The trail Vadu Soresti - Racoviteni Mausoleum

The Racoviteni Mausoleum- a monument built by the Germans in the First World War

We are flying to the monumeeeeeent!!!!

This trail was very amusing and more importantly, it was also very interesting. Four scouts from Zarnesti commune started their journey on the morning of 31st May, when we Romanians were celebrating "Rusaliile", a journey to what we heard most villagers call "The Monament". Another original name that the children also heard was that of "Musoleu", hence why we decided together to call it among us "Mussi".  :-)

Of what we found about this mausoleum once we got there and also when we returned from it, we cannot yet fully talk, as we are still investigating and confirming the truth of it. But in less than one month we will post again with the definitive details. Please see below.

Until then, we ask of our readers to share this with their German friends and relatives, perhaps the news reaches the people "involved". The Internet can do wonders when you want to find something or someone. 

The Story of Racoviteni Mausoleum, Buzau county

The ruins of the Racoviteni Mausoleum- the side towards the European highway E85
Around where Ion is standing(first to the left)
there used to be a beautiful spiral staircase :-)
If you are there you can still see the base of the staircase...

Far away: city of Ramnicu Sarat
This is the scenery viewed when standing as in the above picture - please excuse the photo's  lack of clarity

Ruins of Racoviteni Mausoleum - the side facing the Nania forest between Pruneni and Vadu Soresti
The mausoleum seems to have eyes, it can see all that we do!
In the above picture our friends from the camp, left to right:
Cristiana, Stefania, Ana and Ion

The forest between Vadu Soresti and Pruneni, the left side is called 'Nania', the middle part is called 'Pantelimon', and the right side is called 'La fund'.

This is the scenery from the ruins' side which our little scouts named "The Mausoleum's eye"

The Mausoleum was 'born' from the so called "Christmas Battle" which took place between 22nd-26th December 1916, also known as the battle of Ramnicu Sarat, during the retreat of the Romanian and Russian armies.

The monument, in which are buried approx. 4000 Germans, 3000 Russians and 6 Romanians was built by Germans in 1917. Most of the heroes were not identified. In the paper "Kreigergraber in Rumänien. Hero graves in Romania", published in 1931, it is stated that in Racoviteni were burried 3008 unidentified German heroes. According to other information from German authorities, in 1930 nearby villages moved over to Racoviteni the bodies of 5250 German army soldiers, most of them unknown; with them there were also 124 identified Germans, 32 identified Austrians and 1217 unidentified ones, placed in communal burial grounds. On a marble plaque there stood written in German, Romanian and Russian: "Here rest the heroes..dead for their country".
See details here: 
http://www.monumentul.ro/pdfs/Mircea%20Tanase%2010.pdf

We would like to mention again that we are not involved in politics either at a national or international level, so we do not accuse anyone of anything, we do not applaud anyone, but, as an organization working on a project such as our "Promoting of rural tourism and environment protection", we want to rebuild the mausoleum (as the term "renovate" no longer applies to this construction), turning it into a tourist attraction sight, around 30km distance from Buzau, to the left of the European highway E85, between the city of Buzau and the city of Ramnicu Sarat, but also about 45 minutes of bike ride away from Vadu Soresti. It takes that long because at some point you need to climb so the bike must be pushed. Perhaps with a mountain bike it would be easier. Or if the road from Racoviteni to the mausoleum were asphalted. 

What we learned there, and in the village and online

As we already mentioned: what we discovered is not set in stone. If you know anything more or if you feel something is incorrect, please let us know.

Just as promised, we continued our research and we added the results of the research to the information already discovered from our initial visit to the Monument.

In 1934, the "Cultul Eroilor" Society proposed dismantling the cemetery due to its "eccentricity" and to the impossibility of continuing to maintain it. In 1937 it was demolished with the authority of the Society "Cultul Eroilor", and in 1938 another one was built. In 1940, the earthquake damaged the upper part of the building. In 1944 or, according to other sources, in 1949, the Red Army destroyed the building.
Due to neglect, the cemetery deteriorated entirely, the monument was demolished, the surrounding fence disappeared, so that in 1984-1988 it was not included in the lists of commemorative objects. Little by little the inhabitants of Racoviteni and Petrisoru (village neighbour to Vadu Soresti, but belonging to the Racoviteni commune) began taking bricks from the ruins and using them for various building purposes in their homesteads, it is even told that a part of the Vadu Soresti school was built or renovated using some bricks from the Monument. 

What can we say? During the war period tourism could be defined as "run from the enemy as far as you can" or as "let's take a trip to X area and destroy them"...That is why no one thought of the value of the building in our times. 

After the Revolution of 1989, the mayor's office (we suspect the one in Racoviteni) received 4 letters from German people which wanted to rebuild the mausoleum, but needed the approval of the authorities. IT IS THESE GERMANS THAT WE WISH TO GET IN TOUCH WITH! Of course the Romanian authorities did not write back at that time....but the letters are still in the archives of the townhall and we were promised that we will be given access to them, at least to the address of the sender(s) with which we wish to collaborate. :-)

The Leisure&Chinese Team is starting the "finding mission" of those who, until we learn their names, we will call "THOSE GERMANS", so we can see how much talent we have as "detectives" in the hopes of accomplishing something which would give birth over the years to a very exciting story, but also one with a happy ending for everybody.  :-)

And this is not everything we found our about the persons we wish to find - we learned that a few years ago a group of German people arrived and started to take measurements. The locals told them that: the mausoleum ruins are located on the highest spot in the area, 495m above sea level. Indeed, from there you can see the city of Ramnicu Sarat, the Racoviteni commune, the hills from Vadu Soresti and Pruneni, and also the entire forest between Vadu Soresti and Pruneni, with all its three parts: Nania, Pantelimon and La Fund. We could thus say that from there you can see the forest in all its splendor. It is also said that from the top of the monument, when it still stood, you could see the city of Buzau. 

Let us start our search for the "Monament"!

Our team is ready to leave

In Vadu Soresti on the way to Petrisoru village in Racoviteni commune

Calnau brook which we want to clean in july
Not far away there are the sites from the Iron age..

The "great" suspended bridge over Calnau brook

Calnau brook in the area of the suspended bridge

We left our bikes with someone in Racoviteni and we went forward on foot to the mausoleum

Cristiana grew tired of walking, she is preparing to take flight

On the horizon: the woods of Nania, Pantelimon and La Fund

A fruit tree is showing us which way to the monument

Ana is barely dragging Cristiana along...Indeed, the walk is rather tiring..
It's good that we left our bicycles in the village...

The earth is 'running'...a side effect of cutting the trees

At the base of the hill on which the monument rests

Let's see what's over there!

And further to the right 

"[Cross]Built by Petre Ghe.Chiorpec for himself"

At the ruins of the Racoviteni Mausoleum

Those poplars in the distance (are they poplars?) are lining the European highway E85
Photo taken on what was once the base of the construction

The woods of Nania, Pantelimon and La Fund

Opposite the side with the view of the European highway E85

Image from the side "The monument's eye" facing the European highway E85

"The eye" side

The corner of "The eye" side and the one with the spiral staircase facing the European highway E85

This is where the spiral staircase once started from

 Ion is taking a plunge from "The eye" 

Stefania's plunge

Ana's takeoff 

A hole in front of the former spiral staircase. What was its purpose, we wonder?

 As we showed you what we've seen at the 'Monament' or 'Musoleu', we're now on our way home, taking pictures of things and angles we've missed before

Racoviteni

The woods of Nania, Pantelimon and La Fund

We're back to the village..let's take back our bikes

Love at first sight :-)

 We're out of Racoviteni, going into Petrisoru now

Of these hills below it is said that they are tumuli - mounds of earth intentionally built over graves by some ancient people 

Still be to discovered...

The bridge over Calnau brook, marking the delimitation between Vadu Soresti and Petrisoru villages, and also between Zarnesti commune and Racoviteni commune

Funeral wheat porridge with...chocolate (original!)...which was served to us when we returned to Vadu Soresti

Thank you for accompanying us, we will be back soon with new trails and new stories..

The LEISURE&CHINESE Team