|
The heart of the Land of Maramureş is undoubtedly Sighetu Marmaţiei, known locally simply as Sighet.
Offert type: Round Tour
Transport means: Car, mini van or bus
Description
The Tisa River is a natural border between Romania and Ukraine. Here the two cultures mingle in some of the oldest settlements in Maramures.
Sighetu - Marmatiei The heart of the Land of Maramureş is undoubtedly Sighetu Marmaţiei, known locally simply as Sighet. The town is situated right next to the border with the Ukraine, at the confluence of Iza and Tisa rivers. Due to its strategic location, near the confluence of the main rivers of Maramureş, Sighet is the most obvious starting point for visiting the famous valleys: Tisa, Iza, Vişeu, Mara and Cosău.The town is the old capital of the historical Maramures. The name of the town comes from the root "zeget" - meaning "fortress". Besides its museums and the annual festival of winter customs and traditions, the city has several other attractions. An ancient human settlement, having vestiges from remote times, the town is recorded in the documents of 1326. The fortress hill - Solovan, with a fortress having vestiges dating back to the period of the Thracians and Dacians, is a shield for the settlement. Beside that, the town itself has some interesting features: the Village Museum, The Prison of the Ministers and the Annual Christmas Parade.
Sighetu Marmatiei is home to Romanian Orthodox, Calvinist, Catholic, Greek Catholic and Jewish followers with many churches and a synagogue lining its streets.
One of the main tourist attractions in Sighet are The Museum of Maramureş Sighetu Marmaţiei, The Ethnographic Museum, The History and Archaeology Museum and The Natural Sciences Museum.
Worth visiting is also the Memorial House of Elie Wiesel – The Museum of the Jewish Community.
Near the centre is The Monument of the Holocaust raised in the memory of the about 38,000 Jews of Maramureş killed in the Nazi concentration camps. Another memorial for those killed in Auschwitz is The Monument of the Soap (Monumentul Săpunului) at the Jewish cemetery. The Synagogue, built in 1885 in an eclectic Moresque style, is the only one of the town’s eight synagogues still standing and in use.
Ever since 1968, on the 27th of December of each year, a winter carnival is held in Sighet. The heart of the carnival is the parade: hundreds of costumed and masked people, horses and carts sing carols, utter “urături” (good wishes for the year to come) and perform traditional winter plays with Capra (The Goat), Ursul (The Bear), and Viflaimul.
The Prison of the Ministers is perhaps one of the most interesting museums in Romania and should be included in any itinerary which incorporates the Maramures region. The prison, which was active from 1897 until 1977, takes its name from the period during the 1950s when it held many political prisoners (former government ministers, generals, academicians, and religious leaders - the cultural and political elite of Romania) in terrible conditions - brought here because it was thought to be particularly secure since the town was just 2km from the Soviet frontier. 180 prisoners were held in terrible conditions in 72 cells. Many were elderly but this didn't save them from beatings and punishment so it is no surprise that many died. These included one of the most respected prewar politicians, Iuliu Maniu who orchestrated the 1944 coup, Dinu Bratianu - leader of the National Liberal Party and Ion Mihalache - founder of the Peasants Party.
Within the prison museum, there is also an International Study Center of Communism which enables a flow of information from all over the former communist world; the archive and library were started in 1993 and now include thousands of recordings, documents, diaries, written testimonies of life in the gulag, and even letters from the prison.
The Village Museum lies on a beautiful hill and shows traditional wooden houses and households from all over Maramures. Straight or crooked roads or paths make up the inherent structure of the settlement and converge to towards a promontory where, like in all villages from Maramures, the church is standing. An elegant wooden church graciously rules over the thoroughly recreated village. You can relax in the peaceful landscape, while discovering age-old life styles and ancient crafts. Visiting the museum you could learn about the main coordinates of a Maramures village: the church, the house, the gatehouse.
Sarasău
Some seven km downstream from Sighet, right on the Tisa, is the village of Sarasău. It can be reached by car or by regular bus service from Sighet via the DN 19.
Here on the border, one never knows if the sun rises in Romania or in the Ukraine.
There is a small sawmill in the village that used to be communal. The machinery is old and often broken, and the present owners do not know if to invest in the repairs.
Săpânţa
Another 10 km further downriver, at the foot of the Igniş Mountains, there is one of the most famous villages of Romania: Săpânţa. It is a big village with vast fields, meadows, orchards and forests.
The fame of the village is mostly due to the unusual cemetery called The Merry Cemetery, and to the memorial house of the sculptor Stan Ioan Pătraş. Recently another attraction was added to its portfolio: the Monastery of Săpânţa-Peri with the tallest wooden church in the world.
Other local artefacts include sculptures of wood and clay, paintings, and the small straw hats worn by men, the clop.
Săpânţa is well known for its mineral water springs that are used to cure various disorders, such as gastritis, ulcers, colitis, diabetes, etc.
Rona de Jos
Rona de Jos is on the other side of Sighetu Marmaţiei, in the valley of the Ronişoara River, one of the many tributaries of the Iza River. It is just over 10 km from the town, on the national road DN 18 that leads on to Vişeu de Sus and beyond.
The pride of village is the old wooden church of the Birth of the Holy Virgin, built around 1639.
Rona de Sus and Coştiui
Rona de Sus is a big commune formed of Coştiui and Rona de Sus villages, 4 km further up the road from Rona de Jos.
The people of Coştiui have become famous for their skill as coopers, making oak barrels. In the commune there are two natural reservations: the 62 ha Oak Grove Ronişoara, and the 0.7 ha Larch Grove Coştiui.
|
