Maramures Region

History:

Maramures region, also known as Maramures Country, is extended beyond the borders of Romania, in Ukraine and it has thousands of years of rich history. These lands have been occupied since prehistoric times. Later on, these lands were crossed by the Indo-European people and then were under the Dacian, Roman, Greek or Slav Domination. Till the 17th century, when Maramures region came under Austro-Hungarian rule, it was ruled by different princes for hundreds of years. Then, the Tatar invasion came after, in the 18th century and on 1 December 1918, when was the Great Union, Maramures was annexed to Romania.

Relief and importance of Maramures region:

The beauty of the region is given by the rich and gorgeous landscapes sculpted by nature. The relief from Maramures region is mostly mountainous with many mountain groups (Maramures, Rodnei, Tibles, Lapus, Ignis, Gutai, Oas and Ignis Mountains) crossed by deep valleys and large depressions (Baia Mare, Baia Sprie, Sighetu Marmatiei Depressions, Izei Valley, Vaser Valley and others). Towards west, away from the mountainous area, the West Hills rise up on these territories and when the elevation decreases, the territory has large areas of plain (West Plain). However, the heart of Maramures region stays in the mountain area where for thousands of years, the people have known how to combine the perfect harmony of the nature with the craftsmanship they were endowed, building wood churches, impressive gates and wood houses which today give together the specific of the area. Not for nothing Maramures is also called the Wood Country.

Climate, rivers and lakes:

The climate in Maramures region is temperate continental and despite the higher elevation, the weather remains beautiful and warm for a long period of the year. Summers are hot, although sometimes can be short, cooler with rainy periods and winters are harsh and cold due to influences and cold winds coming from Siberia. Rainfall is high, annually being registered more than 1.200 mm. The main rivers that cross the region are Tisa, Lapus, Crasna and Somes and the main lakes are Firiza, Sasar, Nistru, Ocna Sugatag, Bucureasa and Calinesti.

Fauna and flora:

These mountains hide many of Romania‘s and Europe’s virgin forests. The most part of the mountains are wooded with forests of spruce, fir and pine or in the lower areas with forests of beech, oak, ash or elm. These shelter a large variety of fauna and flora in Maramures region. Among the best known species of animals present here are chamoises, golden eagles, brown bears, Carpathian stags, lynxes, foxes, wild boars, wolves, bears, martens, deer and many others.

Tourism:

Regarding the tourism from Maramures region, is good to know that locals have known for hundreds of years how to manage the forests and they perfectly mastered the wood industry. So, Maramures Country is known in whole Romania and not only, for the beauty of the houses with high gates rich in decorations and for the churches and monasteries built all from wood. (Find more journeys on blog.worldlifetimejourneys.com) As about the churches, they have the oldest and highest wood towers from Europe and 8 of them are part of the UNESCO World Heritage site. Oas Country from Satu Mare County’s territory is closely in relation to Maramures Country and it’s a place any tourist who comes for its vacation in the area can’t miss.

Tourist attractions and objectives:

Besides these gorgeous tourist attractions and objectives, historical Maramures region will always enchant tourists with other sights such as the ceramic and craft centers from Sacel and Breb, the Happy Cemetery from Sapanta, Barsana and Moisei Monasteries, one of the lasts functional steam trains from the world Mocanita from Viseu de Sus, the numerous ski slopes from Borsa, Cavnic, Mogosa and others, the famous gates and local folk costumes, the resorts from Borsa, Ocna Sugatag or Costiui, Rodnei Mountains National Park, Maramures Mountains National Park, the relaxation and treatment resorts from Puturoasa, Maria’s Valley and Bixad Baths, the ethnographic museum from Negrești-Oas, the Hungarian castles from Satu Mare County, Bixad, Scarișoara Noua, Teghea Monasteries and many others. Visit Maramures region!

Beautiful Bârsana Wood Monastery, Maramures Region