[4] In 1935, the Tătărescu government set aside 100 square kilometers of the Retezat Mountains, creating the country's first national park.

It took four more years for legislation to be passed regarding the park's status, paving the way for all future protected areas of Romania.

[7][8] In 2006 the Romanian state decided in favor of heirs to the Austro-Hungarian aristocratic family Kendeffy, who claimed 10,000 hectares of land in the Retezat Mountains, including large tracts of the park, under a law allowing the restitution of property seized by previous regimes.

After a lengthy trial, the land restitution was deemed illegal by a 2022 court decision, and the park returned to being state property.

[13]The flora of Retezat demonstrates "exceptional biodiversity", consisting of approximately 1,190 plant species, of which 130 have the "endangered" or "vulnerable" status.

[15][16][17] The Gemenele ("The Twins" in Romanian) scientific reserve is a strictly protected area of the park enclosing 1,800 hectares of intact old-growth forest.