Top Gear, BBC - Ceaușescu Road, Romania - Greatest driving road in the world

 

Based on information from Wikipedia, the Transfăgărășan (trans (over, across) + Făgăraș) or DN7C is the second-highest paved road in Romania after Transalpina. It starts near the village of Bascov, located near the city of Pitesti, ending on the crossroad between DN1 and Sibiu. Also known as Ceaușescu's Folly,[1] it was built as a strategic military route that stretches 90 km with twists and turns that run north to south across the tallest sections of the Southern Carpathians, between the highest peaks in the country, Moldoveanu, and the second highest, Negoiu. The road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, and the cities of Sibiu and Pitești.

The Transfăgărășan was constructed between 1970 and 1974, during the rule of Nicolae Ceaușescu, as a response to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union. Ceaușescu wanted to ensure quick military access across the mountains in case the Soviets attempted a similar move to a previous one during 1921. At that time, Romania already had several strategic mountain passes through the Southern Carpathians, mainly inherited from the pre-communist era (Şoseaua Câmpina-Predeal, and the high-pass DN67C) built during the initial years of the Communist regime (DN66 Bumbeşti Jiu-Petroşani). These passes, however, were mainly through river valleys, and therefore easy to block and attack in the event of a military invasion. Therefore, Ceauşescu ordered the construction of a road across the Făgăraş Mountains, which divided Northwestern from South Romania.

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The search is on for the greatest driving road in the world and when the trio of presenters are forced to stop for the night, Jeremy leads the boys down a rather impressive dead end road. Will Romania ever give up its fabled highway to our intreped team?

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Top Gear

Season:14
Release: 14.11.2009

Actors:
Jeremy Clarkson
Richard Hammond
James May