Prislop Pass

Prislop Pass (Romanian: Pasul Prislop) is a mountain pass in northern Romania, connecting the historical regions of Maramureş and Bukovina over the Rodna Mountains, in the Eastern Carpathians.

The Prislop Pass is situated at an altitude of 1,416 meters, being the highest Romanian pass. It has a length of 50 km and a width ranging from 30-40 km, the north is steep gorge to the south continuing with a gentle slope. The road that crosses the pass (DN18), links Vişeu, Moisei, Borşa (province of Maramureş) with Câmpulung Moldovenesc, Suceava County (province of Moldavia).

In winter the pass is blocked by snow, because of the altitude, but in the summer the tourist has a wonderful view to the Obcinile Bucovinei, to the Rodna Mountains with Pietrosu (2303m) and Ineu (2279m) peaks, and to the springs of Golden Bistriţa. In the second Sunday of August here it takes place the folk festival "Hora de la Prislop" celebrating the descending of the sheep flocks from the mountains.

Photos from Wikipedia.

Cetatea Chioarului

Cetate, former Cetatea Chioarului (Magyar: Kővár), is located in Berchezoaia village, Remetea Chioarului commune, Maramureş County, Romania.

Political and military centre of Chioar, "Cetatea de Piatră" (the Stone Stronghold) was raised in the 13th century (but mentioned only in 1319 as Cheewar), on an isolated hill at a bend of the river Lăpuş. The stronghold is situated at 400 m altitude, on the saddle of a hill surrounded by the waters of the Lăpuş which make at the hill foot a strait among the rocks.

It was attested again after 1372, in an undated document, as a Royal citadel. In 1378, the stronghold was donated to the voievodes Balc and Drag, and to their brother Ioan, the descendants of voievode Dragoş from Maramureş, who kept it until the last representative of the family died (1555).

Between 1599 and 1600, the stronghold and the domain were handed over to Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave) who unified the Romanian Principalities. This is when Chioar became a district (part of a comitat (county)) with certain autonomy.

After 1662, Mihai Teleki was nominated captain of the Stronghold Chioar; later on, his family extended its influence over the whole region. By the end of the century, Rákoczi’s revolt spreads over Transylvania and the inhabitants of Chioar take the opportunity to rise against Teleki. After the Satu Mare Peace (1711), the Austrian nobiliary authorities decided the demolishment of the Chioar Stronghold in order to prevent the anti-Habsburg forces from regrouping, and it was blown up in 1718.

From The Castles Catalog. Images from Castele si cetati din Europa.

The Woodcarvers of Maramureş

Maramureş is a rugged and independent area in the North of Romania where traditions have lasted due to the isolation of geography and the neglect of history. The Romans conquered Romania in the early 2nd century AD but they never went as far north as Maramureş. The valleys of the Mara and Iza rivers lead nowhere, meaning strangers have always been rare. During communism many villages escaped collectivization due to poor soil and hilly landscape. Today, the proud Maramureşeni continue practicing their ancient traditions of farming, costume making and folk dancing. They also serve as a time capsule preserving old attitudes and the traditional roles in the community.


Wood is the dominant theme in Maramureş. Almost everything can be made of it: churches, houses, horse-carts, tableware and, not to be forgotten, wooden gates.
For someone was born elsewhere and has not grown up with it this omnipresence of wooden gates seems like an obsession. Gates are almost more important than houses; they seem to be the measure of importance of house owners. Often an impressive gate is standing before the house itself is properly finished; new houses can be made of stone rather than wood, the old shingle roofs are replaced by corrugated sheeting, but the traditional wooden gate remains as symbol of Maramureş identity.


Four examples of the resplendent, up to 4m high wooden gates. Often there is a bench nearby or integrated into one side, on which the family can sit together chatting with the neighbours. The extravagant carvings, often in the form of twisted ropes, include old heathen and Christian motives. The wooden gate with pictures in it is at the entrance of Surdeşti church and cemetery. On the right is an interesting model. It is principally two gate corners with wide gate doors in between, giving the advantage of unlimited height going into the farmyard. The gates are still handmade. Some of the Maramureş woodcarvers have become famous, such as Toader Bârsan from Bârsana, who built an original little Romanian wooden church in 1999 at a Folklife Festival in Washington, DC.

Wooden Churches of Maramureş

The historical Romanian region of Maramureş, partitioned between Romania and Sub-Carpathian Ukraine after the Second World War, is one of the places where traditional log building was not interrupted and where a rich heritage in wood survives. The tradition of building wooden churches in central and southern Maramureş can be traced from the beginning of the 16th century to the turn of the 18th century. Since the knowledge used to build the local wooden churches circulated throughout Europe, their understanding is of high interest far outside the region. In Maramureş today 42 wooden churches remain, about one third of their total two centuries ago. Besides the extant wooden churches, a major source of knowledge is still saved by a number of practicing senior carpenters with relevant knowledge and skills in traditional carpentry. Some of them have been listed by the UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999, for their religious architecture and timber construction traditions.


The Church on the Hill at Ieud, dating from the 17th century, has murals by Alexandru Ponehalschi. In the attic were discovered the Ieud Codices, the oldest such codex in the Romanian language. Here there is a collection of icons painted on glass from the Nicula Monastery (the first center for painting on glass in Transylvania), precious books and documents, and carpets colored with vegetal dyes.


The Church of St. Nicholas in Budeşti was erected in 1643 on the site of a church dating from the 15th century. The church, constructed from thick beams resting on a stone foundation, was painted in luminous, harmonious colors by Alexandru Ponehalschi in 1762. Ponehalschi was one of the most prolific mural painters in Maramures. Unfortunately, the murals have been preserved intact only in the western part of the church.


The Church of the Blessed Parascheva in Poienile Izei dates from the 17th century. The nave of the church is rectangular in plan, the porch is situated on the western side, the roof has a double hem, and the steeple, with 3 bells, above the porch, presents an elongated helmet, above which is fixed a tall cross. The altar differs from that of the other churches in that it has 4 sides, as in antiquity. The murals, painted in 1794, are impressive for their eclectic style, combining traditional iconographic elements with others specific to the age.


The 17th century wooden Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Rogoz, a village situated on the banks of the Lăpuş, was constructed in 1633. The place of worship is one of the most interesting in all of Maramureş. The nave is rectangular; the narthex has apses, while the altar is hexagonal. The belfry is flanked by 4 turrets, placed at each corner. Beneath the eaves can be found numerous consoles, sculpted in the form of horses’ heads.


The Church of the Blessed Parascheva in Deseşti was erected in 1717. Its architecture is in the traditional style: the joinery, the equilibrium of forms and volumes, the harmony of the whole confer an impression of simplicity and elegance. Originality is lent to the monument by the beans of the upper part, supporting the sloping roof, which are elongated and sculpted into steps.


The Church of St. Nicholas in Bârsana offers you a typical example of Maramureş architecture. The church is remarkable for its small scale, rectangular plan, five-sided apse, belfry situated over the porch, and the double slope of the roof. The murals were painted in 1806 by two local artists, and the composition was influenced by baroque art.


The Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Plopiş was built at the end of the 18th century by Ioan Macarie and the murals were painted in 1811 by Ştefan of Siseşti. The originality of this church lies in the three-lobed ceiling vault of the nave, a case unique in the wooden churches in Maramureş.


The Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Şurdeşti, a village in the Cavnic River valley, was built in 1766 and the murals were painted in 1783 by Ştefan of Siseşti. It is thought to be the tallest religious wooden edifice in Europe, with a tower of 54 meters. The porch has 2 rows of arcades, one above the other. The iconostasis of the church is remarkable for its polychrome, gilded baroque wooden ornamentation, a true treasure of old Romanian art.


Travelers are recommended not to miss these monuments representative of the wooden architecture of Maramureş, veritable treasures of old Romanian art.

The Merry Cemetery of Săpânţa

Săpânţa is a commune in Maramureş County in northern Romania, 15 kilometers northwest of Sighet and just south of the Tisa River.

The Merry Cemetery (Romanian: Cimitirul Vesel) is famous for its colourful tombstones with naïve paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons that are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. The Merry Cemetery became an open-air museum and a national tourist attraction.


The unusual feature of this cemetery is that it diverges from the prevalent belief, culturally shared within European societies - a belief that views death as something indelibly solemn. Connections with the local Dacian culture have been made, a culture whose philosophical tenets presumably vouched for the immortality of the soul and the belief that death was a moment filled with joy and anticipation for a better life. The cemetery's origins are linked with the name of Stan Ioan Pătraş (1908-1977), a local artist who sculpted the first tombstone crosses. In 1935, Pătraş carved the first epitaph and, as of 1960s, more than 800 of such oak wood crosses came into sight. Here is an example of unusual epitaph:

Romanian

...Să vă mai spun una bună
Mi-o plăcut ţuica de prună
Cu prietenii la birt
Uitam şi de ce-am venit

English

...Now I will tell you a good one
I kind of liked the plum ţuica
With my friends at the pub
I used to forget what I came for