MARTOR no. 29 / year 2024

Via Transilvanica: Who is on Whose Territory? What is Like to be a Traveller in the Proximity of a Sheepfold?

DOI: www.doi.org/10.57225/martor.2024.29.07

AUTHOR:
Cornelia Florea
Independent researcher, Romania

PAGES: 101-113

KEYWORDS: Sheepfold; sheepdog; shepherd; traveller; Via Transilvanica.

ABSTRACT:
This article draws on research conducted on Via Transilvanica, focusing on how sheepdogs mediate interactions between tourists and shepherds. Officially opened in October 2022 by Tășuleasa Social Association, Via Transilvanica is a 1400 km long hiking trail that crosses Romania from one end to another, specifically from northeast to southwest. Having Putna at one end of the route and Drobeta Turnu-Severin at the other, this trail passes through wild landscapes and gives the opportunity to meet different kinds of people, as well as different animal species. In the Traveler’s Guide published on viatransilvanica.com, attention is drawn to the areas where the main dangers are posed by sheepdogs in the numerous sheepfolds (stâne) on the way.
For this research, I have travelled on foot or by bicycle, I have conducted interviews with shepherds and tourists, and I utilized online and media resources to analyse and explore the interaction between travellers and shepherds in the context of contemporary traveling conditions when societies seek to discover new networking opportunities. Two of the questions raised by the Via Transilvanica project are: “Do shepherds enjoy encounters with unexpected guests?” and “How do shepherds behave when strangers approach the flock?”

HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE:
Florea, Cornelia. 2024. “Via Transilvanica: Who is on Whose Territory? What is Like to Be a Traveller in the Proximity of a Sheepfold?” Martor 29, 101-13. [DOI: 10.57225/martor.2024.29.07]

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