Mud volcanoes
The muddy volcanoes of Paclele Mari and Paclele Mici (12 km from Berca) were discovered by the Frenchman H. Cognand, in 1867, during oil exploration. In 1924, this area was declared a nature reserve.
Muddy volcanoes are actually miniature craters. Natural gas at a depth of more than 3,000 meters, on their way to the surface, comes into contact with groundwater and clay soil.
Thus, due to the mud thrown out with the gases, cones of different sizes are formed on the surface - mud volcanoes. They cover about 30 ha and represent a unique phenomenon in Romania.
Due to the layers of dry mud, the place has a selenium appearance.
Ciolanu Monastery
Ciolanu Monastery is located near Magura, Buzau County. It is documented from the 16th century. It has two churches, one at the entrance, called the Church of the Valley and another, older, a few tens of meters above, called the Church of the Hill.
According to tradition, the monastery was founded by Mrs. Neaga in 1590, although other sources indicate as founders, in 1568, the boyars Dumitru Ciolanu from Transylvania, Radu and Dragomir Sorescu from Vernesti.
Right next to the monastery, on its lands, in the last decades of the 20th century, the sculpture camp from Magura functioned.
Sculpture camp in Magura
Near the Ciolanu monastery in Buzau county there is an outdoor stone sculpture exhibition. The exhibition covers an area of 21 ha and is the largest exhibition of its kind in the country and one of the largest in the world.
163 artists worked in this sculpture camp. Each artist chose the desired theme. At the end, the finished works were donated by the artists, in a festive setting, to Buzau County.
(Translated with Google Translate)
