Campulung Moldovenesc, Nature and Tradition
Bucovina is one of the most sought-after tourist areas in Romania
Daniel Onea, 20.02.2025, 13:00
Bucovina is one of the most sought-after tourist areas in Romania. Here, you can stop at the Câmpulung Moldovenesc resort, of national interest. It offers the perfect combination of tradition, culture and nature, an interesting destination for any tourist. After exploring the tourist attractions in the city, you can set off on numerous hiking trails, which lead to the mountain peaks of the Rarău and Giumalău Mountains, ideal for nature lovers and outdoor sports.
We learn from Mihaela Axânti, inspector at the Tourist Information Center in Câmpulung Moldovenesc, where the name of our destination comes from.
“Surrounded by forested peaks, in the center of Romanian Bucovina, the municipality of Câmpulung Moldovenesc today stretches for a distance of 14 km. That is where the name of “Câmpulung Moldovenesc”, Long Field, comes from, in the depression of the same name on the middle course of the Moldova River. The tourist arriving in the city at the foot of Rarău should definitely stop at the Museum of Woodwork Art. It is the only one that preserves an ethnographic collection of this kind in Romania and among the few in Europe dedicated exclusively to wooden objects. We should also mention the private collections: the Ioan Grămadă ethnographic collection and the Ioan Țugui wooden spoon collection. In these collections, our tourist will discover how wood has accompanied our lives for centuries, how the forest has offered people shelter, food, wealth, and even identity. Also from the cultural heritage, the churches in our city can be visited, Rarău Monastery and Sihăstria Răului. Among the churches, I would like to mention the Church at Capul Satului, which is the first wooden church in this area, built in 1855-1858. Also, if they want to rest in the city center, tourists will discover the Central Park, with a beautiful artesian fountain, built in 1898, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the reign of the Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I. They can also see the statuary monument Dragoș Vodă and the Bison, as well as the building of the former city hall, built in 1863, as a result of a high commission, also from Emperor Franz Joseph I, which was the municipal palace at that time.”
Just a few kilometers away from the city center, tourists will discover the magical landscape of the Rarău massif.
“This represents the epicenter of tourism in the entire area of Bukovina. From wherever it is viewed, it is like an imposing fortress, in which the watchtowers of the Lady’s Stones rise. Equally renowned for their beauty and size are the Moara Dracului Gorges, the most beautiful in the entire area of Bukovina. One of the places that we think would leave people speechless is the Slătioara Secular Forest. It is also nicknamed the Wooden Cathedral of Rarău. It is a protected area that extends over 1064 hectares and has been included on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2017. Here, tourists will find secular trees about 200-300 years old, with heights exceeding 50 meters and a diameter of at least 1 meter. Mountain biking, paragliding, hiking, off-roading, climbing, even ATV rides are just some of the activities dedicated to those who want to combine exercise with their vacation and enjoy nature and fresh air as much as possible. As for winter sports lovers, they also have a ski slope, Rarău, which is 2,850 meters long, with a difference in level of 455 meters and a medium degree of difficulty. The width of the slope is 30 meters in the starting area, and 80 meters in the finishing area. It has a gondola lift facility and everything you need to satisfy winter sports lovers.”
Throughout the year, the City Hall of Câmpulung Moldovenesc, through the Tourist Information Center, organizes several events. As part of the International Folklore Festival Întlâniri Bucovinene and as part of the Drumul Lemnului Festival, the Folk Craftsmen Fair is organized. Folk craftsmen from the Bucovina area are invited here. They make the art of egg painting, wood carving, weaving, making folk costumes or braiding known to the general public. But you can also meet the craftsmen in their workshops, says Mihaela Axânti, inspector at the Tourist Information Center of Câmpulung Moldovenesc.
“In the city, tourists can reach one of our most famous craftsmen, Mr. Aristotel Erhan. He is the folk craftsman who keeps the tradition of making bucium, the alpenhorn, alive. The story of the bucium begins in ancient times. It was used to alert the population to a danger. Every year, Mr. Stelu roams the surrounding forests, looking for the resonant wood meant to make these alpenhorns. As he says, out of a desire to honor his ancestors as is customary, he learned to craft them by gathering around him a lot of other farmers, skilled in giving them voice. He says that the center of the bucium is a point through which one can look into the absolute. The buciumași, alpenhorn players from Bucovina have become a living legend, a resounding proof of the transmission of millennial traditions from generation to generation.”
The calendar of events is very well outlined. Year after year, festivals are held that preserve their tradition, attracting thousands of tourists. Among these, the International Folklore Festival Întâlniri Bucovinene stands out.
“It annually brings together about 500 artists from abroad and over 1500 amateur artists from the county, the event bringing together a total of over 11,000 participants. It is held with the participation of four countries, where former inhabitants of Bukovina live: Poland, Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, and the Republic of Moldova as a guest. We also have Bucovina Ultra Rocks, a mountain running competition, which this year is part of the Europe Trail Cup. It is one of the largest mountain running competitions in Romania, with routes that cross our natural reserves and emblematic places such as Pietrele Doamnei, Cheile Moara Dracului, Rarău and Giumalău Massifs. In the fall, in October, we have the Drumul Lemnului Festival and the Dairy Fair, events that celebrate and promote the old occupations of the Câmpulung people.”
Annually, the municipality of Câmpulung Moldovenesc receives visits from over 80 thousand tourists in its over 200 accommodation facilities, and the vast majority of foreign tourists are from European countries.
