Romanian manholes are frequently corroded or worn, with any inscriptions that may once have been in the centre obliterated. Many are in any case anonymous, with few distinctive patterns to be found. Special designs for individual communities are rare. Older manholes can be found with German or Hungarian inscriptions, reflecting the political situation before 1920.
Manholes in Romania frequently bear the inscription STAS 2308. This is the national standard for water supply and sewerage: covers and frames for manholes. The version most commonly cited is [19]81 but examples can also be seen for earlier versions of the standard in 1951, 1952 and later, a useful guide for dating.
An anonymous example of the 1951 standard reference seen in Cluj-Napoca. 
Municipiul Alba Iulia. Fundicion Ductil Fabregas Igualada. The products of this Spanish company are widely found in Romania.
Grup Romet Buzau.Grup Romet, a holding company, manufactures products for water supply and sewage networks, filters and equipment for water treatment, tractors, agricultural machinery, fire extinguishers, machine tools and gas installations. It was founded 1 September 1928 by Iulius Horer as Metalurgica Factory and Foundry at 15, Brailei Road, the current site of S.C. Aromet S.A., the oldest industrial company in Buzau. On the Aromet structure was built the Grup Romet holding company, incorporating eight companies. In 2010 it was one of the biggest Romanian suppliers for the water industry with premises covering over 150,000 square metres and more than 800 employees.
Kolozsvar sz. kir. varos vizmuve.This manhole, inscribed in Hungarian dates from before the Trianon Treaty of 1920
Kolozsvar varosi vizmuvek.The omission of the term kir[aly] dates this manhole a little later than the previous one.
Uzinele de apa si canalizare, Cluj. An unusual example with an inverted letter J.
Uzinele de apa si canalizare, Cluj. This time the J is not inverted.
Coop-Metalo Lemn Cluj Stas 2308-52.Presumably a product of the communist era, the Cooperativa Metalo-Lemn (Metal and Wood Cooperative) is mentioned in a document no. 369 886 issued 15 March 1968.
Turnatoria Metulul apa canal Cluj.Turnatoria Metalul S.R.L. was founded in 1992 and is located in Cluj-Napoca, Cluj county. With 167 employees in 2010 it manufactured a wide range of castings from ferrous and nonferrous materials.
Apa canal CUC Cluj.Probably another product of Turnatoria Metalul S.R.L.
Transmetal S.R.L. was registered in 1991 (Registry No. J19/430/1991) and is a company involved in the casting of iron 
SC Elis SA.Located in Hunedoara, str. Ecaterina Varga nr.3 in 2010, SC Elis SA manufactures cast iron and other metal products.
Turnomex SRL is a manufacturer of ferrous castings based in 2010 at Bulevardul. N.Iorga 5, Bl.C5, Sc.A, Ap.8, Iasi. 
Timisul Lugoj, STAS 2308 62. Seen in Timisoara.
Timisul Lugoj, STAS 2308 62. A different design seen in Sighisoara. 
SC Fonti PSR Oradea, STAS 2308 61. Seen in Timisoara.
Founded in 1994, Tupremo SA is located in Ramnicu Sarat, Str. Balta Alba 60a, Buzau County. It produces a wide range of manhole covers, underground hydrant boxes, parts for agricultural machinery, products and ferrous materials. In 2010 it had 60 employees, mainly working for the Romanian market. 
Saturn S.A., established in 1950 in Satu Mare, is a large company specialised in metal processing and machinery production. 
Canalisation Nagyszeben Hermannstadt, And. RiegerThe use of Hungarian and German indicates a date prior to the Treaty of Trianon in 1920.
Sibiu Hermannstadt 2007, NorincoThe nomination of Sibiu as European City of Culture in 2007 resulted in a mass order of these distinctive manhole covers, a heraldic design extremely rare in Romania. Note that the text is in Romanian and German with the Hungarian name of Nagyszeben omitted, an interesting example of linguistic politics. The cover was made by Norinco, a French company founded in 1971, and was probably cast in Saint Crépin Ibouvillers, where Norfond, the group's new foundry was built in 1992.
STAS 2308-62 I.J J.L Sibiu. Seen in Targu Mures. 
Sighisoara. STAS 2308-58. Seen in Sighisoara. The central inscription is shallow, badly worn and difficilt to decipher, typical of many manhole covers in Romania. 
The Triplast Company of Targu-Mures was set up in February 2002, and is the first producer in Romania of plastic products using rotomolding technology. This item was made for the company by Fundicion Ductil Fabregas of Igualada, Spain. 
Timisoara Aquatim. Seen in Timisoara. 
Flacara-PL, STAS 2308-81. Seen in Sinaia.Copyrighr © Ian Maxted 2010
This page last revised 31 March 2012
