Berca, Buzau 5.03

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 Rătești, Pâclele, Pleșcoi, Pleșești, Rătești, Sătuc, Tâțârligu, Valea Nucului and Viforâta.LandmarksThe Mud VolcanoesThe 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.Rătești monasteryThe Rătești 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.DemographicsThe 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.PleșcoiPleșcoi village is famous for its meat processing tradition. The Pleșcoi sausages are smoked mutton sausages with chili peppers and garlic. The name Pleșcoi sausages is a protected designation of origin in the European Union.