Roșia Montană

File:Alburnus Maior.jpg

File:Capital of Gold Country (b).jpg

File:Rosia Montana Roman Gold Mines 2011 - Galleries-4.jpg

File:Expozitia Aurul Apusenilor 3.jpg

There is archaeological and metallurgical evidence of gold mining in the 'Golden Quadrilateral' of Transylvania since the late Stone Age.{{cite web |last=Gündisch |first=Konrad |url=http://forum.skadi.net/sitemap/http://forum.skadi.net/history_transylvania-t24696.html |title=Siebenbürgen und die Siebenbürger Sachsen" tr. Georg Schuller }}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The community, then known as Alburnus Maior, was founded by the Romans during the rule of Trajan as a mining town, with Illyrian colonists from South Dalmatia.PROIECT Alba SA [http://www.truestory.ro/plan_urbanistic/4729_m_puz_15062006_eng.pdf Zonal Urbanism Plan for Roșia Montană Industrial Area] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928061850/http://www.truestory.ro/plan_urbanistic/4729_m_puz_15062006_eng.pdf |date=2007-09-28 }} The earliest reference to the town is on a wax tablet dated 6 February 131. Archaeologists have discovered in the town ancient dwellings, necropolises, mine galleries, mining tools, 25 wax tablets and many inscriptions in Greek and Latin, centred around Carpeni Hill.--- (1976) Dicționar de istorie veche a României, Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică p. 27 The Romans left Dacia in 271.

Mining appears to have started again in the Middle Ages by German (Transylvanian Saxon) migrants using similar techniques to the Romans. This continued until the devastating wars of the mid-16th century.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

Mining was much expanded under the Austrian Empire with the encouragement of the Imperial authorities. Charles VI funded the construction of ponds (tăuri) in 1733. After the empire broke up in 1918, most of the remaining veins were mined out under fixed-length concessions granted to local citizens. The sulphide-rich waste generated large volumes of sulphuric acid (a phenomenon known as acid mine drainage) which in turn liberated heavy metals into local water sources, in addition to the mercury used to extract the gold.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

In 1948 the mines were taken over by the Romanian state, with traditional small scale underground mining continuing until the late 1960s. Attention then turned to the lower-grade gold disseminated through the rock surrounding the veins. In 1975 an open-cast pit was constructed at Cetate for bulk mining. This mine was operated by Roșiamin, a subsidiary of the state-owned company Regia Autonomă a Cuprului din Deva (RAC), and provided 775 jobs,{{citation|last=Haiduc|first=Ionel |url=http://www.acad.ro/rosia_montana/doc_fin/rm_ih_risk_en.doc|title= Report on Roșia Montană by the Romanian Academy|journal=Academica|date= 13 April 2003|pages=77–80}} representing most of the employment in the region.Richards, Jeremy [http://www.mining-journal.com/mem_magazine/pdf/MEM0501scr.pdf "Rosia Montana gold controversy"]{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Mining Environmental Management January 2005 pp5-13 Overview of the project The ore was flotation-concentrated at Gura Roșiei and then extracted by cyanide leaching at Baia de Arieș.Gabriel Resources, [http://www.gabrielresources.com/s/RosiaMontana.asp?ReportID=128024 Overview of Roșia Montană] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070115105902/http://www.gabrielresources.com/s/RosiaMontana.asp?ReportID=128024 |date=2007-01-15 }} History of mining in the area and describes the geology in detail This mine needed subsidies of US$3 million per year in 2004 and was closed in 2006 before Romania joined the European Union.

File:Jarra - Alburnus Maior.jpg|Jug, found in Alburnus Maior - Roman necropolis of Tăul Secuilor / Pârâul Porcului, tomb M. 112 (Roșia Montană, Alba county, Romania), 2nd century AD, Bucharest, National Museum of Romanian History (Inv. 334369).

File:Piezas de juego - Alburnus Maior.jpg|Game pieces, from Alburnus Maior - Roman necropolis Pârâul Porcului-Tăul Secuilor, tomb M.6 (Roșia Montană, Alba county, Romania), 2nd century AD, Bucharest, National Museum of Romanian History (Inv. 382084-382114).

Most of the tokens are made of enamelled bronze, decorated with multicoloured dots (some on a white background and others on a black background), while 6 are black glass, probably to replace others lost. The die also has enamel and multicoloured decoration.

File:Estatuilla de ámbar de Roșia Montană.jpg|Amber figurine, one of the few extant creations of the “Master of the Aquileia Eros”, an anonymous artist. Discovered in Alburnus Maior - Necropolis of Pârâul Porcului / Tăul Secuilor (Roșia Montană, Alba county, Romania), 1st - 2nd century AD, Bucharest, National Museum of Romanian History (Inv. 358809).

{{Main|Roșia Montană Project}}

File:Cetate open-pit gold mine.jpg

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The Project's origins are in a 1995 deal signed by RAC Deva with the controversial Romanian-Australian businessman Frank Timiș about reprocessing the tailings at Roșia Montană.Radu, Paul Christian [http://www.jurnalul.ro/articol.php?id=828 "Viața secretă a lui Vasile Frank Timiș"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061115025127/http://www.jurnalul.ro/articol.php?id=828 |date=2006-11-15 }} June 23, 2005 ([http://www.rosiamontana.org/documents/english/secretfrank2005.htm English translation] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928071202/http://www.rosiamontana.org/documents/english/secretfrank2005.htm |date=2007-09-28 }}) Several years later, the mining licence for an area of {{convert|23.8823|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} around Roșia Montană was transferred to the Roșia Montană Gold Corporation (RMGC) from Minvest Deva SA (successor to RAC Deva). RMGC is owned 80% by Toronto-listed company Gabriel Resources, 19.3% by the Romanian government via Minvest.{{citation needed|date=March 2017}}

Within the project, Roșia Montană Gold Corporation (RMGC) plans to produce 225 tonnes of gold and 819 tonnes of silver over 17 years and it would involve digging up a large area, involving the creation of four mining pits covering {{convert|205|ha|acre|abbr=on}}, the first two at the old mining sites of Cirnic and Cetate, followed by pits at Jig and Orlea in Phase II. Up to 250 million tonnes of cyanide-laced tailings will be stored in a {{convert|363|ha|acre|abbr=on}} pond in the Corna Valley behind a 185m-high dam.

The corporation was not able to gain full authorization for the project. State authorities granted permits which were later annulled by the courts following appeals by environmental groups. The environmental impact assessment procedure started in 2004, but a final approval was still been given.{{cite news |title=Romania's struggle for democracy is encapsulated in a village |author=Claudia Ciobanu |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/05/romania-struggle-democracy-rosia-montana |newspaper=The Guardian |date=5 September 2013 |access-date=3 September 2013}}

The company began buying up houses in the city, but about 100 residents refused to sell and, supported by environmentalists, architects, archeologists and lawyers, they have been battling the corporation and the state in courts. The main concerns of the opponents are related to environmental dangers of cyanide leaching of gold (as Romania witnessed the 2000 Baia Mare cyanide spill), as well as the destruction of the ancient Roman sites in Roșia Montană.

Resistance to RMGC's plans followed a Romanian Academy report on the project released in April 2003, which recommended that all cyanide mining be suspended in Roșia Montană. In the following years, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Romanian Catholic Church and the Romanian Unitarian Church have all signalled their opposition to the project.[http://www.rosiamontana.org/documents/pdf/RISK_ANALYSIS_UPDATE.pdf Risk analysis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928071151/http://www.rosiamontana.org/documents/pdf/RISK_ANALYSIS_UPDATE.pdf |date=2007-09-28 }} by the Alburnus Maior group, November 2005. Large NGOs such as Greenpeace[http://www.earthworksaction.org/pubs/RM_NGOstatement.pdf NGO statement in support of Roșia Montană community] January 22, 2007 and political organisations such as the European Federation of Green PartiesEuropean Federation of Green Parties [https://web.archive.org/web/20050514133239/http://europeangreens.org/info/resolutions/lux7.pdf Adopted resolution on Roșia Montană] November 2003. are also opposed.

In August 2005, the Canadian government announced that it supports Gabriel Resources' project; in October 2005, Miklós Persányi the Hungarian Minister of Environment announced that the Hungarian government strongly opposes the project.Barnett, Neil [https://iwpr.net/global-voices/romanian-gold-project-stalled "Romanian Gold Project Stalled"], February 25, 2005. Looks at the Hungarian view The Hungarian Historic Churches are particularly concerned about the threat to monuments and churches that are part of the common Hungarian cultural heritage.Historic Hungarian Churches [http://www.rosiamontana.org/documents/english/churchjuly2003.htm Declaration on the Roșia Montană Project] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928071142/http://www.rosiamontana.org/documents/english/churchjuly2003.htm |date=2007-09-28 }}, July 21, 2003

In 2013, the Victor Ponta government announced that it will send through parliament a new law that would allow the bypass of environmental and heritage regulations that prevented the project from being started. This led to the 2013 Romanian protests against the Roșia Montană Project in major cities across the country.

In November 2013 the senate rejected a draft law which would have paved the way for the mining project to go ahead. Previously, a parliamentary Special Commission concluded that the wording of the draft law was inadequate and recommended that a new law be introduced for the implementation of large scale mining projects across Romania. Amid speculation that the rejection of the draft law could mean the end of the mining project,{{cite news|work=Financial Post|url=http://www.business.financialpost.com/2013/11/11/romania-shuts-door-on-gabriels-giant-rosia-montana-gold-mine/|title=Romania shuts door on Gabriel's giant Roșia Montană gold mine|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131124193726/http://business.financialpost.com/2013/11/11/romania-shuts-door-on-gabriels-giant-rosia-montana-gold-mine/ |archive-date=November 24, 2013 |date=November 11, 2013}} Gabriel have said that it is 'a first step in defining the next phase of developing Roșia Montană'.{{cite news|work=Canadian Business| url=http://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/gabriel-resources-remains-committed-to-rosia-montana-despite-romanian-decision| archive-url=https://archive.today/20131128174725/http://www.canadianbusiness.com/business-news/gabriel-resources-remains-committed-to-rosia-montana-despite-romanian-decision| url-status=dead| archive-date=November 28, 2013|title=Gabriel Resources remains committed to Roșia Montană despite Romanian decision|date=November 12, 2013}}

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In Roșia Montană, each year since 2004, in August, several NGOs have organized a free music festival in aid of the Save Roșia Montană campaign. "FânFest" (Fân means "hay" in Romanian) has featured many big Romanian bands and singers, such as Ada Milea, Luna Amară, Shukar Collective, Timpuri Noi, Sarmalele Reci, {{Interlanguage link multi|Vița de Vie|ro|Vița de Vie (formație)}} and, from the Republic of Moldova, Zdob și Zdub. All artists perform pro bono in aid of the campaign and to celebrate artistic diversity and multiculturalism.

The three-day FânFest event has a large range of cultural, environmental, musical and outdoor activities as well as offering the chance to participate in various workshops. The main stage features groups performing rock, jazz, folk, reggae and world music. The 2006 FânFest saw a second, "Alternative Activity", tent hosting theatre and dance performances, video projections and other cultural, environmental and social activities.

About 10,000 people attended the 2005 event and 15,000 in 2006.{{cite web |url=http://alternativ.ro/vazut/fanfest-cel-mai-mare-festival-verde-din-romania |title=FânFest, cel mai mare festival verde din România | Alternativ |publisher=Alternativ.ro |date=2007-07-29 |access-date=2013-01-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102340/http://alternativ.ro/vazut/fanfest-cel-mai-mare-festival-verde-din-romania |archive-date=2016-03-04 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web|url=http://www.romaniangraffiti.ro/fanfest-rosia-montana-protestul-continu-impreun-cu-cei-15-000-de-participani-prezeni-fanfest-rosia-montana-the-protest-continues-with-15000-participants.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913180912/http://www.romaniangraffiti.ro/fanfest-rosia-montana-protestul-continu-impreun-cu-cei-15-000-de-participani-prezeni-fanfest-rosia-montana-the-protest-continues-with-15000-participants.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=September 13, 2012 |title=FânFest Roșia Montană – protestul continuă împreună cu cei 15 000 de participanți prezenți |trans-title= Protest continues with 15,000 participants |website=www.romaniangraffiti.ro |date=2010-05-30 |access-date=2013-01-03}}

• Enea Hodoș (1858 – 1945), prose writer and folklorist

{{Reflist}}

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• [http://www.primariarosiamontana.ro City hall official site]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20180413091227/http://www.fanfest.ro/ fanfest.ro FânFest music festival website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130912092855/http://saverosiamontana.com/ Save Roșia Montană - English website]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20130913053517/http://www.rosiamontana.org/en/taxonomy/term/24 "Save Roșia Montană" (www.rosiamontana.org/en)] (English news)
• [http://www.facebook.com/rosia.montana.in.unesco Rosia Montana in UNESCO World Heritage (#rosia.montana.in.unesco)] (Facebook Page - meeting place)
• [http://fr.calameo.com/books/0014096877c5dae0c2eb8 Roșian dialect lexicon (Roșian–Romanian–French–English)]

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Category:Communes in Alba County

Category:Localities in Transylvania

Category:Roman sites in Romania

Category:Mining communities in Romania