This time I’d
like to write about a peculiar trip to Maramures, Romania where I have been
planning to travel for a while. In the middle of July I could join to an
enthusiastic group of 35 retired people and the adventure started.
This was
not my first trip to Romania. The first time I travelled there was in 1991.
Then I decided not to go back again. Never-ever…What we found there in those
times were bad roads, poverty, begging children and adults in the main square
of Cluj Napoca. It was such a shocking experience what I didn’t want to be
absorbed in.
In 2003 I
got a second chance. To participate on a 5-day PHARE CBC programme in
Timisoara. I was not absolutely happy about the idea. It was at the end of May,
the school year was not over yet, I had more than 70 pupils who were before
their maturity exams and I had a lot of work to do. But my boss, who gave me
the opportunity, encouraged me to go. Finally I went there and a new chapter of
my life has started. I have found a vivid, multicultural city with interesting,
joyful people, full of energy. Timisoara and those people I met there became
the base of my stepped recognition of the country, curiosity towards other
towns, its culture, the landscape and nature. Since then I went back many times
as a tourist and after a while as a tour guide as well.
The next
step of this recognition was a trip to Satu Mare and Maramures, to the North Western
region of the country, close to the Ukrainian border.
This journey was extraordinary from two
aspects. The one is the destination. A
great book (Transylvania – A Land Beyond Fiction And Myth, Kelet-Nyugat ) says
that
‘ Maramures
is one of the last places in Europe where a thriving folk culture has survived:
people dress in lavishly colourful folk costumes and you can still see many charming,
century-old wooden houses.’
The book
was right we got what it promised, even more.
The first
day we had classical cultural programme. The 1st stop was Carei
(Nagykároly), at the Károlyi Castle.
Carei is
not part of Maramures but Satu Mare.
The Károlyi
family, whose impressive castle we visited, was one of the most influential
noble family in the Hungarian Kingdom after the Rákóczi uprising.
The castle originally
built at the end of the 15th century, it was remodelled in
Neo-Gothic style by the plans of the famous theatre architects Fellner and
Helmer at the end of the 19th century.
Thanks for
an EU supported project, the building is in a great shape, even the riding
hall.
The rooms
are approximately rich of exhibits. Nice furniture, tile stoves, paintings, valuable
wall carpets can be seen there.
There is a
wax museum, animating famous figures of the history. Gáspár Károli, who was
born in the town, Eliezer Fisch, the miraculous Hassid rabbi,
Hungarian nobles
and the Romanian royal couple, I. Ferdinand
and his wife, the legendary queen Mary who reigned in Romania from 1914-27.
The castle
has a beautiful park as well.
There is no
entrance fee except we would like to visit the chapel too which is worth to do.
The next stop
was Coltau (Koltó in Hungarian) where Petőfi, the legendary poet of the
Hungarian Romanticism and Hungarian Revolution and War of Independence spent
his honeymoon with his wife, Júlia Szendrey.
The Teleky Castle
- which gives home of a commemorating exhibition - is in bad shape.
The local guide,
a nice lady shew us around and told stories about the remote time. For this
service we had to call the number which can be found on the gate and she arrived
within 10 minutes.
Her guiding
was enthusiastic but the place, its atmosphere was a disappointment for
me.
The next
stop was Baia Mare (Nagybánya). We can
call it the town of contradictions. On one hand it is one of the most polluted
cities of Romania,
on the
other hand the old town has many architectural reminders of medieval times, its
mineral exhibitions is the most extensive
of its kind in Romania
and the
Baia Mare school of painting is one of the most influential on Hungarian fine
art.
We had just
one and half an hour to look around on the old square which is enough for a
skin-deep impression but not for more.
The oldest building is Casa Elisabeta which was built by János Hunyadi
who defeated the Ottoman Turks at Beograd. The house was under renovation in
July.
Thanks for
many paintings one of the most well-known church is the Calvinist church here,
its tower which is called “gapy” tower. Check it in the photo.
The Golden
Eagle Inn, Saint Stephen’s Tower, Holy Trinity Cathedral would also have
deserved more attention. Maybe next time I can do it.
The next
morning/early afternoon was for hiking. From Cavnic, where our accommodation was, Cascada
Cailor (Horse-waterfall) in Rodna
Mountains was pretty far, nearly 100 km,
but it was
worth to travel there.
There is a
legend behind the waterfall’s name which can be read in English here:
On the way
there, at Dragomiresti we could experience the 1st time that the
promise of the travel book ‘ …a thriving folk culture has survived: people
dress in lavishly colourful folk costumes’ is not just a promise. Girls, boys,
women and men walked in long lines at the edge of the road, wearing their
traditional folk costumes. All the girls and women had head scarves on their
head, wore white blouses decorated with lots of laces and knee-length skirts.
Even the elderly women’s skirt was not longer than knee-length. Two things
enslaved me: the beauty of their faces and the vision of rolling skirts.
In the
afternoon we visited an important centre of Maramures religious life, Barsana
and its monastery.
The village is located in Iza river valley and
famous for the wooden church and a Monastic Complex. The official website of
the monastery contains many photos, even youtube links, showing its beauty and
introducing some religious events there.
Even those
who are not interested in any religions the masterpieces of carving and
timber-work we can see there can be an unforgettable experience. The photos are
the proof.
There is an
exhibition there where we can look at and buy beautiful wool carpets and
haversacks. The prices are for mainly western tourists.
The
‘finale’ of the day was that traditional soup ‘ciorba da burta’ (a soup made of
tripe) what was cooked and served by our host. It was absolutely delicious. If
you are interested in how it is cooked, follow the next video:
In the next
entry I’m going to write about the “Merry Cemetery” in Sapanta, also will share
some info about a rich, open air museum located in Sighetu Marmatiei where my
guide was a Romanian guy from Canada who spoke some Hungarian. I will tell you
the story of Lajos bácsi who was born in Aknaslatina, Ukraine during the 2nd
World War, there will be some information about Gutai mountains and it will be
obvious that we don’t have to travel to the sea to find salty water for
floating on it. And how could I forget about Baby, our host's wife, who is an innkeeper and painter as well, and with whome it was great chatting about life and go hiking.
See you next time!
