Not only in Maramures and Transylvania, but also in Bukovina, there is a "Mocanita" (pronounced: Mokaniza). The word Mocanita describes, in a narrower sense, a narrow-gauge railway operated by steam-powered locomotives.

Bukovina (German: Buchenland, Romanian: Bucovina) is a historical region northeast of the Carpathians in the border area between Central, Southeastern, and Eastern Europe.

We thank Sorin Onisor (facebook.com/sorinonisor) for the permission to use these pictures (from previous years).

Not only in Maramureș and Transylvania but also in Bukovina, there is a "Mocănița" (pronounced: Mokaniza). The word Mocănița specifically refers to a narrow-gauge railway operated by steam locomotives.

Bukovina (also called Buchenland in German, Bucovina in Romanian) is a historical region northeast of the Carpathians at the crossroads of Central, Southeastern, and Eastern Europe.

We thank Sorin Onișor (facebook.com/sorinonisor) for allowing us to use these pictures (from previous years).

The museum / mill of Mecles dates back to 1890 and consists of two mills which are moved by the power of the river Iza. The mill is located in the village of Sacel on the DJ186 road (a junction of the 17C) in Maramures County.

One of the two mills is of German origin, popularly known as ‘Fosalai’ and has been in operation since 1905. It is used to wash raw wool so that it can be processed further.

We would like to thank Mr Alexander Laszlo for sending us these pictures (September 2024).

About 18 km west of Sighetu Marmatiei lies the "Merry Cemetery," one of the most visited sights in the region / Maramures County.

The crosses, painted by local craftsmen, are done in bright and predominantly blue colors.

The idea for this cemetery originated in 1935 and comes from the wood sculptor Stan Ioan Patras. He wanted to create a cemetery unique in Romania, which would show the life and personality of the deceased in a cheerful way. Each cross features a carved image at the top, depicting a special moment in the life of the deceased. Below, humorous, short poems or rhymed texts describe the life of the person buried there.

Károlyi Castle is a neo-Gothic-Neo-Baroque palace complex in the town of Carei (Gross Karol in German, Nagykároly in Hungarian) in Satu Mare County in northwestern Romania. It was once the ancestral seat of the Hungarian noble family Károlyi von Nagykároly.

The castle with its gardens and museums is open to visitors and hosts several exhibitions.

Short history:
The origins of the castle are in a stone house built in 1482 by Láncz László Károlyi with the permission of King Matthias. Due to its strategic position, the fortress was part of the system of fortifications used against the Turks in the seventeenth century, after the expansion of the fortifications in 1661 and 1666.

This fortress was demolished by József Károlyi in 1794 to build a baroque castle designed by Joseph Bitthauser in its place. There were also several towers of different shapes and sizes. The inner courtyard was covered with a solid wood ceiling and thus transformed into a reception hall. A ditch was also built around the castle.

Thanks to Andrea Vaclas for sending these pictures.

Pictures from Maramureș County in the northwest of Romania. Colorful, full of customs, traditions, history, and stories.

We thank the photographer Sorin Onisor ( facebook.com/sorinonisor ) for granting permission to use these wonderful pictures.

Pictures from Maramureș County / region in the northwest of Romania.

We thank the photographer Sorin Onisor ( facebook.com/sorinonisor ) for granting permission to use these wonderful pictures.

Beautiful pictures of the "Merry Cemetery" and the museum/workshop in Săpânța (Maramureș County), which we received, among others, from Mr. Alexander Laszlo. Many thanks for these.

The "Merry Cemetery" is located about 18 km west of Sighetu Marmației and is one of the most visited attractions in the Maramureș region.

The crosses, painted by local craftsmen, are rendered in vivid, predominantly blue colors.

The idea for this cemetery originated in 1935 and comes from the woodcarver Stan Ioan Pătraș. He wanted to establish a cemetery unique in Romania that would portray the life and personality of the deceased in a cheerful manner.

Each cross shows a carved picture in the upper part depicting a special moment in the deceased's life. Below it, humorous short poems or rhymed texts describe the life of the person buried there.

Mocănița – a magical word for any steam locomotive fan across Europe. Locomotives from the past 100 years invite you to rides, excursions, and even dining in restaurant cars.

The charm of old times, which we (in Germany and Austria) had long ago... still alive and experienceable directly in Romania, in Maramures County 🥰

Information, schedule, and more:
https://urlaub-in-rumänien.de/de/uir/ausflugsziele-sehenswertes-mocanita-und-valea-vaser

PS: There are also narrow-gauge railways in Suceava County, Sibiu County (special rides in spring / summer), and other counties in Romania.

Baia Mare (in German Frauenbach or Groß-Neustadt) is the county town of Maramureș County and is located in northwestern Romania.

It has approximately 120,000 to 150,000 inhabitants and was first mentioned in a document in 1142, when the Hungarian King Geza II had German emigrants settle in Frauenbach.

The cave is located at an altitude of 1,640 meters in the Piatra Rea nature reserve ( in the Rodna Mountains ), near the Horse waterfall.

In the Piatra Rea nature reserve you will find a diverse vegetation, with rare species of subalpine and alpine plants.

Text / image source: https://www.destinatiaanului.ro/

The Mărășești Mausoleum is a historic monument dedicated to those who died in the First World War.

It is located in Vrancea County, where the main battles of the eastern front took place. In the battles of Mărășești, 480 Romanian officers and 21,000 Romanian soldiers lost their lives. Today, the mausoleum houses 5,000 soldiers and officers in 154 individual crypts and 9 common crypts arranged in 18 rows.

Mocanita is the name for a narrow-gauge railway on which steam locomotives are still operated.

https://welcome-to-romania.com | https://urlaub-in-rumänien.de

The best-known "Mocanita" runs in the Vaser Valley in Maramures County, north of the Transylvania region in Romania. The Moldovita line is found in Suceava County, in the northeast of Romania.

The village/commune of Barsana (old spelling Bîrsana) is located in Maramures County. Set in a wonderful landscape, Barsana has tourist attractions such as the wooden church "Entrance of the Mother of God into the Church," built around 1720 in the center of the village.

The Barsana Monastery, located on the southeastern edge of the village, was first mentioned in 1390, but was abandoned and dismantled around 1800. The buildings currently on the site were later rebuilt in traditional wooden style. Today, it is home to a Romanian Orthodox nunnery.

We thank Mr. Amstad Beat for sending and allowing us to use these beautiful pictures.

Beautiful pictures from the "Merry Cemetery" and the museum/workshop of Săpânța (Maramures County), which we received in May 2025 from Mr. Alexander Laszlo (first photo by Biro Zoltan). The "Merry Cemetery" is located about 18 km west of Sighetu Marmatiei and is one of the most visited attractions in the Maramures region.

The crosses, painted by local craftsmen, are done in vivid and predominantly blue colors.

The idea for this cemetery originated in 1935 and comes from the wood sculptor Stan Ioan Patras. He wanted to create a cemetery unique in Romania, which would show the life and personality of the deceased in a cheerful way. Each cross features a carved image at the top, depicting a special moment in the life of the deceased. Below, humorous, short poems or rhymed texts describe the life of the person buried there.

Beautiful pictures from Mr. Daniel Sippel from his trip to the northwest of Romania.

Mocanita is the name for a narrow-gauge railway on which steam locomotives are still operated. The best-known "Mocanita" runs in the Vaser Valley in Maramures County, north of the Transylvania region in Romania.

The current timetable can be viewed directly on the homepage, in Romanian, Hungarian, and English.

https://mocanita-maramures.com | https://welcome-to-romania.com

Maramures is a county, but also a geographical, historical and cultural region in northern Romania and western Ukraine.

It is located in the north-eastern Carpathians, along the upper watershed of the Tisa/Tisza River. With a length of almost 1,000 kilometres (approx. 966 km), the Tisa is the longest tributary of the Danube.

The first narrow-gauge railway | Narrow-gauge railway
2 The Merry Cemetery in Săpânța | Cimitirul Vesel
3rd Cailor Waterfall | Cascada Cailor
4th Barsana Monastery | Barsana Monastery
5. Borsa cable car | Borsa cable car / gondola

https://www.destinatiaanului.ro/ | https://www.visitmaramures.ro | https://skiborsa.eu/

Across Romania, impressions, nature, images from the region / county of Maramures

https://welcome-to-romania.com | https://urlaub-in-rumänien.de

In the north of Romania, in Maramureș County, lies the Sapanta Monastery, also known as Peri Monastery.

In 1391, the grandchildren of Dragos Voda donated the land and goods on which the monastery, a stone church, was built. This stone church served for more than 300 years as the main seat of the Romanian diocese of Maramureș and was later rebuilt by master Ioan Macarie as a place of prayer for the Greek-Catholic community in the region.

The tower of the monastery church is 78 meters high, making it the third tallest church tower in Romania, after the Orthodox Cathedral in Timisoara and St. Michael's Church in Cluj-Napoca.

We thank Vlad the Impaler - Dracula (Photo: Romania in pictures) for allowing us to use this picture.

Beautiful pictures of the ‘Happy Cemetery’ and the museum / workshop of Sapanta (Maramures County), which we received today from Mr Alexander Laszlo. Thank you very much for this.

The ‘Happy Cemetery’ is located about 18 kilometres west of Sighetu Marmatiei and is one of the most visited sights in the Maramures region.

The crosses, which were painted by local craftsmen, are vivid and predominantly blue in colour.

The idea for this cemetery was conceived in 1935 by the wood sculptor Stan Ioan Patras. He wanted to create a cemetery, unique in Romania, which would show the life and personality of the deceased in a cheerful representation. Each cross has a carved image in the upper part, depicting a special moment in the life of the deceased. Underneath, humorous, short poems or rhymed texts describe the life of the person buried there.

The village / commune of Bârsana (old spelling Bîrsana) is located in Maramureș County. Situated in a beautiful landscape, Bârsana has tourist attractions, such as the wooden church "Intrarea Maicii Domnului în Biserică" (The Entrance of the Holy Virgin into the Church), built around 1720, in the center of the village.

The Barsana Monastery, located at the southeastern edge of the village, was first mentioned in 1390, but was abandoned and demolished around 1800. The current buildings on the site were later rebuilt using traditional wooden construction. Today, it houses a Romanian Orthodox nuns' monastery.

Mocanita is the name for a narrow-gauge railway on which steam locomotives are still operated. The best-known "Mocanita" runs in the Vaser Valley in Maramureș County, north of the Transylvania region in Romania. The Moldovita Mocanita can be found in Suceava County, in the northeast of Romania.

More information and the current timetable can be found here:
https://xn--urlaub-in-rumnien-2qb.de/.../ausflugsziele.../

We thank romania_iq (https://www.instagram.com/romania_ig/) for allowing us to use this picture.

A small selection of cities, places, and destinations that you should definitely visit at least once on a trip through Romania (Part 5 of 500 🥰).

Here: The Merry Cemetery of Săpânța in Maramureș County

https://welcome-to-romania.com | https://willkommen-in-rumänien.de

The village/municipality of Barsana (old spelling Birsana) is located in Maramures district.

Located in a beautiful landscape, Barsana has tourist attractions such as the wooden church "The Entrance of Our Lady from the Church" built around 1720 in the center of the town.

The Barsana Monastery, located on the south-eastern outskirts of the town, was first mentioned in 1390, but abandoned and abolished again in 1800. The buildings on the site today were rebuilt in wood at a later date. A Romanian Orthodox nunnery is located there today.

More information about the travel destination Romania: https://urlaub-in-rumänien.de/ro/

Images by Adam Jones Adam63 - Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=7326432 Oswald Engelhardt - Own Work, cc BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=23823323 and Eetcu Mircea Rareș - Own Work, CC BY-SA 3.0.ro, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=814467