PROFILE OF THE PILOT REGION MARAMURES COUNTY, ROMANIA
1. Remetea Chioarului is situated in a depression near the river Lapus at the western end of the Preluca Massif. It is well served by both rail and road transport, benefiting from advantageous access due to their proximity to the more significant municipality of Baia Mare that also has an airport. Some local dust roads ensure access to the other villages of the commune. The population of the commune is 3,243 and has been stable for the last 25 years. It is a young population with a high percentage of economically active people. The main economic activity is agriculture, followed by food processing, wood cutting, clothes manufacturing, construction and traditional crafts. Tourism also offers potential for development. The landscape is attractive, the rivers have fish such as carp, bream and pike that attract fishermen while the forests have many oaks and provide a habitat for wild animals such as boar, bears, pheasants, foxes and hare. Furthermore, there is a rich cultural heritage that includes the Choir Fortress, a medieval monument of great value and the church of Sfintii Arhangheli, a historical monument of national importance. The Lapus Gorge was declared a natural monument while a number of wooden churches and houses are under conservation order. It is thought, however, that more needs to be done in raising awareness among the local population in relation to the value of the cultural heritage. 2. In Sapanta the population is concentrated in one single village, situated in a little inhabited mountainous region. For the last 25 years Sapanta has had a stable and young population in contrast to the general trend away from the rural areas of Romania. Access to Sapanta is mainly by road, linking it to the national road to Satu Mare County through Negresti Oas. Due to the relief, the railways are not very developed in the region. The main economic activity is agriculture and especially animal breeding that is traditionally the dominant occupation. Handicrafts and food production (bread and oil) are significant for Sapânta while there is no industrial activity. Tourism is quite important both in the summer and the winter holidays. The natural beauty of the area offers a great potential for tourist development. Furthermore, the village has an ethnographic wealth and cultural heritage that is attractive to visitors. Sapanta is located in the western extremity of the Maramures Depression, at the foothills of the Ignis Mountain and is criss-crossed by the Sapanta River. The landscape is beautiful offering narrow paths and gorges along the river, the Runcu and the Sipot waterfalls, the natural reservation Poiana Brazilor Swamp and mineral water springs. The steep rock at Piatra Sapintei offers a great panorama over Sapanta and the whole Tisa Valley towards the Ukraine. The large forests shelter rich hunting grounds and the river has a great variety of fish. Sapanta is the starting point for trips to the northern slope of the Gutai Mountains. The forestry roads and the pastoral paths lead to the Baia Mare pool. The Happy Cemetery is a unique and original popular art museum, founded in 1935 by a craftsman named Ioan Stan Patras. Gravestones, vividly coloured, caricature the dead emphasising their shortcomings. Furthermore, Sapanta is a village with a traditional rustic wood architecture preserved in houses and carved gateways. There is an outstanding ethnographic wealth in the commune including handicrafts and popular customs such as the measuring of the sheep milk, an occasion for celebrating, singing and dancing. |
The
Romanian case study focuses on two communes, Remetea Chioarului
and Sapanta. The former includes five settlements while the
latter has only one village. 