On September 22, 1326, the first written record of Bârsana appears under the name „Terram Zurduky” when, through a diploma, the King of Hungary, Charles Robert, confirms the property rights of the voivode Stanislau, son of Stan. In the 14th century, a monastery is mentioned in the Slatina Valley area known as „La Părul Călugărului” and was relocated in the 18th century to the „Podurile Mănăstirii” area. In 1993, the „Soborul Sfinţilor Apostoli” monastery was built here. It is considered the village with the most woodcarvers in Romania. Attractions: Bârsana Monastery, Wooden Church of Bârsana, 1711 – UNESCO Heritage, Bârsana School Museum, Hermit’s Chapel Nuțu, BârsanArt Sculpture Workshop, „Bârlogul Urşilor” Cave.

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The monastic ensemble was built of wood, following the local tradition, under the direction of architect Cordoș Dorel. It consists of: the specific Maramureș gate, the bell tower, the church (with a height of 57 m), the summer altar, the monks’ cells, the chapel (built on multiple levels), the master’s house, and the artists’ house (workshop). Recently, a museum was built within the monastery. The first documentary attestations referring to Bârsana Monastery date back to 1390, in a document regarding the properties of the voivodal family of Dragoș. The mural painting in the nave depicts scenes from Genesis, while scenes from the Last Judgment are depicted in the narthex. The monastery’s feast day is celebrated on June 30th: „The Assembly of the Holy Twelve Apostles,” the protectors of the monastery.

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The museum is located in the southeast part of the Bârsana Monastery compound, in the immediate vicinity of the bell tower. The architectural concept highlights the specific architectural tradition of historical Maramureș and its integration into the site. The Museum of Icons and Old Books „Bishop Gavril de Bârsana” was built to resemble a traditional Maramureș peasant house, with furniture and carpentry inspired by the local style. The collection of old books and icons was established following the transfer, starting November 1, 1998, of the National Cultural Heritage Deposit from the Sighet Parish to the Bârsana Monastery. The monastery museum has a permanent exhibition of manuscripts and heritage books from the 16th-19th centuries, old icons, and a rich collection of local folk art objects.

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UNESCO Heritage

The old wooden church was built in 1711 in a place called „Părul Călugărului” by the noble priest Ioan Ștefanca to thank God for protection during the previous year’s plague. The church was moved to the Iza Valley around 1739 on the site of a cemetery that appeared after the battle with the Tatars in 1717. The church was moved again when it was brought to the village around 1795 in the middle of a cemetery of victims from the 1742 plague. This church, dedicated to the „Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple,” should not be confused with the new wooden church in the current monastery complex „Bârsana Monastery,” located a few kilometers away, on the site where the church treated here was located approximately between 1739-1795. The mural painting, mostly preserved in the sanctuary and the nave, was executed by Toader Hodor, a painter originally from Vișeu-de-Mijloc. The church was included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

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Toader Bârsan (b. 1944) is already recognized as a true symbol of Maramureș and the country in the art of wood carving. For decades, he has been carving crosses, gates, icons, spoons, and other wonders, such as wooden chains made from a single trunk, with interlocking links, without cuts or gluing, keeping alive the tradition of this ancient craft. The museum is actually a wooden hut where the family’s trophies, photographs, and sculptures of all kinds are displayed. A prominent place is occupied by a photo of the master in Washington, alongside high officials, framed by a superb gate executed on-site. Among Toader Bârsan’s sculptural works are the cross at the National Television in Bucharest or the cross in the center of Timișoara, works at Bârsana Monastery, one of the most visited wooden monasteries in the country.

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Located about 5 km from the center of Bârsana, in Valea Caselor, is one of the smallest religious places in Maramureș, Nuțu’s Chapel. It measures 2.5 by 1.5 meters with a porch of 1 meter, erected in the place now called „La Chiliuță” (hermitage). Nuțu Pop was orphaned along with two brothers and a sister. All of them were mute. Illiterate, he had a „tied tongue.” One night he dreamt about the hillocks and that he had to build a hermitage up on the hill. Since then, he became a „scholar” and wrote his entire life in a notebook, now in the custody of the Greek-Catholic parish of Bârsana. He erected the chapel from wooden planks, lined with clay, and covered with shingles, helped by local people, who entrusted their prayers to the hermit. During communism, he was the only unauthorized monk, not accepted by the Church. He chose to renounce worldly possessions and dedicated his life to prayer. The hermit Nuțu rarely ate, praying fervently, continuously, with outstretched arms and open palms towards heaven; locals considered him a saint, as he had already acquired boundless powers. He lived as a hermit until the age of 78.

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Pupăză’s Spindle, 19 meters tall, sculpted in the workshop of the great master Pătru Godja – Pupăză (1935-2016), from Valea Stejarului, and located in Văleni, on the Dealul Babelor. The scenography on the pedestal is a tribute to the women of the village of Văleni who repelled the Tatar attack over 300 years ago by throwing stones at them, hence the name „Dealul Babelor” (The Hill of Old Womans).

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Construction of the nun monastery with the feast day of „Transfiguration” began in 1991, under the coordination of master Vasile Petrehus, and was founded by the faithful from Botiza, led by priest Isidor Berbecaru. It is a magnificent construction of solid fir wood in the shape of a cross, on a concrete foundation, with a porch adorned with arches and carved in the Maramureș style. At the end of the 19th century, the old wooden church in Botiza was replaced with the current church, brought from Vișeu de Jos, which was built in 1699. This holy place houses a miraculous icon brought from Mount Athos, attracting numerous believers annually.

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The former hunting castle of voivode  Mihai Apafi I was built in 1689. Only the basement and one room of the original building remain, the rest having undergone modifications. Over time, the building was used as a prison and residence for families who owned the salt mines in Coștiui. The entrance to the underground galleries was walled up in 1986 by the caretakers of the castle to prevent accidents, as they were mostly collapsed. Currently, the building houses the „Primary School with Grades I-VIII” from Coștiui, Rona de Sus commune.

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UNESCO Heritage

The Church on the Hill, dedicated to the „Birth of the Virgin Mary,” dates back to the mid-14th century, being considered the oldest wooden church in Romania and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Ioan Mihalyi de Apșa noted it in 1900 among the most beautiful churches in Maramureș. Its value is doubled by a high-quality mural ensemble, the most representative work of the renowned local itinerant painter Alexandru Ponehalschi. In the attic of the church in Ieud, the Ieud Codex or the Ieud Anthology was found in 1921, the oldest Romanian religious book, dating from 1391-92. The original copy is now housed at the Library of the Romanian Academy.

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The ethnographic museum of the Pleș Family in Ieud is located at the base of the hill where one of the oldest wooden churches in Maramureș (1364) is situated. The museum is set up in a former peasant household, in two wooden houses over 200 years old. Here, items of folk costume, various utensils specific to the ethnographic area, as well as typical objects used in Maramureș houses, are presented. It is also known as the Hemp Museum of Ieud because it is arranged as a hemp processing workshop (all work phases from plant to cloth).

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The noble Dunca family originates from Șieu, being one of the oldest, with documentary attestation from 1349. The house has been restored and arranged as a local museum which, in addition to ethnographic objects, one room also presents local history with a focus on the resistance against the Soviet occupier, socialization with all its effects. At the entrance to the courtyard of the house, through the care of AFDPR, a monument cross carved in wood has been installed in memory of the heroes. Source

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The monument depicts the founder of Moldova, voivode Bogdan on horseback, surrounded by five noblemen, a work made of bronze (22 tons) and bearing the signature of sculptor Ioan Marchiș (currently director of the Maramureș County Directorate for Cults and Patrimony). „The statue should be equestrian, non-equestrian, visible up to Budapest” – Vasile Deac Moșu’. Vasile Deac, former mayor of the commune Cuhea (now Bogdan Vodă), wanted to leave an impressive monument as a legacy to future generations representing the illustrious ancestor, voivode founder of the country, Bogdan Vodă from Cuhea. Following discussions with the most in-vogue sculptor, Vida Gheza, he created, in 1979, a project, in poplar wood, representing the legendary voivode seated on a princely throne. Vasile Deac realized that he actually wanted an equestrian statue. In 1985, Vasile Deac Moșu’ went to the capital, dressed in traditional costume and „with his hat in hand”, to ask the communist authorities for money for the statue. The project was rejected, but the Maramureș man did not return empty-handed, but with money for the realization of a… dinosaur made of plaster, which he „intended to donate to a museum.” The „skeleton” was built, the plaster was poured, but the Revolution of 1989 came. Moșu resumed „negotiations” with Ioan Marchiș, who had meanwhile become one of the most renowned sculptors in the area, and in 2008, the statue complex was finally inaugurated.

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In 1985, Vasile Deac Moșu’, the mayor of Bogdan Vodă, who wanted an equestrian statue of voivode Bogdan I in the locality, returned with funds for the creation of a dinosaur to be donated to the Antipa Museum in Bucharest. And, from what remained, to erect the equestrian statue. Bust, horse, and dinosaur were made of plaster and cement, but the project was abandoned. The horse and dinosaur are still found in the locality of Bogdan Vodă, on the banks of the Iza River, fenced in the courtyard of a construction company, absolutely unbelievable in that place laden with history and centuries-old traditions. Their condition is deplorable, the giant statues being made before 1989, and on either side of the horse, the legs of what should have been a rider can be seen. The bust of Bogdan Vodă went to Borșa, being sold immediately after the Revolution to a businessman who placed it on his property, in the garden of the Perla Maramureșului guesthouse in Borșa.

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It is the only museum in the country dedicated to the Romanian peasant. The museum opened its doors to visitors in 2001, at the initiative of the folklore collector and writer Nicoară Timiș, a relative of the house’s host. The house where this museum is located was built in 1720-1721, being the oldest wooden construction in the entire Iza Valley.

Address: 1 Decembrie Street, No. 103, Dragomirești Village
Monday to Saturday: 09:00 – 19:00; Sunday: 11:00 – 19:00

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Dating back over 100 years, Mecleș Mill in Săcel is a true living museum of traditional techniques preserved in the Maramureș village. Being the third generation, Dănilă Mecleș remains the last miller in the village, just as the mill is considered to be the last functional mill on the Iza River and the oldest in Romania. Besides the mill, the waters of the Iza River, diverted through a wooden trough, also power a wool processing machine and a waterwheel that churns out rugs, blankets, and fabrics.

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Vasile Șușca has made the commune of Săcel famous due to the masks he has been creating for about 20 years. He learned the technique of making masks from his father, who was involved in making leather coats. His masks „try to transform what is feared into something with a human face.” The main piece is the „obrăzar,” a piece of black or gray woolen material, then he outlines the eyes and nose with white fluff and stitches the mouth with red material, sewing few, crooked teeth (because his masks are of old men) and adding features like horns, ears, beards, eyebrows, each adding a significant element to differentiate them from others. Vasile Șușca „filled the world with sheepskin devils.” He has made thousands of popular masks, participated in exhibitions, fairs, and shows, appeared in newspapers, his works are exhibited in museums all over the world, as well as in private collections. He has become known abroad, and together with him, Maramureș became known.

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The renowned potter from Săcel, Tănase Cocean (1925-2006), and currently his son, have preserved unchanged for 13 generations the craft of the pottery technique from the times of the Dacians. Both in the form of creating unglazed red pottery vessels and in the technique, through red firing, stone polishing, and painting. Many of the vessels made by Tănase have been acquired by museums, and he has participated in numerous festivals, where he received numerous prestigious awards for preserving and promoting the craft of Dacian pottery from Săcel. The workshop’s basement houses the over five centuries old oven, carved from river stone and covered in a mixture of earth and dung, in which clay pots and decorative objects are fired. The workshop offers visitors a wide range of unglazed ceramics for purchase, which can be used both decoratively and for the unsuspected therapeutic benefits of their use in gastronomy.

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Address: 24 Libertății Street, Vișeu de Sus

„The documentary-exhibition center of the Romanian Maramureș nobility,” a unique museum in Romania, created by the „Ion and Livia Piso Foundation,” was inaugurated in 2014 and offers visitors a clear and suggestive image of the history and glorious past of medieval Maramureș, just by looking at the macro-sized family trees, together with the exhibited maps and noble diplomas. In the Aula Magna hall (over 100 sqm), there is an immense map of Historical Maramureș, flanked by two fresco paintings representing Dragoș Vodă’s battle with the Tatars and their expulsion from Moldova, the other battle of Baia Moldovei (1467), between the army led by Ștefan cel Mare (the great-great-grandson of Bogdan Vodă) and the army of the Kingdom of Hungary led by Matia Corvin, both made according to the sketches of Livia Piso, the daughter of the renowned Maramureș historian Alexandru Filipașcu. Also in the Aula Magna, as well as in the Library, macro-sized family trees are exhibited, depicting the largest and most existing Romanian noble families from Maramureș, some exceeding 10 sqm in size.

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Address: 7 Libertății Street, Vișeu de Sus

The museum presents a synthesis of the material and spiritual culture of the locality and the southeastern area of historical Maramureș. It is an area of ​​particular interest and richness in cultural, ethnographic, and historical values, creations of a multi-ethnic community, where Romanians, Germans, Hungarians, and Ukrainians live. The museum collection includes over 1100 pieces, of which almost 800 are structured in the history and ethnography sections as follows: archaeological pieces, folk art, traditional tools, old books, icons on glass.

Opening hours: Monday – Friday, 09-16 | Website

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The Mocănița from Vișeu de Sus is the last narrow-gauge forest railway in Europe, classified as a historical monument. It operates with steam locomotives, fueled with wood and coal, which are still used for transporting wood, but also for tourism purposes. The construction of the forest railway on the Vaser Valley began in 1932, the narrow gauge was necessary to allow the railway to follow the winding path of the river. In 1961, after the completion of all the railway works, the Vișeu de Sus C.F.F. network totaled a total length of 79 km, of which the main line was 46 km long.
Sights: The hospital carved in rock, from World War I in Novicior; The mineral water source from Șuligu; The Elisabeta Chapel in Făina; The German military cemetery in Miraj.

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Over a distance of about 50 km, the Vișeu Forest Railway, on the Vaser Valley, offers tourists an absolutely picturesque and wild spectacle. Places with steep banks starting right next to the railway line, ancient forests, the imposing peaks of the Maramureș Mountains, tunnels passing through massive rocks. The construction of the forest railway began in 1932, and the narrow gauge, 760mm, was built in this way to allow the railway to follow the winding path of the Vaser River. The railway, exploited both for forestry and tourism, is classified as a historical monument.

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A Roman Catholic chapel built at the beginning of the 20th century in memory of the deceased Queen Elisabeth of Hungary. However, inside is the portrait of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, wife of Franz Joseph, known as Sissi. Around the small wooden church were the graves of four Austrian soldiers who fell in the Vaser Valley during World War I. „Făina is a treasury colony – made up of the homes of foresters, damkeepers, and blacksmiths, as well as a hotel located in a charming building of the treasury. Here is also the chapel of Elisabeth, erected in memory of the deceased Hungarian queen Elisabeth, the founding of which is largely owed to Kostenszky Bela, the former forester of the treasury in this area.” Source: Vaser Valley – „Switzerland of Maramureș”, by Vasile Man, 1906.

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During World War I, the Vaser Valley witnessed bloody battles between German troops made up of mountain hunter battalions, led by General Richard von Conta, and the Russian army under the command of Marshal Aleksei Brusilov. On July 25, 1917, the German troops completed a mausoleum dedicated to the heroes, which would stand until 1929 when it was partially destroyed and then abandoned following a flood. The cemetery was rebuilt, in a new form, in 2011, on which occasion the authorities erected crosses and established that every year, on July 25, a memorial service would be held in honor of those who lost their lives in the two World Wars in the Vaser Valley.

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A museum collection dedicated to Hutsul culture. The Hutsuls are an ethnic subgroup of the Ukrainian community living in Bukovina, Maramureș, Transcarpathia, and Pokutia. In Maramureș, the Hutsuls live in the communes of Bistra, Poienile de sub Munte, Repedea, Rona de Sus, Ruscova, and Vișeu de Sus.
Note: The axe was worn at weddings and festive occasions. But not everyone had the right to wear an axe. This right was especially granted to those who demonstrated acts of bravery. During the Austro-Hungarian regime, the Hutsuls paid 5 crowns for the right to wear an axe (toporek or kelf), which was a distinctive sign, a national weapon. The poor, not having the right to the axe, carried a simple hatchet.

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The Maramureș Mountains Natural Park is the largest natural park in Romania, covering an area of 148,850 hectares and includes the most representative peaks: Farcău (1957 m), the highest in the Maramureș Mountains, Pop Ivan (1937 m), Mihăiescu (1918 m), Toroiaga (1930), Pietrosu Bărdău (1850 m), Jupania (1853 m), Cearcănu (1846 m), and Fântâna Stanchii (1726 m). Farcău Peak – Lake Vinderel – Mihăilecu Peak constitutes a protected area in the northern part of the village Poienile de sub Munte, formed by the meadows and lakes area: Lake Vinderel, framed by the two peaks – Farcău Peak 1,957 m and Mihăilecu 1918 m, with a glacial relief (Julii Pit, Lupilor Pit, Bologhii Pit, Farcău).

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A historical monument, the Nistoriștilor Wooden Church, dedicated to „St. Nicholas,” sits on a hill with a superb panorama overlooking the locality.
Address: 39 Ion Iuga Street, Săliștea de Sus, Maramureș.

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The cross is a monumental steel construction, 18.5 meters high, located on Grui Hill, with access from Rătițaua Street. There are certainly other access routes to the hill.

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Moisei Monastery, dedicated to the „Dormition of the Mother of God” (August 15), is situated on a sunny plateau above the village of Moisei, at the foot of Pietrosu Rodnei Mountain. The village of Moisei was part of the domain of Bogdan, voivode of Maramureș, founder of Moldavia and the Mușatin dynasty. In the sixteenth century, a modest hermitage was established, which evolved into Moisei Monastery, and in 1599, the monks here erected the old church, which still stands today. To protect the monastery from foreign influences or takeover by other cults, the monks placed it under the protection of the powerful monastery of Saint Stephen the Great at Putna, as its metochion for almost 100 years.
The main church was built in 1911 by the Greek-Catholic Eparchy of Cluj-Gherla. In 1948, with the banning of the Greek-Catholic Church, the place of worship was confiscated by the communist authorities and given to the Romanian Orthodox Church. The entrance gate and the stone wall surrounding the compound were built in 2008-2011. The summer altar, built in the Maramureș style, serves for joint services during feasts when the monastery courtyard becomes too small for the tens of thousands of faithful.

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In memory of those killed by the Horthy troops, sculptor Vida Geza erected in 1966 an ensemble of 12 wooden figures, 10 of which represent traditional Maramureș masks and the other 2 represent human faces. Due to the humid climate in the area, the wood deteriorated and began to crack, so the artist rebuilt the monument in stone. The monument is complemented by a commemorative plaque inscribed with the text: „This monument was erected in memory of the 29 Romanian patriots brutally killed by Horthyists on October 14, 1944. Glory and eternal gratitude to the patriots who sacrificed themselves for the freedom of Romania.” To reach the monument located on a hill, one must climb 44 steps, a number symbolizing the year of one of the most violent anti-Romanian massacres.

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Inaugurated in 1983, it illustrates the sad episode that took place in Moisei when, on October 14, 1944, in this house, Horthyists assassinated 29 Romanian patriots. This tragic episode in Moisei is presented to visitors through documents, photographs, and personal belongings that belonged to the victims. The Moisei massacre was committed in two houses on the outskirts of this locality, on the main road leading to Borșa. Later, 31 victims were identified, including two survivors. Of the 31 victims, 24 were from Mureș County, 3 from Cluj County, and 4 from Maramureș County. In their memory, the Monument to the Heroes of Moisei was created, which includes 12 stone figures – 2 human faces and 10 traditional Maramureș masks, the work of Maramureș sculptor Vida Gheza.

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The name comes from the bluish-green hue of the karstic spring, one of the headwaters of the Iza River. It’s a natural reserve established long ago, back in 1977, included in the Rodna Mountains National Park.

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Borșa is the third urban center in the county in terms of demographics, after the cities of Baia Mare and Sighetu Marmației. To the south, the city’s border is bounded by the peaks of the Rodna Mountains, with Pietrosul Rodnei Peak (2303 m altitude, the highest in the Eastern Carpathians). The town of Borșa is known for mining or logging, but also for the development of alpine tourism. The first documentary mention of the locality dates back to 1353 when it was part of the Cuhea domain belonging to the Bogdănești family. In 1365, the King of Hungary, Louis I, confiscated the Bogdănești domain (including Borșa, under the name Borș) and gave it to the Drăgoșești family. In the 1940s, preparations were underway in Borșa for organizing the 1948 Winter Olympics, when approximately the equivalent of 100 million euros today was invested. Due to the fact that the Eastern Front during World War II moved to the Prislop Pass, work was interrupted, and competitions were not resumed after 1945, so the organization of the 1948 Winter Olympics remained just a dream.

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It is located at the base of the Rodnei Mountains and near the Prislop Pass. The town of Borșa is known for mining or logging, but also for the development of alpine tourism. The Pietrosul Rodnei natural reserve is located near the town. The Borșa resort has ski slopes with a vertical drop of 1000 m, cross-country ski trails of 4 – 6 km, as well as two ski jumps over 80 m, one being the highest natural ski jump in Europe. The main slope is equipped with a chairlift and a T-bar lift, is 1920 m long, and has a vertical drop of 497 m.

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The Heroes’ Monument is a complex of three obelisks located near the old military hospital in the Gara neighborhood, on Eroilor Street in Borșa. Having a general structure of a semicircle framing a large pyramid and two smaller pyramids, the placement of the building was influenced by the Medical Sanatorium in Gara, where the wounded from the battlefields were treated. Those who did not survive were buried at the foot of where the monumental complex now stands. The date April 24, 1918, is the only information inscribed on one of the two graves closest to the monument. In that place, 152 heroes who died in military operations in the Rodna Mountains and Maramureș Mountains were buried during World War I.

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Adress: Victoriei Street 62, Borșa

In 1985, Vasile Deac Moșu’, the mayor of Bogdan the Founder, who wanted an equestrian statue of voivode Bogdan I in the locality, returned with funds for the realization of a dinosaur to be donated to the Antipa Museum in Bucharest. And, from what remains, to erect the equestrian statue. The bust, the horse, and the dinosaur were made of plaster and cement, but the project was abandoned. The horse and the dinosaur can still be found in Bogdan the Founder, on the banks of the Iza River.
The bust made its way to Borșa, being sold immediately after the Revolution to a businessman who placed it on his property, in the garden of the Perla Maramureșului guesthouse in Borșa. After 2007, he sold part of the land, so, currently, the bust of Bogdan the Founder is located in a place called Vodă’s Stop, where it was restored in 2020 by Siszer Emeric, as inscribed on its pedestal. It weighs around 5 tons, is placed on a circular pedestal of 1.70 meters, and it measures about 2.5 meters in height.

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Adress: Gîrlei Street 80, Borșa

Located in a splendid natural setting, at the foot of Pietrosul in the Rodnei Mountains, the monastery dedicated to the „Beheading of St. John the Baptist” serves as both a place of worship and prayer for believers and pilgrims, and a spiritual stopover for tourists passing through the area. In 2007, the foundation stone of the hermitage was laid by Archbishop Iustinian Chira of Maramureș and Satmar, surrounded by a multitude of priests and faithful. The monastic complex includes the wooden church designed in the Maramureș style, the two-level monks’ quarters, two workshops—one for painting and one for tailoring—and a trout farm.

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For over 40 years, Ștefan Grec has been collecting tree roots with peculiar shapes, to which he gives names, and exhibits them in his house in Prislop Pass—the Roots Museum, at 32 km from Borșa. Which gathers over a hundred exhibits, each more bizarre than the other. Ștefan Grec claims he hasn’t altered anything about the roots he collected in the forest and then added to his unique collection. „Nature sometimes gives us real life lessons. We just have to learn to understand them.” Labels attached to each root bear names like „Dracula,” „Coiled Snake,” „Jirinovski,” „Forest Brain,” „Beast from the Depths,” „Fountain’s Balance,” „Phoenix Bird,” „Mother of the Forest,” „Bread of Life,” among others.

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Pietrosu Peak is the highest in the Rodnei Mountains, at 2,303 meters, and also the highest peak in the Eastern Carpathians.
Trail: marked with a blue stripe on a white background, starting from Borșa, Avram Iancu Street, up to the weather station, approximately 4-5 hours, ascending. From the weather station to Pietrosu Peak, the trail continues with the same marking, for another 1:30 hours.
Attractions in the area: glacial cirques (Buhăescu, Zănoaga Iezerului, Zănoaga Mare, Zănoaga Mica) and glacial lakes (Iezerul Pietrosului, Buhăescu I, II, III, and IV) ranging in size from 3500 m² to 700 m² and depths from 0.30 m to 5.20 m.

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A glacial lake shaped like the map of Romania, located beneath Pietrosu Peak at an altitude of 1,825 meters.
It covers an area of 34.5 square meters, has a maximum depth of 2.5 meters, and a length of 84 meters.
It is part of the „Pietrosu Mare” natural reserve.
Near the lake is the „Pietrosu” weather station, where camping is possible.

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Under Buhăescu Mare Peak in the Rodnei Mountains, there are four glacial lakes called Buhăescu located at different altitudes.
Buhăescu I Lake, at an altitude of 1905 meters;
Buhăescu II Lake, at an altitude of 1890 meters, with a depth of 5.2 meters, is the deepest glacial lake in the Rodnei Mountains;
Buhăescu III Lake, at an altitude of 1820 meters;
Buhăescu IV Lake, at an altitude of 1850 meters.
These are part of the „Pietrosu Mare” natural reserve, which includes the most impressive glacial relief in the Rodnei Mountains (Zănoaga Iezerului, Zănoaga Mare, Zănoaga Mică, Rebra, Gropi, Buhăescu), with moraines and waterfalls on the polished rock thresholds left by glaciers.

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Located at an altitude of 1640 meters, near Cailor Waterfall, on Piatra Rea Mountain, which belongs to the Rodnei National Park. The route from Borşa Chairlift – Cailor Waterfall – Știol Saddle is ascensional and difficult. If you follow the trail towards Știol Lake, halfway through, you will descend towards Cailor Waterfall on the red triangle trail, which is easier.
The Bad Rock (Piatra Rea) mountain belonged in the 19th century to the Anderco de Homorod Family, one of the distinguished families of historical Maramureș. Alexiu Anderco (1821-1884), Greek-Catholic parish priest in Borşa and archpriest of Vişeu, was a church and school founder. Being a learned spirit, he fought mainly for the rights of Romanians during the Austro-Hungarian dualism. In the 1870s, he made a monographic sketch of the Borşa locality, a fragment of which appeared in Iosif Vulcan’s „Familia” in 1870. He married Ana Mihalyi de Apșa, a descendant of one of the renowned families of Maramureș, a first cousin of Gravrilă Mihalyi, the father of the historian and academician Ioan Mihalyi de Apșa.

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The Horse Waterfall (Cascada Cailor) is located at an altitude of 1300 meters, and the waterfall is 90 meters high. The water collected in a glacial cirque flows over a limestone cliff called „Podul Cailor” (Horses’ Bridge), in several steps, resulting in the largest waterfall in Romania.
The waterfall is accessible from several directions, from Borșa-Complex with the chairlift, or on foot, or from the higher areas of the Rodnei Mountains.

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Located at an altitude of 1413 meters, it is the highest pass in Romania connecting Maramureș with Bucovina, with a length of 50 km, the northern part being steep, while the pass continues southward with a gentle slope. The road crossing the pass, DN 18, connects the localities of Vișeu, Moisei, Borșa, in Maramureș with Câmpulung Moldovenesc, in Suceava County. In winter, due to the altitude, the pass is snow-covered, but in summer, it offers a wonderful view of the Bucovina Hills or the Rodnei Mountains with the peaks Ineu and Pietrosu. The folk festival „Hora de la Prislop” takes place here.

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Between Ineu Peak (the second highest peak in the Rodnei Mountains, 2279 m) and Inăuț Peak (2222 m) lies the largest glacial lake in the Rodnei Mountains, Lacul Lala Mare. Located at an altitude of 1815 m, with an area of 0.6 hectares and a depth of 2.10 m, it is considered one of the most picturesque glacial lakes in the Eastern Carpathians. It is fed by the Lala River, which springs from Lacul Lala Mică, located at the foot of Ineu Peak, with a maximum depth of 0.4 m. The portion with the two glacial lakes is also known as the „Căldarea Lala”. Camping is allowed only on the shore of Lacul Lala Mică. Here, under exceptional atmospheric conditions, you can witness one of the most spectacular meteorological phenomena that can occur at the top of a mountain, in the opposite direction of the sun, with a background projection of a cloud with water vapor or fog, called the „Gloria” phenomenon or the „Brocken” specter.

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The Știol glaciar lake is located in the Rodnei Mountains, at an altitude of 1850 meters, on the border between Maramureș and Bistrița-Năsăud counties, from which the Bistrița Aurie River originates.
From the Borşa Resort, from the terminus of the Runc-Știol Chairlift, the trail indicates a 1:30-hour hike through enchanting landscapes, on a gently marked trail with a blue stripe, to the foot of Gârgălău Peak (2159 m), where the lake is located.

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Located at the foot of the Călimani Mountains, Colibița Reservoir has become famous in recent years due to the phrase „The Sea from the Mountains,” which aimed to offer a more accessible alternative to those in the region. However, reality differs because of the private properties that have taken over the surroundings of the lake, leaving no space for strolling to reach its shore. Access is only possible through the private areas of several resorts, which offer accommodation options. The reservoir covers an area of 270 hectares, with a length of 13 km and a water volume of 65 million cubic meters, located at an altitude of 900 meters.
The History of Colibița Reservoir. In 1979, the communist authorities decided to relocate the Colibița village to the surrounding hills (more precisely, to the Mița locality), to allow for the construction of a reservoir. Although officials claimed that the entire village was relocated, some of the former villagers say that the former houses and the village church still exist under the waters, with the steeple still visible when the water levels drop.

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