The apsis of the wooden church from Şişeşti

The institution was inaugurated on December 1st, 2003 and operates under the administration of the Vișeu de Sus Cultural-Social Center, having a rich and important patrimony that includes over 1100 pieces. The foundations of the museum's collections were laid around 1970 in the local schools. The permanent exhibition of the museum is structured in two departments, history and ethnography, and brings to the public's attention approximately 800 exhibits of those held in the museum’s collection. The historical collection consists of objects, illustrations, documents and archeological pieces that recreate the course of local history, while the ethnographic collection includes pictures, work tools and household objects, elements of the folk costume, as well as exhibits reminiscent of cultural life and of the people of this region. Although it speaks about the past, the Museum of History and Ethnography in Vișeu de Sus is a tourist attraction that currently awakens great interest, which has preserved fragments from our material and spiritual heritage that we have a duty to perpetuate.  

The Museum of Icons and Old Books "Bishop Gavril of Bârsana" is part of the ensemble of the Bârsana Monastery, one of the spiritual landmarks of Maramureș, whose functions were completed in 2005, by the opening of a museum exhibiting church art and an ethnographic collection. The three-storey building in which the museum operates was the twelfth erected as part of the monastery as a whole, falling within the architectural typology specific to the area, which can be seen in the other monastic edifices, all sharing a perfect stylistic unity. Religious iconography and weaving workshops have been set up in the basement, where the skilled hands of the nuns create true works of art, while on the ground floor, old books and icons are displayed in glass cases. The holy books and manuscripts exhibited here date from the 16th to 19th centuries and are a veritable treasure trove. Upstairs you can visit a local ethnographic exhibition, which further strengthens the authentic Maramureș spirit one can feel throughout the monastic ensemble.

The Rodna Mountains reach the highest altitudes in the Eastern Carpathians, Pietrosu Peak measuring 2,303 m in height. Here you can explore the second largest national park in Romania, which has the most beautiful glacial landscapes. Within this park there are three strictly protected areas and four areas of full protection, and you can enjoy a beautiful landscape, and the presence of several extremely rare species of flora and fauna.

The Maramureș Mountains group is part of the Maramureș and Bucovina Carpathians and extends to both Romania and Ukraine. On the Romanian territory, Farcău Peak is the highest peak, reaching 1,957 meters. A considerable territory in the Maramureș Mountains has been declared a protected area, constituting the largest natural park in Romania. Maramureș Mountains Natural Park includes four nature reserves, which overlap over two Natura 2000 sites, where we find 171 kilometers of marked tourist routes.

Part of the Maramureș and Bucovina Carpathians, the mountains surprise by the fairytale landscapes, dominated by coniferous and deciduous forests, but also by pastures. Although the highest peak of this mountainous group is Gutâiul Mare, with a height of 1,443 meters, the favorite of tourists is the Rooster’s Ridge Peak (Vârful Creasta Cocoșului), near which, over an area of ​​about 50 hectares, lies an impressive mixed nature reserve. In addition to the Rooster’s Ridge, the Gutâi Mountains are home to nine other areas with nature reserve status.

The Culture and Art Committee of the Maramureș Region decided to erect the Monument of the Romanian Soldier as a sign of gratitude for the Romanian soldiers who died in the battles of the Second World War. The monument was created by the sculptor Andrei Ostap, together with the architect Anton Drâmboiau, and has a length of 16 m and a height of over 10 m. Workers and farmers are engraved on the inside of the wall, which is built of cement and stone, while the outside of the wall depicts battle scenes: soldiers, weapons, cannons and tanks. In the vicinity of the monument there is a memorial cemetery in the memory of the soldiers who fought for the country.

The Memorial to the Victims of Communism and the Resistance, one of the landmarks of our county, was opened in memory of the injustices of a dictatorial regime, but also of the souls who fell prey to it and which we must not forget. The idea of ​​establishing this Memorial, which is a "means of reviving the collective memory", began to materialize in 1993, through the initiatives of the Civic Academy Foundation, the proposal of the framework project to the Council of Europe being made by Ana Blandiana. After years of hard work, the Memorial was inaugurated on June 20th, 1997, each cell became a museum hall, that describes chronologically or thematically the steep price paid by Eastern European nations under the terror of the communist regime. In one of the courtyards of the former prison you can visit a Space of Recollection and Prayer designed by the architect Radu Mihăilescu, a place where ancient aesthetics intertwine with modern aesthetics, in a silent cry of suffering endured by the nearly 8,000 prisoners who ended up in prisons, camps and deportation facilities in Romania and whose names were engraved on the walls of the descent ramp. The Memorial to the Victims of Communism and the Resistance houses several works of art that ennoble the space and amplify the deeply emotional experience felt by the visitors to this place. The most extensive work that can be seen here is the statuary group "The Procession of the Sacrificed" (Cortegiul Sacrificaților), which bears the signature of the sculptor Aurel I. Vlad and evokes the impact of the communist regime on people's lives. The museum also includes the Cemetery of the Poor, located about two kilometers outside the city, where it is said that 54 prisoners were buried after dying in the political prison.

The monastery dedicated to the "Transfiguration" from  Botiza is a monastic settlement of nuns, built in the shape of a cross, whose construction started in the early 90's. The complex was built of fir wood on a concrete foundation and has specific Maramureș decorations. Although it was originally covered with tin, today the monastery has a shingled roof. The church within the settlement was consecrated in 2007 and has a beautiful interior decorated with biblical scenes, painted in neo-Byzantine style. The monastery also houses an icon that is said to be a miracle worker. 

The monastery dedicated to "Saints Michael and Gabriel" was founded in 1997, the ensemble being built mainly of oak and fir wood. The church of the monastery is surprising in size, with a height of 78 meters, a figure that places it in the top of the tallest wooden buildings in Europe. At the same time, it stands out because of its special architecture, with a pentagonal porch, a basement and a 3-storey floor. The cross of the church, which is seven meters high, was gold-plated, using four kilograms of gold.