The Iza Valley is very special. Wood reigns supreme. Villages such as Bogdan Voda and Ieud are richly textured places that take their rhythm from the surrounding forests. There are wooden houses and wooden gateways, the latter often embellished with a wooden cross.

The Iza Valley follows the Iza river from Sighet Marmatiei, 37 miles (60 km.) to its source in the Rodna Massif. The valley is lined with small villages where daily life has not changed for centuries. They are famous for their old hand-built houses, elaborately carved gates and tall wooden churches. When not at work in the fields or at home, the villagers like to sit on the benches of their fancy carved gates to socialize, and on Sundays everyone promenades along the streets.

Iza Valley is a region with enchanting and captivating scenery. Iza is one of the most important rivers in Maramures. The valley collects hundreds of small rivers until it flows into the Tisa River.

All along the Iza Valley there are small villages dating back to before the fifteenth century. The Iza Valley is home to villages known for their historical significance and their wooden churches. Some of the more notable villages are described below.

Vadu Izei

The village of Vadu Izei, famous for its artisans and woodcraft, sits at the junction of two important rivers, Iza and Mara, about 7 km south of Sighetu Marmaţiei. Inhabited ever since the Bronze Age, as a treasure of bracelets and silver coins prove, the village was first mentioned in 1383, but with the name of Satul lui Lupu. Nowadays, it is not only the junction of rivers, but the junction of two major roads, the DN 18 and the DJ 186, that gives importance to the village.

In Vadu Izei there are painters of icons on glass, like Ioan Borlean; weavers such as Maria Moldovan and Ileana Borlean, who make blankets and carpets with vegetable dyed wool; and basket weavers such as Mihai Petreuş, who make beautiful baskets and other objects using willow and hazelnut. There are also numerous musicians and singers, and the people of Vadu Izei are not called dobaşi (drummers) for no reason.

In accordance with this, every year in July, there is a wedding festival, Festivalul Nuntilor. Groups of folk musicians and dancers come from all over Maramureş, from other parts of Romania and even from abroad, to perform songs and dances related to the traditional wedding.

There is a small museum The House Museum of Vasile Kazar near the new Graeco-Catholic church. It is a household built in the 18th century, with old objects and textiles to show how the villagers lives still a short while ago.

Besides well-appointed pensions, there is a tourist information office near the town hall and the post office. From here one can buy maps and books about the region, various handicraft objects (icons, pottery, costumes, masks, etc.), and hire a local guide for a tour of villages in the nearby river valleys.

Bârsana

Bârsana is a large village of nearly 5,000 inhabitants on the right bank of the Iza River, about 20 km southeast of Sighetu Marmaţiei. Besides the main road DJ 186 that runs up the Iza Valley, the DJ 185 connects the village with Ocna Şugatag and the Cosău Valley.

Bârsana is one of the more famous villages in Maramureş due to the monastery built quite recently, which has become a symbol of Maramureş and of the wooden architecture. Moreover, there is the old wooden village church of The Presentation of the Virgin Mary at the Temple, built in 1720 as the monastery church, that is on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Botiza

A picturesque Maramureş village, Botiza with its 3,000 inhabitants is located at the foot of the ţibleş Mountains, on one of the tributaries of Iza, the Botiza River. It is about five km southeast of Poienile Izei, on the county road DJ 171 A. Botiza is surrounded by high hills, covered with dense forests and orchards.
There are also numerous mineral water springs, including a salt-water spring that has been used to salt meat. A market is held every Saturday.

Bogdan Voda (Cuhea)
40 kilometers from Vadu-Izei is the village of Bogdan-Voda. The village takes its name from Voivode Bogdan I, a native of Cuhea. Bogdan-Voda has an important place in Maramures' history because it was the residence of the Voivode during the feudal period.

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Christian cemetery on a feudal residence dating from the thirteenth or fourteenth century. Traces of one of the first stone churches constructed in Maramures have also been found here.

Bogdan-Voda's wooden church dates back from 1718 and inhabits the site of an even older church which was burnt down in the 1717 raid by the Tartars.

The St. Nicolae wooden church is made of pine and contains beautiful icons painted on glass as well as wood. It also houses a sculpted Bishop's throne, one of the most beautiful and valuable monuments in Romania.

Poienile Izei
Poinile Izei is roughly four km from Glod towards Botiza and Şieu, surrounded by the foothills of the Lăpuş Mountains. It is a village of about 1,100 inhabitants with strong traditions.

Glod
Glod is a small village up in the Slătioara River valley. It is about 10 km south from the DJ 186, taking the narrow DJ 171D in rather bad condition that starts from the main road at a place called Podul Slătiorii, the Bridge of Slătioara.
The people from Glod seem to have music in their blood: the Petreuş brothers are famous folk singers, and there are many other musical groups of young performers in the village.

Onceşti
The next village from Vadu Izei, five km up the Iza River Valley, is Onceşti with its 1,500 inhabitants. Various archaeological finds prove the continuity of settlement since prehistoric times: tools, jewels, and mediaeval swords. The village used to have a beautiful wooden church, which is now at the Village Museum in Sighetu Marmaţiei.

Ieud
Along the Ieud River, 40 kilometers from Vadu-Izei, is the ancient and beautiful village of Ieud. Archaeological discoveries show this village dates back to the Bronze Age.

Ieud also has two distinctive wooden churches which have been declared historical and architectural monuments.
The first one is 'The Birth of Virgin Mary ' Church on the hill, built in 1364 and it is the oldest church in Maramures. It is built from pine and fir wood with small windows, double roof and a single, impressive steeple. The paintings are original, dating from the 15th -16th century and their condition is relatively good. The church also has a collection of glass painted icons. Inside, the stairs to the tower are carved in one piece of wood. 'Zbornicul' or 'The Book of Laws' was discovered in the attic, unique in the country and the oldest manuscript in the Romanian language printed in 1543 in Brasov.
The second church was erected in 1699 and it is called the Church in the Valley. Built in "Maramures gothic" style, the church is also called the "Wooden Cathedral".

Ieud is known for the preservation of its traditional customs as well as its traditional architecture. The people here dress and act the same as they did hundreds of years ago. Every year in July the people of Ieud celebrate with a multi-day festival of traditional culture called "Ieud Cultural Days.

Strâmtura
Back to the Iza River Valley, and the main county road DJ 186, Strâmtura is the next village after Bârsana, some seven km from it. Strâmtura prides itself with the last buciumaşi of Maramureş, the players of the traditional alpenhorn, a long metal horn that mountain shepherds used as a means of communication. The village is also famous for the folklore group made up of both children and adults.

Rozavlea
Rozavlea is a village of more than 4,000 inhabitants on the right bank of the Iza River, seven km upstream from Strâmtura, and about 37 km southwest from Sighetu Marmaţiei via DJ 186. The oldest finds are from the Stone Age, although written mentions start from 1353.
Every year in late August are held the Cultural Days of Roza Rozalina where folkloric groups come from different parts of the region and the country, and the traditions of Maramureş are discussed in a symposium.

Şieu
Şieu is the next village up the river from Rozavlea, only two km distant. It is at the junction of two rivers, the Iza and its tributary the Şieuţ, and of two roads, the DJ 186 that runs from Vadu Izei to Săcel and the DJ 171A that starts here and goes south to Botiza and over the mountains to Lăpuş.
Each year in Şieu is organized The Meeting with the Sons of the Village, an event in which take part people who were born here and who have made a career somewhere else. Also, every summer there is a folkloric festival of song, dance and dress to which come numerous groups from Maramureş. There is also a local folkloric group that participates in various contests and festivals around the country.

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