Berca

Berca
Commune
Location of Berca
Country	Romania
County	Buzău County
Component villages	Băceni, Berca, Cojanu, Joseni, Mânăstirea Răteşti, Pâclele, Pleşcoi, Pleşeşti, Răteşti, Sătuc, Tâţârligu, Valea Nucului, Viforâta
Government
• Mayor	Marcu Valeriu (since 2004) (PNL)
Population  (2002)
• Total	9,602

Berca is a commune located in the hillside of Buzău County, Romania, in the valley of the Buzău river. It is an oil and natural gases extraction location.

The commune is composed of fifteen villages: Băceni, Berca, Cojanu, Joseni, Mânăstirea Răteşti, Pâclele, Pleşcoi, Pleşeşti, Răteşti, Sătuc, Tâţârligu, Valea Nucului and Viforâta.

Landmarks

The Muddy Volcanos

The Mud Volcanoes

Main article: Berca Mud Volcanoes

The Berca Muddy Volcanos geological and botanical reservation lies in the hills that surround the commune, near the Pâclele village. Mud volcanos, a rare geological phenomenon, occurs there when mud and gas is expelled from a depth of 3 km through structures resembling real miniature volcanos.

The Church of Răteşti monastery

The Răteşti monastery

Main article: Răteşti Monastery

The Răteşti monastery is a medieval monastery, attested by documents in the 17th century. It is an Eastern orthodox monastery of nuns, and hosts a museum exhibiting religious books and items.

Demographics

The Romanian census of 2002 reported a population of 9,602 for the Berca commune, making it one of the largest communes in the county. 99% of the inhabitants are ethnic Romanians.

Pleşcoi

The Pleşcoi village from the Berca commune is a village famous for its meat processing tradition. The Pleşcoi sausages are smoked mutton sausages with chili peppers and garlic. The name Pleşcoi sausages is a protected designation of origin in the European Union.