Maramures - One day tour

Culture and History tour in Maramures

Tour Price : From €45 Duration : 8-10 hours Languages: Romanian, English

“It is well known that some of the most interesting religious constructions in the world can be found here [in Maramures; not only from our country but also from the entire Europe. The wooden churches from Maramures have long ago gained a well deserved fame not only in the eyes of the specialists but also in the eyes of the visitors from many countries of the world. There is no doubt they represent one of the highest achievements in the art of building with wood on our continent” (Paul Petrescu, 1969).

If you want to find out more about these monuments and some other famos touristic places from Maramures and if you don’t have more then a day allocated, I recommand you One Day Tour in Maramures.

We’ll visit two wooden churches, UNESCO monuments, from Surdesti and Budesti Josani, a woodcarver workshop, Merry Cemetery from Sapanta, Barsana Monastery and The Memorial Museum of the Victims of Communism and of the Resistance from Sighetu Marmatiei.

The church of Surdesti is considered to be the tallest and oldest wooden church in Europe with its tower of 54 m. It was built in XVIIIth century and it’s a Graeco-Catholic church of the Holy Archangels.

The church of St. Nicholas from Budesti Josani is a good example of the typical Maramures church, as it still preserves its original shape, while the dimensions are little bit larger than usual (18m x 8m). The church was built in XVIIth century and together with the wooden church from Surdesti are both included in UNESCO Heritage List.

Barsana Monastery - Even it was built in the 90’s, it is a beautiful piece of art. The woodcarvers kept the traditional style of the architecture. This monastery is very famos all over the Maramures county, fact easily observed esspecially on religious holydays.

The woodcarver workshop we’ll visit, it’s an authentic example of the romanian traditional art. The artisans can make the wood alive, working rare beauty and value. They produce various handicraft items, Maramures gates, cruise and carved crucifixes, wooden churches or even traditional wooden houses.

Merry Cemetery from Sapanta – a different way to look at death

This place is a must-see for anyone visiting Maramures. The vivid colors of the funeral crosses, the epitaphs which narrate the biography of the deceased, have given the most unusual name for a cemetery. The “Merry Cemetery” from Sapanta is certainly the most advertised, controversial and com­mercial brand in Maramures.

Fascinating because of “the blue of Sapanta”, visited, photographed by hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world – the churchyard with its colored crosses and witty poems has to be regarded as an original combination between spirit (spirituality, ancient beliefs, conceptions, traditions) and matter(wood, natural pigments).

Museum of communism victims is the civil society’s most important project – dedicated to the reconstruction and analysis of the communist past, unique in Eastern Europe. The Memorial is an institution of Memory, unique in that it is simultaneously an institute of research, a museum and a form of education.

To the question, “Can memory be relearned?” the answer of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism and to the Resistance in Romania is a resounding “Yes”.

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