About Lake Siriu
Lake Siriu fills the Buzău valley in the north-west of the county, where the river runs between the Siriu and Podu Calului massifs. It formed behind the Siriu Dam, begun in the 1970s and completed in December 1994: a rockfill dam 122 m high and about 570 m long at the crest, built without concrete, using only earth, rock and a clay core, all taken from local quarries. It is the second-largest dam of its kind in Romania, after Gura Apei.
The lake stretches for 10–11 km, is more than 100 m deep near the dam and was designed to hold about 155 million cubic metres of water; in practice the usual level is kept somewhat lower, around 568 m above sea level. The reservoir is Buzău County's main freshwater reserve: it supplies the towns and villages downstream, holds back floods on the Buzău and feeds the 42 MW Nehoiașu hydropower plant, which opened in 1988.
Some 300 households were moved to make way for the lake, and the Siriu cemetery and war memorial were relocated higher up the slope. The Buzău – Brașov national road was also rerouted around the lake's edge on several viaducts, among them the Giurca Viaduct, 276 m long on 46 m piers.
What you can see
The lake is best seen from the car and from the stopping places on the DN10, which climbs past the dam and then runs for kilometres along the shore, high above the water. Near the dam several viewpoints look over the grassy slope of the dam and the concrete spillway running down the hillside and, on the other side, the blue-green lake winding between wooded ridges. Further up the road you cross the viaducts built together with the lake, and guesthouses and a campsite line the shore.
Good to know
The DN10 is a narrow mountain road with rockfalls from the slopes above the lake; in recent years there have been stabilisation works with alternating traffic at temporary lights and short closures. The road across the top of the dam is a service road, closed off by a barrier.
- The view from the viewpoints next to the dam, with its 122 m grassy slope and the spillway running down the hillside.
- The blue-green lake seen from above on the DN10, between the wooded ridges of the Siriu and Podu Calului mountains.
- The Giurca Viaduct, 276 m long on 46 m piers, one of those that carry the DN10 around the lake.
- The Siriu war memorial, moved higher up the slope when the dam was built, next to a car park on the DN10.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the lake lies on the DN10 between Buzău and Brașov, roughly halfway: ~80 km from Buzău and ~80 km from Brașov, ~12 km beyond the town of Nehoiu. From Bucharest, drive first to Buzău and then up the Buzău valley on the DN10. It is a mountain road with many bends and stretches under repair.
Public transport: buses and minibuses run between Buzău and Nehoiu several times a day, and from Nehoiu a few local minibus services go on to Siriu, fewer at weekends; check the current timetable on the Nehoiu town hall website or at the bus station.
- Where to park
There are several lay-bys and small car parks along the DN10: one right by the dam, another by the viewpoint above it and one next to the war memorial, north of the dam. Do not stop on the viaducts or on bends; on summer weekends the lay-bys fill up quickly.
- Fees & discounts
Access to the lake and the viewpoints is free. Accommodation and any activities on the lakeshore are paid separately to each guesthouse or operator.
- Rules
The road across the top of the dam is not open to the public. At the viewpoints stay behind the parapet and watch out for traffic on the DN10. The lake lies within the Siriu Natura 2000 site: take your litter with you and only light fires in designated places. Angling requires a permit and must follow current regulations.
- Facilities
Viewpoints and lay-bys on the DN10 · toilets by the war memorial car park · guesthouses and a campsite on the lakeshore · no information centre at the dam
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