Why this ride
A 151 km round trip from Groşi - roughly 3 h 02 in the saddle. The stops in between: Church of the Holy Paraskeva, Wooden Churches of Maramureş and back through Church of the Holy Paraskeva.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of the Holy Archangels and Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 151 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 3 h 02
- Journey
- Recorded itinerary
Distance and timing basis
Ordered leg totals agree within rounding. Stop distances are approximate sums of rounded legs. Stops, delays, approach and any separate return travel add time. Basis: producer-declared routed record.
Reading history stays on this device. My road watch requires a separate selection; opening it does not subscribe this ride.
Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
Scenic road chapters
Romania Maramures Wooden Churches Route
Expect company on a summer weekend. Early is better than fast. For about 49 km this is Romania Maramures Wooden Churches Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 49 km
- Named road
- Romania Maramures Wooden Churches Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of the Holy Archangels
Just outside Baia Mare, where the city gives way to the hills, the countryside of northern Romania begins to show the tradition that made this region famous: churches built entirely of wood, with steep shingled roofs and tall, needle-like spires. Many of them are dedicated to the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel, and this dedication is common across the region, from small village churches to some of the eight Wooden Churches of Maramureș listed by UNESCO in 1999. Surdești and Plopiș, both within a short ride of Baia Mare, are among the finest of those, with spires that seem far too tall for the buildings beneath them.
Read the complete Church of the Holy Archangels write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Holy Archangels is where the day begins. Next is Church of the Holy Paraskeva.
2. Church of the Holy Paraskeva
In 1780 a painter named Radu Munteanu covered the inside of the wooden church at Desești with scenes that still shock and delight: a Last Judgment in which sinners are marched off to a hell full of grinning devils, alongside saints, prophets and lively village figures. The church, dedicated to the Holy Paraskeva and built in 1770 from oak logs, rises above the village with a tall, slender tower and a steep double roof of shingles. It is one of the eight wooden churches of Maramureș inscribed by UNESCO in 1999, and its paintings are among the best preserved of them all.
Read the complete Church of the Holy Paraskeva write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Church of the Holy Paraskeva comes up about 49 km into the recorded legs. Next is Wooden Churches of Maramureş.
3. Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Maramureș is a region in the far north of Romania, along the Ukrainian border, where traditions have survived more strongly than almost anywhere else in Europe. Its villages are known for their carved wooden gates, their haystacks and their wooden churches, eight of which form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Bârsana, in the valley of the Iza river, has one of them, a church built in the eighteenth century, with a tall slender spire and a steep shingled roof.
Read the complete Wooden Churches of Maramureş write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 72 km into the recorded legs you reach Wooden Churches of Maramureş. Next is back through Church of the Holy Paraskeva.
4. back through Church of the Holy Paraskeva
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of the Holy Paraskeva write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
back through Church of the Holy Paraskeva, late in the day. Next is Church of the Holy Archangels.
5. Church of the Holy Archangels
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of the Holy Archangels write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Back at Church of the Holy Archangels. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Church of the Holy Archangels to Church of the Holy Paraskeva
Church of the Holy Archangels → Church of the Holy Paraskeva is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of the Holy Paraskeva to Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Church of the Holy Paraskeva → Wooden Churches of Maramureş is 23 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Wooden Churches of Maramureş to back through Church of the Holy Paraskeva
Wooden Churches of Maramureş → back through Church of the Holy Paraskeva is 31 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of the Holy Paraskeva to Church of the Holy Archangels
back through Church of the Holy Paraskeva → Church of the Holy Archangels is 49 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.