CazareBelis.ro Copyright 2025
Belis (in Hungarian: Béles or Jósikatelep) is a mountain commune in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania, located approximately 80 km west of Cluj-Napoca and about 30 km south of Huedin. The place name seems to be of Slavic origin.
Belis locality is situated at the foot of the Vlădeasa massif in the Apuseni Mountains, at an altitude of 1,125 m, in the southwest part of Cluj county, at the meeting of the Gilăului Mountains, Muntele Mare and Bihorului Vlădeasa Mountains.
The climate in Belis area is mountainous and the average annual temperature is +4 degrees C. January is the coldest with an average of -5 degrees C, and July is the warmest with an average of 10-16 degrees C. The first snow it sits in the second half of November and often persists until April, this being an asset for winter sports.
The exact date of formation of the locality is not known, but it is assumed that it was formed by the shepherds who came with the herds through the grazing area. They raised themselves in the hut area, and later settled in the area, remaining there permanently. About 1737 in the documents of the time the town of Belis is mentioned.
At the beginning of the 1970s, the Beliș-Fântânele dam was built on the old street of the village of Beliș, and the houses were relocated on the hill. The old village, Giurcuța de Jos, with the hearth and the graves of the ancestors was flooded by the waters of the Fântânele accumulation lake. In the summer when the lake's water level drops, the village's ruins can be seen, especially the church.
You can reach the area by rail to the train station in Huedin and from there by car. It is easier to reach the road, on the European road E60 Oradea-Cluj-Brașov, and from Huedin it passes on the county road DJ 101 to Belis.
There are many tourist objectives worth discovering, among them Lake Belis Fântânele, the village under water, Vâlul Miresei Waterfall, Galbena Gorge and Izbucul Galbenei, Horea Poiana - Horea's Brad in Scorușet Forest Fortified Church from Văleni, Lespezi Point Lespezi or Mărișel Slope. See more details here.