“La Castel” Landscape Reserve

La Castel Toltra Gorge, located above the valley of the Rakovets River near the village of Gordinești, is a unique place. This natural wonder is a result of multimillion-year-old deposits. Here you can find picturesque landscapes, rich plant and animal life, and, most importantly, hear local legends associated with this place.

The name itself leads us to believe that there was once a castle here. All that remains of the castle are the high cliffs and the memory of a beautiful maiden once imprisoned within its walls.

The parents were against the young beauty’s engagement to her beloved, so he decided to hide her from her parents in the castle. One fine day, the castle owner was returning from a hunt, there was a grand feast, but something happened deep within the earth and the castle sank underground. Neither the beauty, nor the owner, nor the castle remained… only the legend has reached us, along with the pleasantly flowing Rakovets River among the toltras of this place.

The “La Castel” Landscape Reserve occupies a section of the Rakovets River valley for 5 km. It is a typical toltra natural landscape. The toltra cliffs are divided by relief karst forms in the shape of caves and sinkholes, which appeared due to weathering, erosion, aeolian, and karst processes. Many springs with crystal-clear water flow from the cliffs. The rocky banks are covered with groves of pedunculate oak, wild cherry, wild pear, field maple, dyer’s buckthorn, blackthorn, hawthorn, and others.