Berca

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

Berca
Commune
St. Michael and Gabriel Church in Berca
Location in Buzău County
Berca Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°17′13″N 26°40′55″E
Country	Romania
County	Buzău
Subdivisions	Băceni, Berca, Cojanu, Joseni, Mânăstirea Rătești, Pâclele, Pleșcoi, Pleșești, Rătești, Sătuc, Tâțârligu, Valea Nucului, Viforâta
Government
• Mayor (2020–2024)	Ionel Dobrița[1] (PSD)
Area	73.28 km2 (28.29 sq mi)
Elevation	150 m (490 ft)
Population  (2021-12-01)[2]	7,741
• Density	110/km2 (270/sq mi)
Time zone	EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code	127035
Area code	+(40) 238
Vehicle reg.	BZ
Website	primariaberca.ro

The commune is composed of thirteen villages: Băceni, Berca, Cojanu, Joseni, Mânăstirea Rătești, Pâclele, Pleșcoi, Pleșești, Rătești, Sătuc, Tâțârligu, Valea Nucului, and Viforâta.

Landmarks

The Mud Volcanoes

Main article: Berca Mud Volcanoes

The Berca Mud Volcanoes

The Berca Muddy Volcanoes 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 are expelled from a depth of 3 kilometres (9,800 ft) through structures resembling real miniature volcanoes.

Rătești monastery

Main article: Rătești Monastery

The church of Rătești Monastery

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

Demographics

Historical population

Year	Pop.	±%
2002	9,602	—
2011	8,534	−11.1%
2021	7,741	−9.3%
Source: Census data

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 were ethnic Romanians. At the 2021 census, Berca had a population of 7,741, of which 88.88% were Romanians.^[3]

Natives

• George Macovescu (1913–2002), writer and communist politician
• Ciprian Petre (born 1980), footballer

Pleșcoi

Pleșcoi 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.