Brebu Nou Commune lies in the eastern part of Caraș-Severin County, on the north-western slope of the Semenic Mountains, about 30 km from the municipality of Reșița.
The terrain is predominantly mountainous, at an average altitude of approximately 900 metres. The climate is cool, typical of mountain areas, with pleasant summers and snowy winters.
According to the 2021 census, the population of Brebu Nou Commune stands at 166 inhabitants, a steady increase over the previous censuses: 119 inhabitants in 2011 and 87 in 2002. It is the smallest commune in Caraș-Severin County by population. Most inhabitants are Romanians (68.67%), with a German minority (21.69%); for 7.83% of the population, ethnicity is not known. In terms of religion, the majority are Orthodox (60.84%), with minorities of Roman Catholics (24.1%), people with no religion (3.61%) and atheists (1.81%); for 7.83%, religious affiliation is not known.
| Year | Population |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 87 |
| 2011 | 119 |
| 2021 | 166 |
The settlements of the commune
Brebu Nou
Brebu Nou (German Weidenthal, “willow valley”; Hungarian Temesfő) is the administrative centre of the commune, set on the Brebu hillside near Trei Ape Lake. The village was founded in 1827 through the colonisation of 72 Pemi German families – settlers from the Klattau region in the Bohemian Forest (today in the Czech Republic), brought here by the Habsburg administration for forestry. The timber cut by the Pemi fed charcoal production for St.E.G., the Austrian state railway company and the main employer of the period.
The Brebu stream, 5.7 km long, crosses the village and flows into Trei Ape Lake, forming the bay to the left of the dam. The traditional houses, simple but well kept, fronting the street, whitewashed and framed in green, blue or grey, preserve the unified style of Banat mountain architecture. Today many homesteads have been bought by people from Timișoara and Reșița who have fallen for these places, and the village is being renewed through weekend tourism.
Brebu Nou is also the starting point of the EnduROmania contest, an off-road motorcycling competition that draws enthusiasts from across the country every year.
Gărâna
Gărâna (German Wolfsberg, “wolf’s mountain”) is the second village of the commune, twinned with Brebu Nou and founded in 1828 through the settlement of 67 Pemi German families. The Romanian name means “a clearing in the forest”. The village stretches along the slope above Valea Lupului, its houses strung out at an average altitude of approximately 900 m, by the Roman Catholic church of St Theresa of Ávila, built in 1870.
Since 1997, Gărâna has hosted the International Jazz Festival every July, a prestigious event that has turned the village from an almost abandoned settlement into an internationally renowned mountain destination. The valley’s clean air, charged with the ozone of the firs on the Semenic slope, earned Gărâna the historical nickname of the “Sinaia of the Banat”.
Summers are cool and humid, with temperatures between 18 and 25 °C, while winters bring heavy snow, kept at bay by stoves burning beech, fir or birch.
Trei Ape Resort
Trei Ape Resort is the local tourist destination, set at approximately 835 m altitude, 5 km from Gărâna, beside the reservoir of the same name. The lake, built in 1971, is shaped like a clover and gathers the waters of the three streams that give it its name – Semenic, Grădiște and Brebu – to form the headwaters of the Timiș River. With a surface of 53 ha and a maximum depth of 30 m at the dam, it is the highest-altitude dam in the Semenic Mountains, once known as the “water tower” of the Banat.
In summer, the resort offers boat and pedalo rides, swimming, fishing and water skiing. In winter, the lake’s frozen landscapes draw hikers along the Slatina Timiș – Brebu Nou road. Trails also set out from here toward the Semenic peaks, toward Baia Vulturilor, Vârful Cuca, “Cruce” and the “Saint Elijah” hermitage.
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