Travel to Transylvania and discover the archaic way of life from Maramures!

Transylvania is the most well known part of Romania. Travelers come to Transylvania to "find Dracula", which is fine 😁 , but we tell you that Transylvania is much more than Dracula.

The northern part of Transylvania is called Maramures which is the most "back in time" part of Romania. Locals of Maramures are very conservative and cherish their traditions. A trip to Maramures is a great opportunity to meet the locals and learn about their way of life. We will take you off the beaten path to meet a lovely family in a village from Maramures. They still have an old installation  triggered by the force of the water.

The peasant installation owned by this lovely family uses in an ingenious way the force of the water coming down from the mountains and a local resource: sheep wool. Of course, wood is another local resource of Maramures. The carding machine, the whirlpool and the fulling mill are put in action by the water coming down from the mountains. This local family earns their existence using these machineries which you can only see at the Village Museum. We take you to see the real action!

The Whirlpool is an old traditional installation which uses the force of the water coming down from the mountains. It is used to wash and thicken the large pieces of fabric, rugs or carpets. It is an ancient washing machine. The whirlpool has wooden planks displayed in a cone shape and fastened together with wattle. The locals bring their carpets and rugs to be washed. Water, guided through gutters flows with force from a pool situated at a height and, once in the whirlpool, spins forever, battering the fabric. After it is cleaned, the rugs and carpets are taken out from the whirlpool with a wooden stick and laid on beams to dry.
 

Visit Traditional Maramures


Of course, a distillery cannot be absent from a peasant household in Maramures!

The copper boilers, which are handmade by gypsies, are fantastic examples of traditional metallurgy. The distillers are placed above fireplaces in which the wooden fire hits the fermented fruit - plumb, apples, pears - to boiling temperature. The ensuing vapours are caught and led to a cooler tank where they turn into liquid of 25-30% alcohol. The local experts are not satisfied yet. They double distill until it gets to 50-52% alcohol. This is a huge tradition in Maramures, it is a way of living. It is a fantastic experience in Maramures to see brandy making. You have the chance to meet the locals and learn about their way of life. A top attraction of Maramures!

Another ingenious machinery is the fulling mill. It is set in motion by the force of the water. There is a vertical big  wooden wheel acted by the water. The rotation movement is translated through an axe which, through the system of wooden wedges, lifts the heavy oaken hammers successively. Through the force generated by the free falling and their own weight, the hammers beat rhythmically the loom-woven cloth placed beneath them. Carefully moistened with hot water and beaten for two days, the soft cloth will be thickened and readied to become winter clothing: gubar (hairy woollen coats, which make the locals to look like polar bears), cioareci (warm felted trousers) and pieptare (fur-lined vests). Without the fulling mills, these pieces of traditional attire would not be possible to make. With us you have the chance to see these traditional installations in action. This is a MUST on a "what to do in Maramures" list.

Many generations of this family earned their existence by using this installation. The only moment when they were not allowed to use it was during communism. After WW2 when communist grabbed Romania with the support of the soviets, any private enterprise was forbidden. The family didn't want to shut down the installation and, because of this, the head of the family was arrested and sent for three years in a political prison in Sighet. Now, the installation is in full use and provides good earnings for the family.

Come with us on a Private Guided Tour in Transylvania and discover Maramures!