The Documentary-Exhibition Center of the Maramureș Nobility

Căminul-spital pentru minori irecuperabili de la Sighetul Marmației a fost înființat în 1973 și închis în 2003. Clădirea a fost proiectată special pentru a găzdui și îngriji 200 de copii, considerați de către statul român irecuperabili (deși unii dintre ei erau perfect sănătoși).  În cei 30 de ani de funcționare, 738 de copii au fost închiși în spatele gratiilor din respectiva clădire, 279 din ei murind aici și fiind înhumați în Cimitirul Săracilor ori lângă Groapa de Gunoi a municipiului. Dintre supraviețuitori, puțini pot depune mărturie, dar câțiva au reușit să fie intervievați, declarațiile lor fiind disponibile pe platformele sociale asociate muzeului (paginile de Facebook și Instagram). Unul dintre primele muzee interactive virtuale din țară, aflat încă în lucru, Muzeul Abandonului este un proiect unic în spațiul românesc, care vizează cartografierea culturii abandonului în România și dorește să ofere spațiu de exprimare celor a căror traumă colectivă nu a fost niciodată cu adevărat recunoscută și discutată public: sutele de mii de copii abandonați atât în anii comunismului, cât și în istoria recentă a țării noastre (cunoscuți sub numele de ”orfani”). Acest muzeu, virtual se adaugă celorlalte două complexe muzeale majore, existente fizic în Sighetu Marmației: Memorialul Victimelor Comunismului, respectiv, Muzeul Maramureșean, unde sunt înregistrate și expuse mărturii despre alte două tragedii imense care au lovit în cursul secolului XX: dictatura comunistă și Holocaustul împotriva evreilor.   *Text: Teofil Ivanciuc

The museum was inaugurated in 2011 and is set up in a preserved traditional Jewish house. The "Elephant House", a testimony of the Jewish community in the area, showcases objects in a unique library-café. 

The small museum pays homage to Ignaz Edler von Born, a renowned metallurgist who studied minerals, and Papp Simon, an illustrious geologist whose name is linked to crude oil extraction technology. Ignaz von Born's expertise was recognized even by Empress Maria Theresa, for whom the metallurgist cataloged the minerals in the imperial collection. He also had a decisive contribution to the mercury amalgamation technology used to increase the purity of the extracted metals. His considerable contribution to the field he loved so much was recognized by the decision to name a mineral after him, namely bornite. Born's personality served as a muse for the composer W. A. ​​Mozart, who was inspired by the famous scholar, when he created the main character in the famous opera "The Magic Flute". Although his career in metallurgy was the one that brought Ignaz von Born his well-deserved success, he also distinguished himself as a satirical writer. Geologist Papp Simon, in turn, had a brilliant professional career, making himself known abroad, both through his geological mapping work and his significant contribution to the development of the oil industry. Today, in the patrimony of the museum arranged in honor of the two sons of Cavnic town, visitors can see numerous objects, such as documents, photographs, scientific papers, which keep their memory alive, as well as a collection of minerals that belonged to the two personalities. Also housed here are a series of mining tools and objects, reminiscent of the golden age of the small mining town, Cavnic.

The historical monument building where the great jurist, historian and academician Dr. Ioan Mihalyi of Apşa lived and created his valuable writings, reveals a double exhibition role. On the  ground floor, an Art Gallery of the Maramureș Museum has been arranged, inside which the works of great artists from Sighetu Marmației are exhibited, as well as works belonging to famous schools, from the country or abroad. An exhibition of local history and culture can be visited on the first floor of the building, as well as the museum-house set up in memory of Dr. Ioan Mihalyi of Apşa, open to the public since 1984. Ioan Mihalyi dedicated himself to researching and collecting medieval documents of Romanians from Maramureș, his efforts being included in the famous work "The History of Maramureș County, volume I, Maramureș Diplomas from the 14th and 15th century". Maintaining an air of antiquity which carries visitors into the past, the memorial house preserves the ambiance of the times when it hosted the meetings of the Association for the Culture of the Romanian People from Maramureş, also serving as headquarters for the "Dragoşiana" Reading Society. Here, one can also visit the library of the Association for the Culture of the Romanian People, as well as impressive collections of memoirs. 

The memorial museum, opened in 1991 in the old parish building of the Reformed church, is a tribute to the first printer in northwestern Transylvania. Totfalusi Kis Miklós was a prominent figure in the Romanian printing industry, being famous for his overwhelming contribution to the printing of the first Romanian books. The famous printer, born in 1650 in Tăuții-Măgherăuș, would begin the studies in his hometown and continued in Baia Mare and Aiud. Although the completion of his studies culminated in obtaining a position of Rector in Făgăraș city, he chose to leave Romania at the age of 30, becoming an apprentice printer in Amsterdam. For two years, between 1684 and 1686, he printed the Golden Bible, a revised copy of the Hungarian Bible. Among the achievements that earned him the title of the most famous engraver and caster in Amsterdam are the editing of the first cookbook and the creation of the first printed Georgian alphabet. Ten years after leaving his home country, he would return to Cluj-Napoca, where he used his valuable knowledge of the art of printing for the management of a book printing house. Unfortunately, some of the printed volumes attracted many enemies, and the unfavorable economic conditions of the time were felt in the declining number of book buyers. The printer passed away in 1702, in Cluj-Napoca. The Kis Miklós Totfalusi Museum presents to the public a valuable museum collection consisting of vintage books, printing press components, alphabet patterns, portraits and lithographs.

Not far from the Church on the Hill, we find the Pleş Peasant Museum. It was opened in 2000 and is arranged in a peasant household that includes a house and a household, the wooden constructions being over 250 years old. The twig fence that surrounds the household and the wooden gate through which offer access, ensure the transition to the simple universe of the country man. In the yard one can view technical installations used by peasants, such as a scutcher, brush, spindle, ratchet, spinning wheel, weaving loom, all used in the processing of hemp. In the barn there are installations used in the processing of cereals, such as a hand mill, an oil press or a corn chopper. The interior of the house features objects that were once found in any home in Maramureș, from kitchen utensils and traditional pieces of furniture, to items of folk costumes or fabrics and icons used to decorate the walls. The pieces from this valuable ethnographic collection belonged either to the Pleş family or to the villagers from Ieud, who donated them to enrich the patrimony of the small museum. 

The Museum of the Romanian Peasant Woman is the only museum in Romania dedicated exclusively to women. The "Maramureș Woman's Museum", as it is also called, was opened to the public in 2001 and includes a household that, both through its interior and its exterior design, pays homage to women. The wooden house on a stone foundation, located in the courtyard, is a telling proof that the things taken care of with dedication and skill survive the time. It was built in 1720 and belonged to Ileana Chiş, the owner's wish being that after her demise, the house be transformed into a museum. The house has traditional household items and furniture, as well as an important textile heritage that includes folk costumes, wedding suits, masks, bags and other pieces that were found in the dowry of the girl, as well as decorative elements. The courtyard is, in turn, a universe of tradition, a ritual area that begins with the passage through the gate carved in Maramureș style, which describes the customs of these places through signs and symbols. On the pillars of the gate we can see a bride and bridesmaids, the rooster, which is also the symbol of the locality, the Dacian flag, the rendering of the she-wolf with Romulus and Remus, as well as a group of women near a cradle, signifying the baptism. In the yard there is a wooden crucifix and a spindle, but also a group of statues that illustrate the woman in all stages of life, from childhood to old age. Another attraction is the tree in the yard, on whose branches the natives hang the housewife's pots, according to local tradition. At the top of the tree we find the red pot, reminiscent of Ileana Chiş, symbolizing that in the household there is a maiden girl.

The Village Museum, part of the Maramureș County Museum of Ethnography and Folk Art, was inaugurated in 1984 and operates outdoors. Its patrimony includes veritable masterpieces of popular architecture, representative of all four "lands" of the county. An imposing Maramureș gate, carved by the popular craftsman Găvrilă Hotico, makes the transition from the city to the village on the hill. The traditional homes and outbuildings gathered in this corner of heaven take visitors back to an era dominated by simplicity, authenticity and beauty.

The name of the museum suggests the destination that this ensemble is trying to describe for its visitors, namely that of a parental home. In fact, the entire ensemble composing this museum and which includes: the house, the barn, the stable, the shed, the wood shed and the coop, once served as a real household. The last host of the traditional household, which is about three centuries old, was auntie Florița from Bozânta Mică. Her descendants decided to donate the ensemble to the Town Hall of Tăuții-Măgherăuș. Once with its relocation it would be arranged as a museum. The museum's patrimony also includes over 300 exhibits that talk about the simple past and the traditional occupations of the locals. This interior collection preceded the arrangement of the museum-house, being initially sheltered inside the Middle  School from Tăuții-Măgherăuș. Over time, the collection has grown considerably through the efforts of teachers Ștefan Rusu and Emil Crâncău, who have dedicated themselves to enriching it. The "Home" Village Museum, beyond the traditional nature characteristic of the hearths of the Romanian nation, offers visitors a sense of familiar comfort, similar to what they once felt in the homes of their parents and grandparents.