Tilișca

It all happened two millennia ago when on the Cățănaș Hill from Tilișca the Dacians built a strong fortress. The daily life of its inhabitants would develop around their houses, workshops and mint. Then, the peace of the fortress was shattered by the armies of the Roman general Marcus Tiliscus. He had come to find out that the Dacians had hidden their gold inside the fortress walls. But vainly did his armies destroy the fortress, vainly did they slaughter the people… the treasure was nowhere to be found.

Ashamed that he could not take the coveted treasure to his Roman Emperor, Traian, Tiliscus decided to remain forever in the village near the fortress. They say that the village’s current name - Tilișca - comes from Tiliscus and one can still see the walls of the old fortress.

As time went by, the main occupation of the inhabitants from Tilișca remained animal husbandry and some say that the village name actually comes from tele which means veal in the old Slavonic. However, since the 17^th century the locals were mainly shepherds.

At an hour’s walk from the village, on the Negoi Hill (1040 m) lie the shepherds’ hay meadows and huts. This is where you will discover the “hut lifestyle”, the locals’ everyday life, how they mow their hay and raise their cattle.

In the village you may also see how hardworking the locals are from how their houses are built: old brightly coloured houses decorated with crosses and icons but also newer, urban dwellings adapted to modern times.

Among the tourist objectives from Tilișca let us remind you of the Ethnography Museum housed by an old-fashioned house in the centre of the village.

If you arrive in Tilisca, we suggest you a relaxing hiking tour on the hill nerby to the former Dacian fortress ruins. The trail is market with a white board representing a tower and it starts from the village (near the cemetery). It is a quite easy hike (about 1-2h), also accessible for children.