President Nicusor Dan and his family pay a visit to Rosia Montana

Romania's President Nicusor Dan visited Rosia Montana on Monday, accompanied by his family, occasion on which the presidential family toured the Roman Galleries and met with volunteers of the "Adopt a House in Rosia Montana" campaign.

Photographs with the head of state among the volunteers were posted on Monday on the Facebook page of the "Adopt a House in Rosia Montana" programme.

"Surprise visit today during lunch break: an old friend and supporter of Rosia Montana and its heritage, President Nicusor Dan, together with his family, returned to Rosia Montana!," reads the posted message.

Nicusor Dan and his family also toured the Roman Galleries belonging to the Rosia Montana Gold Mining Museum, established in 1981.

The "Adopt a House in Rosia Montana" programme started in 2012 by initiating intervention activities to the buildings owned by the local community. Since it started, hundreds of volunteers arriving at the Rosia Montana from around the world have taken part in the project.

The programme was initiated by Alburnus Maior, the local association dedicated to protecting the rights of the Rosia Montana community members, in partnership with ARA - Architecture. Restoration. Archaeology, an association active in research, conservation and enhancement of cultural heritage to the benefit of communities and society.

The Rosia Montana mining cultural landscape was registered on 27 July 2021 on the UNESCO World Heritage List and its exceptional universal value recognized.

Underneath Rosia Montana, there are over 150 kilometers of underground galleries, deep within the four mountain massifs. Here, the largest Roman gold mining system known to date (7 kilometers) has been documented, as well as an extensive modern mining system (17th-18th centuries) created using gunpowder (10 kilometers), supplemented by dynamite excavations (53 kilometers) from the 19th-20th contemporary era.

Experts argue that the mines at Rosia Montana were exploited 150 years before the Roman occupation of Dacia.