Maramureș and Bukovina

The roads of northern Romania

From Baia Mare, the road crosses the Gutâi Pass and drops into the valleys of the Mara and the Iza. This is Maramureș: wooden villages, a carved gate in front of every house, haystacks built around a pole. You pass horse-drawn carts and herds. On Sunday mornings, many locals go to church in traditional dress.

At Vișeu de Sus, you leave the car for the Mocănița, a forest steam train that climbs the Vaser valley to Paltin: a good half-day. The road then climbs to the Prislop Pass, at 1,416 metres, and crosses into Bukovina.

Bukovina is covered in beech and fir forests. Its painted monasteries stand deep in the valleys, behind their walls. The trip ends in the Bicaz Gorge, between two limestone walls, then at Lacul Roșu, already in Transylvania.

Inside, village painters covered the walls in the 18th century. At Poienile Izei, they painted hell and its torments. These churches are often locked: ask the neighbour or the priest for the key. At Bârsana, don’t confuse the small listed church, on the hill, with the large monastery from the 1990s.

At Săpânța, from 1935, the sculptor Stan Ioan Pătraș carved oak crosses painted bright blue. Each one shows a scene from the life of the dead person and an epitaph in verse, often funny. This is the Merry Cemetery.

The painted monasteries of Bukovina

In the 16th century, some churches of northern Moldavia were painted on the outside as well: saints, scenes from the Bible, the Last Judgement. They are often described as a Bible in pictures for worshippers who could not read. Seven churches have been on the UNESCO list since 1993, among them Voroneț, Arbore, Humor and Moldovița; Sucevița, the eighth, joined them in 2010. At Voroneț, the Last Judgement covers the whole west wall. It is painted on a deep blue background, “Voroneț blue”. At Sucevița, legend has it that the west wall stayed white because the painter fell from the scaffolding.

Voroneț Monastery was founded by Stephen the Great, Prince of Moldavia from 1457 to 1504, who fought the Ottomans for many years. According to tradition, he built a church after each victory. He is buried at Putna, the monastery he founded. The name Bukovina comes from a Slavic word meaning “beech forest”; Austria made it the region’s official name when it annexed it, in 1775.

What not to miss

1. 1The Merry CemeteryThe blue crosses of Săpânța, best seen in the morning, before the coaches.
2. 2The Sighet MemorialThe former prison where the communist regime locked up the country’s elite, from 1950 to 1955.
3. 3The MocănițaOne of the last forest steam railways in Europe.
4. 4VoronețThe Last Judgement on a blue background, in the late afternoon.
5. 5Suceava CitadelThe fortress of the old Moldavian capital, which held out against Sultan Mehmed II in 1476.
6. 6Lacul RoșuA lake formed by a landslide in 1837 or 1838, with the trunks of drowned fir trees rising out of it.

Maramureș and Bukovina in pictures

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The blue-painted wooden crosses of the Merry Cemetery in Săpânța.

Food in Maramureș and Bukovina

In Maramureș, you are often offered a glass of horincă when you arrive: a plum brandy distilled twice, very strong. Balmoș, a shepherds’ dish, mixes cornmeal and sheep’s cheese.

In Bukovina, ciorbă rădăuțeană, named after Rădăuți, is a sour soup with chicken, garlic and cream. For dessert, papanași are fresh-cheese doughnuts, served with cream and jam.