Banca Transilvania marked 7 years since the project began together with Via Transilvanica, an occasion on which a symbolic marker was unveiled on Șimian Island and the Via Transilvanica Membership Program was launched. The event Via Transilvanica Day focused on cultural heritage and was held in Drobeta-Turnu Severin on June 11, 2025.

The symbolic marker on Șimian Island: a message about continuity and collective memory

The symbolic marker unveiled on Şimian (Mehedinți County) is an extension of the Via Transilvanica trail, which until now ended in Drobeta-Turnu Severin, at Trajan’s Bridge. Şimian thus becomes the terminus of the Via Transilvanica trail and will help revitalize the area. It is also a message about continuity, collective memory and openness towards the Turkish community and the cultural heritage in this part of the country, as Şimian Island preserves traces of Ada Kaleh, a place and community that disappeared in the 1970s with the construction of the Iron Gates dam.

The marker was unveiled by Ömer Tetik, CEO of BT, and His Excellency Özgür Kıvanç Altan, Ambassador of the Republic of Türkiye to Bucharest.

Membership program: Via Transilvanica belongs to everyone who believes in it

On the same day, Via Transilvanica announced the launch of the Membership Program for people who want to support the ongoing effort to maintain and extend the trail through monthly donations (of 21 or 25 lei) or annual donations (of 250 or 300 lei).

Via Transilvanica – The trail that connects communities, identity and sustainable development

Via Transilvanica is the first 1,400 km trail to cross the country, running through 10 counties and 12 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Initiated by Asociația Tășuleasa Social to be walked, cycled or ridden on horseback, it is for anyone, regardless of age, who wants to discover places, history, culture and communities, as well as enjoy outdoor activity. Via Transilvanica is also an open-air sculpture exhibition: Romanian and international artists have carved works of art into the marker stones that line the trail every kilometer. Miniature versions of the marker stones and products under the Via Transilvania brand can be purchased online.

Banca Transilvania – Asociația Tășuleasa Social – Via Transilvanica

Banca Transilvania and Asociația Tășuleasa Social have been partners for over 10 years, going back to the Pădurea Transilvania reforestation initiative. Over the years, BT, Tășuleasa Social and more than 15,000 volunteers have planted 450,000 saplings across a total area of 75 hectares in several counties around the country.

Today, Banca Transilvania is the association’s strategic partner for the sustainable development of the Via Transilvanica project, contributing funding, volunteer work and promotion. They share a common mission to showcase Romania’s cultural, historical and natural heritage by investing sustainably in communities.

In the latest episode of the BT Talks podcast (June 2025), Tiberiu and Alin Ușeriu, who turned a dream into Via Transilvanica, talk about Romania on foot, communities and volunteering. 

Also, you can explore #DrumulCareUneste together with journalist Alex Dima by watching videos such as Bukovina and the Upper Country, Terra Siculorum and Tera Saxonum and Terra Dacica, produced with the support of Banca Transilvania.