We lost the cabin in one night.We rebuild it in one year.
On the night of May 8, 2026, fire took in four hours a cabin that hikers had called home for 58 years. The rest is up to us.
Drag the slider — see what was, and what remained
High in the wild heart of the Retezat, in the Pietrele valley, a wooden building rose in 1963 that would become more than a shelter: Cabana Gențiana. At 1,670 metres, it watched over the stream and offered respite to hikers climbing toward the high peaks and the glacial lakes.
Its story was one of resilience. After the 1990s left it nearly forgotten and in disrepair, Gențiana was given new life in 1998. Under the care of the „Floarea Reginei” Association, the cabin became a symbol of authentic mountain hospitality — a place without grid electricity, but full of the warmth of a wood stove and stories told by headlamp. Generations of mountaineers learned respect for the mountain here, finding a second home within its three log walls.
Unfortunately, its long history of more than six decades was cut short. On the dark night of Friday, May 8, 2026, the flames consumed everything. By morning, where guitar songs had once echoed, nothing remained but a pile of ash and painful memories. The silence that settled over the valley was a heavy one, of mourning.
But the spirit of Gențiana did not burn with the wood. The community of mountain lovers refused to accept this ending. Today, though the old logs are gone, the intention to rebuild the cabin has become a new gathering point. Gențiana will rise again from her own ashes, to remain the guiding beacon of the Pietrele valley for all who feel the call of the ridges.
The road back
Three phases, 18–24 months. Every invoice lands on the transparency page the week it's paid.
Life at Gențiana
A few images of the place, as hikers knew it.
Direct bank transfer
All donations land directly in the account of the Floarea Reginei Association, which manages the rebuild. Use the details below in your banking app.