Maramures

"Thickly forested mountains and rough roads maintain scores of villages in a state of almost medieval isolation, amid a landscape of rounded hills with clumps of oak and beech and scattered flocks of sheep... the majority of buildings are made of wood by skilled craftsmen... carvings decorate the eaves, doorways and windows of houses lining each village's main street... Many gateways are elaborately carved with symbols such as "tree of life", sun, rope and snake... during markets and festivals the villages seem ablaze with colour... men wearing tiny clop straw hats, and the women weaving boldly striped aprons, with cloth from the water-powered fulling mills, and embroidering intricate designs on the wide-sleeved cotton blouses worn by both sexes."

Rough Guide to Romania by Burford & Richardson

The Trust began work in the Maramures in 1998 to try to save some of the best examples of the then rapidly disappearing 18th and 19th century wooden architecture of the area.

The Maramures is not under threat from depopulation, but from the continuing destruction of its houses.   At the moment they are coming down at the rate of three or four every week. The Trust has set in motion a survey of the Maramures villages, noting their particular architectural importance. Through this survey we can now pinpoint the 18th and 19th century houses at risk and alert people to prevent their destruction if possible.

The Trust has bought a few properties to let out at a low rent.   Once a house has been acquired, we hope its previous owner will continue to work the surrounding land – harvesting the plum trees, apple trees and hay. The building could also be used for temporary storage space until a tenant is found. These houses are far less expensive than in Transylvania since they are made from wood, and can be acquired for as little as 500 dollars each.

In 2002 our work included:

An 18th century oak house from the village of Berbesti was dismantled and transported to Breb.

The finished house in Breb.

Foundations were made and the house was reconstructed on a beautiful piece of land in the middle of the village of  Breb. Another 18th century house under threat of destruction was removed from Feresti,  re-roofed with 8100 mountain pine shingles. It was fully wattled and daubed, lime-washed, refloored and furnished in time for the visit of the HRH The Prince of Wales in May 2004. 

The Prince had lunch in this house during his two-day stay in the Maramures. The house is furnished with early Maramures furniture, icons and textiles collected by William Blacker over three years to save them from being sold abroad.

 On the land the Eminescu Trust bought last year in the middle of the village there is now an ensemble of three old wooden houses, all of them excellent examples of the very best of historic Maramures architecture and craftsmanship.

House moved from Feresti to Breb

Old houses in the Maramures are becoming ever more scarce and so to have saved these three fine examples has been a most worthwhile project. Houses have either been destroyed or purchased and taken to some of the many museums all around the country. The houses we have saved remain, where they belong, in the centre of a village in the Maramures.