The history of human occupation here is a
rich one, and Ottley spends time exploring architectural gems. Dracula does get the odd mention of course, and
the interviewees’ conclusion is that if Stoker’s book encourages tourism, it’s
fine. Ottley’s overriding theme is the
interaction of the inhabitants with the landscape, and how they can preserve it
while incorporating the best of modernity.
Underneath the travelogue is a campaign to show the dangers the mountains
face from unscrupulous exploiters.
He journeys in a meandering arc through Transylvania,
Maramureș, Bucovina and Moldavia to the Danube delta. On the way he interviews a wide range of locals,
gaining insights into how they live – those who are pursuing a way of life
unchanged for centuries, those fighting to preserve the environment, and those
finding new ways to make a living which respect it. He attends a wedding, spends time with
musicians, shares food, and enjoys a drink or two. Wherever he goes he finds hospitable people possessing
a deep love of this beautiful place.
But it is not a rural idyll. There is hardship and isolation too, people
leaving for the cities and to go abroad.
Conditions can be primitive, and isolation make life difficult,
especially for the elderly. Logging is a
huge threat, caused partly as a by-product of restitution after the fall of the
communist regime, owners taking advantage of their assets, partly the result of
local corruption. Mostly illegal, it is
occurring on a vast scale, and it is a theme to which the films constantly
return. Ottley makes clear this is
short-term gain bearing devastating long-term consequences.
New roads and unsympathetic buildings are
highlighted as issues. Roads bring in
visitors and help to improve the infrastructure, but excessive traffic can have
a detrimental effect, and reduces the freedom of movement animals, especially
the large carnivores, need to thrive.
The trick is to find a balance between conservation and improvement, and
avoid the all-too-common excesses of shoddy building construction, relying on
concrete, that is out of keeping with traditional styles. An effort is being made to educate local
schoolchildren, by means of ‘battle buses’, in order to raise awareness of environmental
degradation.
Ottley has a relaxed approach and is at
ease talking to people from all walks of life, managing to interview HRH
Princess Margarita, and Prince Charles twice, the latter claiming to be able to
trace an ancestral link to Vlad Țepeș, and therefore arguing he has a ‘stake’
in the country (a joke one suspects he has used before). One group Ottley does not really address
though is the gypsy community, apart from noting they are moving into abandoned
Saxon houses, the original inhabitants having left for a new life in Germany.
His enthusiasm is infectious, and this is
a great promotional film – at one point he exhorts the viewer to visit and help
to preserve the area. Sustainability is
the key, and he stresses the benefits of ecotourism, disincentivising logging
and maintaining the integrity of the environment while still generating an
income, in the process retaining people and skills for the benefit of all – the
visitors, who will value the experience, and the community, which will enjoy a
decent standard of living.
While much is at risk of being lost, he
argues that this is our common heritage and deserves to be protected. The biodiversity is staggering, and can be perpetuated
by sympathetic management. Much is being
done to encourage visitors, in a way that they will not harm what it is they
have come to see, but a lot more is required.
However, the first part of the series was made in 2011, the second and
third in 2013, so the dangers Ottley flags up are even more pressing today.
This is a marvellous set of films and it
is good to learn there is a fourth instalment in the works, ‘Seasons of Change’. Ottley is currently attempting to raise the
funding for the project, but he began his efforts in 2015, suggesting progress
is slow. One can only hope he achieves
his goal, as his aim is again to raise awareness of the ongoing spoliation, and
by so doing help to combat it, while advocating alternatives for the prosperity
of the inhabitants and the enrichment of us all.
Update: 23 November 2021:
Wild Carpathia 4
Part four of Wild Carpathia, ‘Seasons of
Change’, has finally arrived. It was
posted on YouTube on 7 October 2021, and was certainly worth the wait. The photography is stunning as ever, complete
with judicious drone use, and presenter Charlie Ottley is his ebullient self,
picking up the themes of the previous episodes and managing to find excellent
locations to visit and locals to interview (no Prince Charles this time
though).
He sets the scene by noting the extent of
the Carpathians, more than half of which are in Romania, and the region having
been occupied since the Neolithic period.
Naturally he extols Romania’s vast forests, and their value as a habitat
for many of Europe’s remaining large carnivores. The series’ ecological theme, this precious
habitat under threat from neglect and exploitation, is again to the fore.
Rather than a linear geographical
structure, Ottley goes season by season.
He begins with autumn, and preparations for winter: the trees changing
from green to red, the harvest being gathered, animals brought down from the
mountain, the communal slaughter of a pig.
Bears storing up for winter occasionally stray into villages, sometimes having
unfortunate consequences.
Winter brings extremely low temperatures. An Ice hotel in the Făgăraș mountains is an
intriguingly eco-friendly tourist option.
It is only standing for a few months and is one for the younger visitors
by the look of the crowd. Other parts of
the Carpathians are less accessible at this time of year, but offer
opportunities for the adventurous and well-prepared.
During the hard months, feasting takes on
a ritual significance as a communal activity.
Ottley points out the people’s intimate connection to the food they eat
and where it comes from, in a way that has been lost in many other
countries. The strong sense of community
and need for relief means Christmas is celebrated with gusto.
Spring, and nature bursts forth, while communities
cut off during the winter months can re-establish contact. Sheep are driven back up to the alpine
meadows and bears awaken. They are still
under threat, both from hunting and habitat loss, but offer tourism
opportunities, along with other wildlife, including bison.
While some parts of the Carpathians are
disappearing under concrete, unsympathetic developments which hamper
communities’ opportunities for cultural tourism, there is increasing awareness
of the value in preserving the integrity of the environment. More projects are being developed that seek
to maintain a harmonious relationship with it.
The tourist industry is growing, stimulating
such efforts. Yet a tree house complex
blending seamlessly into its surroundings had more trouble obtaining planning
permission than a concrete block hotel would have, so a more sympathetic
attitude by the authorities will be required if developments in keeping with
their context are to be the way forward.
But sustainable tourism should concentrate
on preservation and restoration rather than new developments, and income from
tourism helps to maintain the architectural heritage. Ottley visits an estate which has been
beautifully restored since its restitution in 1998, containing accommodation
for tourists within an extensive wooded animal sanctuary. The owner’s vision is for a tourist
destination on a par with Tuscany or Provence, a reasonable aspiration one
feels.
Cund is a Saxon village where a German,
going against the flow of many ethnic Germans who have left the country, has
set up a successful guest house, thereby encouraging other inhabitants to
follow suit. The result of increased
prosperity and employment opportunities is that not only has depopulation, a
problem elsewhere, been halted, it has reversed, young families moving in and
houses being renovated. Visitors are not
solely foreigners – about 50% are Romanians exploring their own country.
William Blacker, author of Along the Enchanted Way and
champion of preservation, notes the loss of many of the old houses since he
first came to the country, and thinks how sad it would be if such buildings
vanished completely. By far the
preferred option is to repurpose them for modern living and for tourists. A kiln producing traditional roof tiles
provides local employment, and retains skills, and the tiles are no more
expensive than poorer-quality ones made elsewhere.
These are promising signs, but it is not
all rosy. Illegal logging is increasing,
and Ottley is shown a mountainside which has been entirely denuded. It can be done very quickly, authorities turn
a blind eye, and multinational corporations are complicit. Inadequate legislation is exacerbated by small
fines, so preservation needs stronger legislation and better enforcement.
As such tracts of virgin forest gone from
the rest of Europe, preserving this beautiful but fragile ecosystem is more
than a Romanian concern, it is an international one. An interviewee says there needs to be greater
recognition that the forest is not timber and the wildlife is not game; another
puts it: ‘Romania is the custodian of a priceless treasure’.
Opportunities unfortunately are being
missed. Abundant wildflowers indicate a
high degree of biodiversity, and unpolluted pesticide-free meadows could be a
boon for farmers who should be able to charge a premium for their organic
produce, especially if tied to traditional cuisine. But this is not happening, while inferior
food is being imported from other countries.
Clearly there is still much to do.
Ottley and his team have made other films
promoting Romania, but the Wild Carpathia series is their finest achievement, a
lyrical hymn to this beautiful region that makes one want to follow in his footsteps. Ottley neatly presents a holistic overview of
the problems and opportunities, and indicates ways prosperity can be pursued
without degrading the environment.
It was a long wait for this instalment,
but it was worth it. Despite saying
number four is the last, it would be wonderful if he could make further films
exploring the Carpathians. The Romanian
tourist board should take note, and seriously consider providing funding for
this champion of the country’s natural capital, while the government would do
well to ponder the lessons of the series and stand up to those who seek a quick
profit at the expense of everyone else.
https://thomasruffles.blogspot.co.uk/2018/05/along-enchanted-way-romanian-story-by.html
