MARAMUREŞ Unesco’S Listofworldheritagesites

MARAMUREŞ Unesco’s listofWorldHeritagesites. villages ofBârsana,Bude ernisation ofthe’90sandassuchislivinghistory. ofthe1940s,systemisationtury…). Itescapedthecollectivisation ofthe‘80sandWest- remained largely untouchedbythe20thcentury(and19thcentury,and18thcen- adventure, oftheworldisatime-travel verilypart stunning Western visitors. brandy) stillspercolate inthegarden,tended patriarch.Discovering byarosy-cheeked this with traditionalgiant, woodengates, ornately 100-proof andear-smoking, carved costumesandfestivals.churches, traditionalmusic,colourful Villagers’ homesare stillfronted for 100years–welcometo Maramure ‘cappuccino’ elicitsabewildered stare. Even thatnothinghaschangedhere Romaniansjoke local customsandhistory,sitamongrollinghillsdreamy landscapes. Where theword live offthelandascountlessgenerationsdidbefore them.Where tinyvillages,steeped in one ofthelastplaceswhere rural European medievallife remains Where intact. peasants andtipyourchauffeur incigarettes. cart Dismount fromthehorse-drawn You’ve found Maramure 232 © LonelyPlanetPublications Medieval Maramure The region waseffectively ofmountainsandhas cutofffromTransylvania byafortress The lastpeasantculture inEurope isthrivinghere, withhand-builtancientwooden HIGHLIGHTS Ride upthroughtheVaser Ride Valley Getyourmedieval onathomestaysinthe Enjoythebeautyand humourofdeath Knockonthewooden churchesof Find God(ordon’t)whilefacingfieryvisions ( p242 Sus railway from narrow-gauge Izei S through thepainted woodencrossesin ofhellat ă pân (p246 ) 24) and ( p244)

), ţ a’s Merry Cemetery Surde Poienile Izei church ş ti Mara Valleys 27) and (p237) ş existsintheMaraandIzei Valleys. Eightofitschurches–inthe ş ti, Dese Vi (p244) ş Ieud (p243 ) ş (p246) eu de

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Mara Valley S©pân»a Surde¢ti Bude¢ti Poienile Valley Izei Izei Ieud Valley Vaser ş ţ ti –are on uic ă (plum area. hecuriouslyencouraged Indeed, the Austrian empire in1699.Itwasnotuntil1918 in themid-16thcentury,thencededto Tartars’ finalwithdrawalfromtheregion. up inMaramure lop Pass in1717.Numerouschurches sprang the lastdocumented battlebeingonthePris- continued intothe17thand18thcenturies, invasions of theHungarian-dominated region region fromthe13thcenturyonwards.Tartar Maramure it over therange of protecting mountains the of made RomaniainAD106,hisforcesnever the RomanemperorTrajan conquered therest they are tribes.When descendedfromthese believe today’sinhabitants around 1000BC; cian tribesare tohave thought here settled first documented in1199.Priortothis,Da- Maramure lonelyplanet.com metal powder smog. Intheearly 1990s, anew metal smothering the townwith asulphur-dioxide/ residual intotheatmosphere gases each year, moreleased than5 billioncumetres of metallurgic plantswhichand Phoenix re- ş son), thetownwas fortified. (IancudeHunedoara’s Matthias Corvinus ily. In1469,under theruleof Hungarianking the propertyof theIancudeHunedoara fam- and 15thcenturies. In1446thetownbecame asagold-miningtown inthe14th developed The townwasfirst documented in1329and of Maramure istheseat Mountains, MareBaia (BigMine),atthefootof theGutâi % BAIA MARE the rest of Romania. ture, contrarytohissystemisation policiesfor people here theirtraditionalcul- tomaintain Marma tire Jewish populationof Sighetu itscapital, Hungarian rule,duringwhich timetheen- and partsof Moldavia –fell underpro-Nazi region –alongwithnorthernTransylvania what isnowUkraine. albeit onlypartof it–theremainder wentto that Maramure concentration camps. History escu’s regime ashometotheRomplumb Hungary graduallyexerted itsruleover the Ceau 1940and1944theMaramureBetween Maramure Baia MareBaia gainednotoriety duringCeau- 262 /pop141,611 ţ ş iei, was shipped to Nazi Germany’s iei, wasshippedtoNaziGermany’s escu’s rule had little effect ontheescu’s rulehadlittleeffect ş ş , with Baia Mare, withBaia was asitscapital, villages. ş wasannexed byTransylvania MARAMURE ş ş wasreturned toRomania, aroundthistimetomarkthe ş County. ş

new, nightlife-focused hubof goodvibrations Libert MareBaia wasinfull renovation mode. Pia polluted. ing water remains andfish unpotable stocks be knownforanothertwodecades. Drink- thefullimpactofastated, thespillmaynot taminated andtherivers’ ecosystems dev- the water supplyof 2.5millionpeoplecon- the BlackSea. before spillingintotheDanubeandfinally theSome contaminating – Australian companyEsmeraldaEnterprises to leakfromthegoldmine–part-owned by burst, causingcyanide-contaminated water disasters.tal On30January dam atailings oneofcaused Europe’sworst environmen- poisonous spillfromtheAurulgoldmine inearly2000, whena hotseat vironmental ate airpollution. smoke wasbuiltinanattempt stack toallevi- carnival rides. carousing in costume anddodgy-looking people with concerts, dancing,sports events, 21st centuryafter inthevillages. staying hotels are agood placetoreintegrate with the are unexpectedly arresting andthesuperior by thetimeyouread this.Thecity’smuseums val (last weekend in September) isa lively (lastweekend bash, in September) Despite itslacklustre name,the On alighter note, atthetimeof writing With sixneighbouring countriesaffected, The townwasagainthrownintotheen- the above. tour ( p244 allof) willalleviate virtually is essential.Alternatively anorganised with standing. Adetailedmapoftheregion visit –deficientcountrysidesignagenot- dilemmathroughoutyour nary atransport from SuceavaorCluj,meaningyou’llhave hire isstronglyrecommended, preferably conditions inEurope. ForDIYtouring,car will rarely enjoymore genialhitchhiking getting around,thoughtheupshotisyou goes forthesparseandlimited optionsfor maxitaxis are, well,maxitaxis. The same transfers stationsand insmall,lazilymarked Train entryoften requires visitor-challenging around canbearesolve-testing struggle. Accessing Maramure MARAMURE INTO&AROUND GETTING ăţ ii inparticularwill likely beawhole Ş

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MARAMURE Ş MARAMUREŞ Mon-Fri) Hasfaxand cashtransfer facilities.Mon-Fri) h restaurant. ( Italiana p236 ) –sitonthehotel sideof the ice fromHotel RivuluswhiledininginOaza canplunder serv- with wi-fi enableddevices ing fromascarcityof internet cafés.Those At thetimeof writing, thecitywassuffer- ACCESSINTERNET Information River flowsacrossthenorthof thetown. Libert on StrG westofThe train andbusstations, thecentre Orientation 234 Central postoffice Central POST West Bank Banca Post Banca Commerciala Român MONEY 4.30pm Mon-Fri) 5pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-noonSat) 5pm Mon-Fri, To Debrecen To Oradea Vásárosnamény MARAMUREð 8.30am-1pm Mon-Fri) Mátészalka MARAMURE ăţ ii, Baia Mare’sii, Baia central square. The H UNGARY ă Marghita rii, are a15-minute walkfromPia ( ( % %

224 586; B-dul Unirii 7; 224 586;B-dulUnirii 220 350;B-dulTraian1B; Tisza Ş Carei (B-dul Traian1B; • aaMr ••BaiaMare T©¢nad Moftinu Mic ă

(B-dul Unirii 15; (B-dulUnirii Crasna Doba h E81 h 7am-8pm h 8.30am- Mare Satu 8.30am- M©d©ras Ardud Ş asar asar Vynohradiv Zal©u E81 ţ Culcui Mare a Turulung Halmeu

Livada Some¢ excavation displays,including themother of hibitions, tools, weathered documents, bronze all clay potcollections, extensive weapons ex- Museum Mare –istoldinthelocal arranged bythelocalhistorymuseum. hastemporary exhibitions Today, hishouse year. thatsame died of theplagueinBelgrade Iancu deHunedoara the now-crumbling,15th-century house of 1446and1453,lived Hungarybetween in HunyadiinHungarian),royalgovernor(Jánós Transylvanian princeIancudeHunedoara Sights modation throughAntrec. tours,providemaps,andcanbookaccom- horse-riding and trekking staffarrange carhire, walking, speaking 11; B-dul Unirii Holidays Mara TOURIST INFORMATION of the Danube close to Belgrade. Hunedoara of toBelgrade. the Danubeclose successfully thrashed 2pm Sat&Sun) Monet C©line¢ti Tur» Hunedoara’s life story–andthat of Baia Vinului Valea Lake Ora¢u Nou ă C©line¢ti- riei 1;admission€1.50; riei C©m©rzana Oa¢ Chust

Seini Satulung M©riei (Muzeul de Istorie deIstorie (Muzeul Some¢ Valea

T RANSYLVI ðomcu»a . Thisexpansive complex houses Tisa To Lviv h Mare Vama ( Bixad Chioarului % Negre¢ti-Oa¢ Valea Colt©u Posta 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) Helpful,English- 9am-5pm Mon-Fri) Firiza 226 656;[email protected];

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ăţ Neteda Pass L©schia H©rnice¢ti Mara Dese¢ti Sat- ii 18) Mara lonelyplanet.com Plopi¢ Marma»iei (1040m) Hoteni Surde¢ti Sighetu Berbe¢ti Giule¢ti Cavnic Rohia Fere¢ti % . In1456he Napoca To Cluj- Cup¢eni 211 927;Str

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Corne¢ti Roni¢oara de Jos Rona Bârsana Casa L©pu¢ de Sus Rona 1703. brigand Grigore Pintea Viteazul was shot in Str 1Mai) Book accommodationonlineatlonelyplanet.com tul Osta WWI Masses are often heldonSunday next tothe Marehome to the Baia football club.Open-air Stadium Florilor footbridge over the is beneaththe ing partof the15th-century citywallsand Alecsandri) to thepresent. 250 exhibitstrackinglocalartists from 1896 Art oftheHolyTrinity Cathedral thetoweris cal clockin1628.Behind a bellbutthiswasreplaced byamechani- Gothic-style towerwasinitiallytopped with Tower sports, industrialequipmentandclocks. to literature,fragments androomsdevoted of thefootball stadium. Strâmtura Botiza

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Stephen’s Stephen’s (Muzeul de (Muzeul 12 miles 20 km Dealul with Dornei Vatra To mining towns. inHungarian forbidding themfromsettling live of inthecitybecause a17th-centurylaw WWII. Until1848,Jews were notallowedto Mareported fromBaia toAuschwitz during Maramure h star rooms. star Wi-fi is(officially) onlyavailable in three- the three-star rooms, minustherefrigerator. roomsarenies. Two-star virtuallyidenticalto has newlyrenovated rooms,allwithbalco- Pia €34/43, s/d3-stars€43/52; in town. value all memoriesof Best village outhouses. rant, bowling–afew here nights willexpunge have balconies. charm rooms.Somerooms butcomfortable 37; s/d€32/49) ing ahome-cooked breakfast. in theregion includ- for€15to€20pernight, 11; Unirii booked inadvance. options exceptforhome whichstays mustbe MareBaia hasnobudget accommodation Sleeping park which theregion isfamed. andchurches,traditional woodenhouses for h 845) Ethnographic Museum €2-3) Dunarea Restaurant Eating counted rates are available ontheirweb site. beds, swimmingpool andmassage here. Dis- themselves topower showers, comfortable 11; s/d€50/60; Antrec andarranges roomsinprivate homes Traian 8) Bucure Wi-fi, fitnesscentre, pool,sauna, bar,restau- Nearby, the Hotel Maramure Hotel Holidays Mara MareBaia hasasmall Northwest of isthe thefootballstadium Hotel Mara Hotel Euro Hotel Euro The ţ 10am-5pm Tue-Sun, closed 16 Oct-14 May) 10am-5pm Tue-Sun, closed16Oct-14 10am-5pm Tue-Sun) , inwhich allthetraditionaltradesof the

a Revolu A former favourite, thisplace wasengulfed (Str Pet ş ti 23;s/d2-stars€35/49,3-stars€47/58; houses amonumenttotheJews houses de- h Mineral Museum Mineral

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Weary travellers cantreat 226 656;[email protected]; B-dul ( 216 302; Str Culturii 4;s/d 2-stars 216 302;StrCulturii % adjoining an .

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served here. served A localfavourite forRomaniancuisine. of writing. in thePia 236 and whole roasted piglet orchicken. cheap restaurant, withfish,soups andsalads andpizza.mixing Romanian foodwithpasta h winner. this moderneatery onPia pizzas,pumpingmusic anddrinksmakeLarge meals €5-10) To BaiaMareAirport; Babe¢ V Str Satu Mare(67km) (142km) Cluj-Napoca (94km); To Dej 4 1 3 2 BAIA MARE Casa Rustic Casa Pizzeria Restaurent Millenium Oaza Italiana Maracarn Restaurant Salamandra Restaurant 10am-midnight; mains€2-6)

SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION o...... C2 C2 Zoo...... C3 Village Museum...... C2 Stephen’s Tower...... B4 Romanian SoldiersMonument...... C3 Mineral Museum...... C2 History &ArchaeologyMuseum...... C2 Ethnographic Museum...... C3 Dealul FlorilorStadium...... D3 Central Market...... C3 Cathedral oftheHolyTrinity...... D3 Casa IancudeHunedoara...... D3 Butchers’ Tower...... Art Museum...... B4 West Bank...... B4 Post Office...... B3 Post Office...... C4 Mara Holidays...... (see22) Fortuna CurrencyExchange...... B4 Central PostOffice...... B4 C4 Banca Post...... Banca Comercial©Român©...... MARAMURE Str Decebal Str

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Marma twotoCluj-Napoca(€4),andfourSighetu There are toSatuMare twodailybuses (€2), tion run fromthe Infrequent services BUS accepteuros. doesn’t US$75, return Tarom US$124,plustax). Mare Baia between andBucharest (one-way 9am-noonSat) Fri, Tarom AIR Getting There&Away €2) 7; tickets subtitles at lonelyplanet.com high-security prisons such asPite high-security canal, orin by theDanube–Black Sea those were interned inhard-labour campssuch as ing thisperiod anestimated 180,000 people foot of thetrack thatleadstothe mine. Dur- communist purges of atthe 1950–56,stands prisoners who diedinthemineduring zinc ore annually. mately 145,000 tonnesof copper,leadand mine stilloperates today,mining approxi- mining townfirst chronicled in1329.The Sprie,10kmeast of Mare,Baia Baia isasmall Sprie Baia AROUND BAIAMARE about €7. tre atT The Getting Around and onetoTimi one toBucharest viaCluj-NapocaandBra hours)eight atnoon;10dailytoSatu Mare; G ( Advance tickets are soldat TRAIN Drago leaving fromoutsideMcDonald’s,onStr (€5). There’s toBudapest, adailymaxitaxi to SatuMare (€1.50)andoncedailytoBistri Sprie. stops justoutsideHotel Mara, toBaia goes % ă rii 4) rii See English-language filmswith Romanian See A From Baia MareFrom Baia Maxitaxis runtwicedaily(exceptSunday)

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dates from1861andhasabulbous steeple. 14km southisthe townof the key nearby.Afurther atthelonehouse fine church withatoweringsteeple. Ask for church, willgladlyopenitforyou. and hiswife, wholive belowthe inthehouse it remains aUniate church today. Thepriest of worship fortheGreco-Catholic faithfuland tre of thevillage, wasbuilt in 1724asacentre church, signposted ‘Monument’fromthecen- disqualifiesitfrom contention. The stone base ( p243 thenewchurch’s puristssay ) –though recent constructionof thechurch in S woodenstructuretallest inEuropeuntilthe church (72m)wasconsidered steeple the The tinychurch’s disproportionately giant and ceilingpaintingsremain impressive. botched renovation job,theall-originalwall hike. bya somedamage Though wascaused in theMaramure of Sprie,isoneof Baia themostmagnificent Românilor). the Unionof allRomanians(UniriiTuturor was ceremoniously named,anddedicated to, modelled onStPeter’s inRome. Thechurch 1885, builtachurch forthevillage supposedly caciu (1835–1919),appointed parishpriestin sile LucaciuMemorial Vasile Museum. Lu- Approaching Surde Surde gets toodebauched foryou. Mare iftheoneinBaia in September/October, stages itsvery ownpint-sized next toanewchurch inthecentre. Thevillage Maramure p241). (see imprisonedatSighet who washimself to NationalPeasant Party leaderIuliuManiu, mine, includingCorneliuCoposu,secretary Sprie committed toforcedlabourattheBaia 1964, some200to300politicalprisoners were Marmaand Sighetu stone stands inthe centrestone stands of the smalltown, as 1717. Amonument known asthe Tartar of inthe mining town the Eurasian steppe settled carpets. which are in like traditionally used those on theouter walls, Note themotifscarved pass through pass through The toweringchurch at The The lastwave of nomadic Tartar tribesfrom Two kilometres southin Cavnic ş ti &Around village church , 8kmnortheast ş tiledroof datingfrom1793,is Ş i ş e ş Ş ş region andwellworththe ti ••AroundBaiaMare village, hometotheVa- ş , bearingatraditional ţ ti from Baia Sprie,you ti fromBaia iei. Between 1947and iei. Between

of Surde Surde L ă Plopi schia Chestnut Festival ş ti ş . Itschurch , southwest isanother ş ti, aslate ă pân 237 ţ

MARAMURE Ş MARAMUREŞ natural springs. here; rural wallowinginthemountainous d/ste €34/69) in alovingly created, peacefulsetting. It boastsaskiliftandswankybar-restaurant roadfromMogo ther alongthesame This complexof three newhotels is1kmfur- Complex Turistic Sleeping &Eating Mare–Izvoarethe Baia road. about 3kmnorthofit starts Mare Baia along red Mare triangles)leadsfromBaia toIzvoare; by. A asfewand hitching vehicles isdifficult pass views of the to travellers. Inwinter, askiliftoffers aerial for students.Therest of theyearitisopen it istransformedintoasummerholidaycamp when mid-Juneandmid-September, between complex Statiunea Izvoare dominated bypineforests andtheratherugly cottages andramshackle farmsis.Izvoare is countryside dotted wooden withdelightful north of Mare Baia at Blidari theremoteturns through villages of North of Mare Baia adirtroadtwistsand Baia MaretoIzvoare under thecommunistpurges. whodiedinthemines rial plaquetothose MarmaSighetu mountainous silver mineshere. political prisoners were tothegoldand sent first documented in1445.In1952and1955, 238 western partof Maramure The Ţ Marmathe roadtoSighetu located 6kmnortheastof Sprie. Follow Baia to 4pm,Tuesday toSunday).Thechalet is nearby chairlift andtwoskilifts(open 10am can skate onthelake orrent skis;there isa boats orswimin the lake, andinwinter you tents bythelake. Insummeryoucanhire 731m above canpitch Campers level. their sea the groundsof thecomplex. at thesignpost forMogo ARA CHIOARULUI Mogo bypublictransport This route isnotserved Viewing churches isnot ontheagenda Heading alongthe northfromCavnic Ţ MARAMURE hiking trail hiking and ara Chioarului region inthe south- ş a Chalet Thechalet overlooks Bodi, Lake Valea Neagr sculpture park sculpture Neteda Pass Neteda (five tosixhours, marked with ţ Ş Ş

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