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Bistrita Nasaud

Today we are heading to northern Romania, to the county of Bistrita Nasaud. We start in Bistrita, a city built in Medieval German style, and a historic locality, first documented in 1264, and then we will be heading to the mountain area. Among the landmarks we review will be the great Colibita dam lake, also known as the sea in the mountains, and Tihuta Pass, linking Transylvania and Bukovina.

Daniel Onea, 04.10.2018, 10:31

The guide today is Claudia Andron, president of the Tourist in Bistrita Nasaud Association for the promotion of tourism: “First of all, in order to take in the beauty of Romania you have to come here in autumn. I recommend an autumn vacation in Bistrita Nasaud. It is harvest time, and the environment changes into something beautiful. We have mountains, and a sea in the mountains, a huge lake, Colibita. Coming here in autumn is a must in order to witness the beauty of this area.”

Claudia Andron recommends we start our trip in the city of Bistrita. Here you can visit Casa Argintarului (Silversmith House), a Renaissance architectural monument, and the Tower of Coopers, built in the old citadel of Bistrita between the 15th and 16th centuries. You can also visit old monuments such as the Evangelical Church, the Synagogue in Bistrita, the Bistrita Nasaud County Museum, the Palace of Culture, or the Johannes Lapicida Memorial House, the oldest building standing in Bistrita.

Claudia Andron: “I recommend you climb the tower of the Evangelical Church, the tallest in Transylvania. The Saxons in Bistrita were quite crafty. Over 100 years ago, they tricked the people coming from Sibiu, who had come during the night to measure the height of the tower. They used a long piece of string to measure the height, but before they left, the Saxons here cut two yards out of the string. When they went to Sibiu, the tower there came up smaller in height. You have to climb the tower in order to enjoy the beauty of the city, and the beauty of a former small Saxon town, few of which have been so well preserved. After that, I recommend you go to one of the restaurants in the pedestrian area, and in the Evangelical Church area, to taste the autumn properly. Everyone is preparing their pickles at this time, and if you get there on a Saturday, you should go to the local farmer market, called Made in Bistrita Nasaud. There you find all kinds of traditional products made by the local peasants, it is a not-to-be-missed experience. On Saturday, between 9 AM and 2 PM, the area around the Evangelical Church is the venue for this traditional fair.”

Two autumn events have just wrapped up in Bistrita, the Autumn Festival and Oktoberfest. In the year of the Centennial, however, the citys agenda is full, with lots of cultural events dedicated to music, poetry, and theater. There is no lack of such events in the rural area either, with mostly crafts fairs. Claudia Andron suggests we head to the mountainous area of the county. She recommends the first stop: “In Colibita, where the lake is, you can admire some of the most beautiful landscapes we have. The forest is changing colors these days, and seems more beautiful than ever. I highly recommend Rodna Mountains. You have to take a trip there, the view is breathtaking. Tourists should also visit Tihuta Pass, where we have increased lodging capacity recently. We have very good accommodation venues. In the last three years, the area has developed a great deal. You should also go visit the monastery there, which has a great story. It is built in antithesis to the castle of Count Dracula, erected in 1976. The monasterys role is to fend away evil spirits from the castle. You should listen to some of the stories the locals tell about this place.”

Tihuta Pass lies at an altitude of 1,200 meters, between Transylvania and Moldavia. The scenery is extraordinary, especially for the people who are fascinated by the myth of Dracula, who come here to follow the sojourn made by Johanthan Harker in Bram Stokers novel, which took him to these parts in the book. Here you can find a mansion bearing the name of the count, with Bram Stokers statue in front of it. It was placed there 12 years ago in a ceremony attended by the Irish ambassador of the time.

Claudia Andron, president of the Tourist in Bistrita Nasaud Association for the promotion of tourism, told us that in the last four years the number of tourists coming to the area has increased a great deal: “This is a new tourist destination. We have only recently started recognizing the tourist potential of the area, and the Tourist in Bistrita Nasaud Association worked a lot to take advantage of that. First and foremost we wanted to raise awareness among the locals regarding the tourism potential we have. This can be seen reflected in the large number of tourists who have started arriving. We have an average of three nights accommodation per tourist now. At the tourism fairs we have taken part in, we saw that tourists seek destinations that offer them the local experience. They want to experience what the locals experience, in terms of food or scenery. If you like natural sights, you can find them right here. If you like traditions and the archaic, you can easily reach here villages where you can find ancient traditions. Some women in the area still sew by hand traditional garb. It is an unforgettable experience for people who want to see how Romanians lived in olden times.”