1. What territory does the Eco Maramureș destination include and what is specific about it?

The green heart of Maramureș still beats in ancestral rhythms. You find it nestled in the Gutâi mountains, which hug the gentle hills between the Mara and Cosău rivers. A spectacular space, where people live their lives simply, as dictated by the seasons, faith and traditions. There are 4 municipalities: Ocna Șugatag, Desești, Budești and Călinești, which became part of the Mara-Cosău-Creasta Cocoșului ecotourism destination, renamed Eco Maramureș, certified for the first time by the Ministry of Tourism in 2014 and recertified in 2018 and 2022.

It is a territory where nature has been very generous, with no less than 7 protected natural areas on this space: Cheile Tătarului, Cresta Cocoșului, Tăurile Chendroaiei, Lacul Morărenilor, Tăurile de la Hoteni, Turbăria Iezerul Mare and Padurea Crăiască.

The mountain area, with the Gutâi Massif and the Cocoșului Ridge, offers superb landscapes, while the depression area has a rural-traditional character, with villages strung along the Mara and Cosău rivers. Here, wooden houses and households are still present at every step, and the famous Maramuresi gates are living testimony of the skill of the folk craftsmen who made them.

The wooden churches, with tall and slender towers, each have a unique story, inlaid in wood, two of them being included in the Unesco World Heritage: the wooden church “St. Nicholas” from Budeşti – Josani and the wooden church “St. Paraschiva” from Desesti.

The villages of Maramures are still alive, and the traditions and customs are preserved with sanctity, the folk costume being worn with pride on Sundays and on holidays.