Maramures, a beautiful region of Romania, in the north of the country. Maramures is home to many old traditions and craftsmen. The craftsmen in Maramures are very well known not only there but in Bucharest, their work being displayed in the Village Museum for example.
But what kind of craftsmen can you see in Maramures? For instance people who make wooden gates. Maramures is famous for the wooden gates, with impressive carvings that display floral motifs, the sun (which is the symbol of life), and other ancient beliefs. Such craftsmen can be found in beautiful tucked away villages. How to find the craftsmen? Since many of them are very old and they do not stay in touch with technology much, one can just go there and ask the locals; in the village everybody knows everybody.
There are also craftsmen who make the famous Maramures hats, called ,,clop”. Such people can be found around Breb village but not only.
There are some nice ladies in Maramures who sew traditional shirts, very colorful. Also, there are old people who make special pants for men, and vests, and woolen clothes and socks, that they proudly sell everywhere.
Nature has been very generous to Maramures and so the area benefits from beautiful landscapes, with mountains, lots of forests, lakes, natural reservations, orchards. Speaking of orchards, there are a lot of plum trees and apple trees in Maramures.
From the fruits, people will make in their distilleries at home, the famous brandy called palinca.
There are also old people whom you can see outside their houses, knitting or spinning wool, on a beautiful day. They have stories to tell.
Once in Maramures, besides the craftsmen and nature, one should also visit the famous Merry Cemetery and also the wooden churches.