RO25 The colourful forest: the painted trees in Baia de Fier

It is always a pleasure and a surprise to discover unique, lesser-known attractions in the country and the Colourful Forest in Baia de Fier is certainly one. After the visit of Polovragi Monastery, we stopped on the way and discovered that unique place. Imagine a forest with hundreds of tree trunks painted in all sorts of different bright colours.

It is to be noted that they used eco-friendly paint to colour the over 600 trees, It does not stay for very long, so they have to repaint the trees regularly. Around 30 volunteers participated in the project called Art Land “Gradina Paradisului” (Art Land “The Garden of Paradise”). They painted the trees in many colours, such as yellow, purple, blue, green, and red, turning the forest into a tourist attraction. Like any great work of art, this project is meant to make you ask questions. Mihai Topescu, the project's initiator, said that colouring the trees was aimed at turning the forest into a space of meditation, reflection, and self-discovery. It also aims to raise awareness to the deforestation. Illegal logging is still a major problem in Romania, despite the public effort to combat it. 

A great number of trees were felled illegally in the area and they wanted to find a way to stop that.

Nobody will cut off these trees because they are so famous now and everybody wants to take a picture with them.

That is certainly what the students did. They walked through the forest and took a lot of pictures with their Romanian partners.

The students shared a unique experience when walking in the painted forest. They were impressed by the beauty and peace of the place. Spiritual or not, it was a great place to spend some time.  It made them reflect upon the artistic and peaceful actions that can be taken to protect the environment.