Our next destination will be SIGHETUL MARMATIEI, the major town of Historical Maramures first documented in 1326, and situated where the Tisa and Iza rivers meet. Sighet (as it is locally known) has various tourist sights, but definitely the most important is the town's former maximum-security communist prison. Open today as a museum, it is named: "The Memorial of the victims of communism and of the resistance". After the Soviet Communist conquested the country, one of their main targets was to destroy the Romanian political structure. To do that, they organized fake trials upon which the Romanian democratic leaders were imprisoned. Between 1948 and 1952 about 180 members of Romania's academic and political elite were imprisoned in Sighet. The museum, set up in 1993, was nominated by the Council of Europe in October 1998, as one of three important places to symbolize the significance of Europe's 20th Century history. The last tourist spot for the day will be SAPINTA, 12 km north-west of Sighet, and just 4 km south of the Ukrainian border.
The local wooden sculpting technique and the strongly held Orthodox beliefs are illustrated in the church cemetery, better known as SAPINTA'S MERRY CEMETERY. It was the creation of Ioan Stan Patras, a simple wood sculptor, who in 1935 started to carve crosses to mark graves, painting them blue, the traditional color of hope and freedom. Even more interesting, he inscribed a witty epitaph to the deceased on top of each cross, telling a different story about the person's life or death. Close to the cemetery is a recently completed wooden church. With its height of 74 meters, the church in Sapinta is not only the tallest in the world, but will also soon become a very popular tourist spot.
After a long day, we'll finally go for a traditional Romanian dinner and stay over in a local guest house in Birsana.
2nd day: Barsana - Rozavlea - Botiza - Poienile Izei - Ieud - Bogdan Voda - Dragomiresti - Nasaud Hostel* - Retro Hostel Cluj

Although the first inhabited traces come from the Iron Age, BIRSANA is a traditional Maramures village, located on Iza valley. After breakfast we'll visit the local wooden church and the monastery, a very popular pilgrimage spot in Maramures. It was the last Orthodox monastery built in the region before Serafim Petrovai - head of the Orthodox church in Maramures, converted to Greco-Catholicism in 1711. Due its extraordinary position and architectural style, the church is also listed by UNESCO.
Continuing along the Iza river Valley, we'll stop to visit the wooden churches in STRAMTURA and ROZAVLEA. Rozavlea was dedicated to the archangels Michael and Gabriel, and was erected in 1717 on the site of an ancient church destroyed by the Tartars. South from here, the village of BOTIZA is on our way with it's old church built in 1694; near to it is a new one that was built in 1974, and is big enough to shelter more than 500 families.
From Botiza, a track leads west to POIENILE IZEI, home to the most dramatic frescoes of hell in the entire area. The church here was built in 1604 and the interior frescoes date from 1783. They depict hell, symbolized by a ferocious bird waiting to swallow up the sinners.
The oldest wooden church in Maramures, dating back to 1364 is in IEUD, and is also named as "The Church on the hill". Made from fir wood, built on the castle ruins, the church hosts extraordinary interior frescos, also having been recently renewed. Ieud's second church, Greco-Catholic, was built in 1717. The church is unique to the region as it has no porch. Located at the southern end of the village, it houses one of the largest collections of icons on glass found in Maramures.
Just to the south is BOGDAN VODA village - the wooden church dating from 1718 is considered to be a historical monument. The unique architecture, interior paintings on canvas applied to wood, the chandelier carved into wood, and a bell from 1801, are just a few of the great things to be seen at this church. This village preserves the traces of the ancient court of voivode Bogdan, who crossed the mountains in the mid 14th century and gave independence to Moldova.
South of the valley is the village of DRAGOMIRESTI, first documented in 1405; a traditional art museum dedicated to the countryside women from Maramures has recently opened. Apart from seeing and buying hand crafts, you'll have the opportunity to get dressed for photos in the unique Maramures costumes.
From here we'll say good bye to Maramures, heading south from Sacel along Salauta river Valley. 55 km from Dragomiresti we'll get to NASAUD city for another Romanian traditional lunch in US-THE LOCALS HOSTEL. The Nasaud region is well known for its the year-long folk traditions.

* Here you might choose from the following alternatives :
- returning back to Cluj with us
- spending more time in the local hostel (they also provide some very nice guided tours)
- take the train to Moldova region (Southern Bucovina).


THE PACKAGE INCLUDES :
1. Transportation Cluj - Maramures region - Cluj
2. Complete guide services
3. Meals on the way
4. Overnight staying in Birsana
5. Entrance for all the tourist sights

PRICE :
- from 77 EUROS/person
- from 59 EUROS/person (entrances & meals not included)