paintings are still faintly visible on the eastern apse and the south façade. The two churches offer different points of reference: in Streisîngiorgiu, the focus is on a dated and attributed layer of wall paintings; in Strei, it is on fragments of exterior paintings that remain faintly visible. If these paintings are important to your trip, bear in mind that they are difficult to see and check their condition before your visit.

The Măgura Călanului quarry

The archaeological quarry of Măgura Călanului lies in the Strei Valley, a few kilometres from Călan, and is largely hidden by forest. It supplied limestone blocks for the Dacian fortresses in the Orăştie Mountains. This makes it a different historical theme from the churches: here, the focus is on the source of the building material, while the churches represent architectural forms and painting. The quarry thus complements the history of Aquae and the churches with a look at the extraction and use of limestone.

Routes for orientation

A road route in Hunedoara County starts in Călan and leads to Ludești. It offers a different kind of orientation from the European Route of Romanesque Heritage, which includes the Church of Saint George in Streisîngiorgiu. The road route has a starting point in Călan and a destination in Ludești; the cultural route places the church within Romanesque heritage. When planning your trip, you can use these two route descriptions as different points of reference.

Discover more destinations: Vața De Jos, Teliucu Inferior, Râu De Mori, Ilia, Peșteana, Cib, Roșcani, Hățăgel.

For the broader travel overview: Hunedoara.