Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hungary gradually exerted its rule over the region from the 13th century onwards. Tar-
tar invasions continued into the 17th and 18th centuries, the last documented battle being
on the Prislop Pass in 1717. Numerous churches sprang up in Maramureş around this time
to mark the Tartars' final withdrawal.
Maramureş was annexed by Transylvania in the mid-16th century and then ceded to the
Austrian empire in 1699. It was not until 1918 that Maramureş - or part of it - formally
rejoined Romania; the remainder went to what is now Ukraine. Between 1940 and 1944
Maramureş - along with northern Transylvania and parts of Moldavia - fell under pro-
Nazi Hungarian rule, during which time the entire Jewish population of Sighetu
Marmaţiei and surrounding villages was shipped to Nazi Germany's extermination camps
in Poland.
Ceauşescu's rule had little effect on the area; curiously, he encouraged the people here
to maintain their traditional culture, contrary to his
Systematizire
policies for the rest of
Romania.
GETTING INTO & AROUND MARAMUREŞ
Accessing Maramureş and getting around can be a struggle. Train entry often requires visitor-challenging trans-
fers in small, lazily marked stations, and the same goes for the limited options for getting around once you're
there. For DIY touring, car hire is strongly recommended, preferably from Baia Mare or Cluj. Make sure you have
a decent map of the region or take an organised tour.
Baia Mare
POP 144,780
Baia Mare lies at the foot of the Gutâi Mountains. As is often the case in Romania, your
first approach might be disappointing, but press on through the bleak husk of socialist
tenements to the inner pearl of the medieval old town. Its centrepiece attraction, Piaţa
Libertăţii, has recently been revived and its cheerily hued 16th-century buildings are
bursting with lively bars and chic cafes.
The town was first documented in 1329 and it developed as a gold-mining centre in the
14th and 15th centuries. In 1469, under the rule of Hungarian king Matthias Corvinus, the
town was fortified and thrived for hundreds of years as a largely Hungarian city. Baia
