Why this ride
From Poienile Izei it runs 95 km to Poienile Izei; allow about 2 h 18 of riding. It goes by way of Wooden Churches of Maramureş, Church of Saint Nicholas and back through Wooden Churches of Maramureş.
CURVESCOUT / MOTORCYCLE RIDE
Church of the Holy Parasceve and Church of Saint Nicholas
Plan this ride
- Recorded distance
- 95 km
- Riding-time estimate
- 2 h 18
- 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 19 km this is Romania Maramures Wooden Churches Route, a road with a name of its own and a reason for it.
Chapter facts
- Length
- 19 km
- Named road
- Romania Maramures Wooden Churches Route
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Church of the Holy Parasceve
Maramureș is one of the few corners of Europe where wood is still the language of the sacred, and the church of Saint Parascheva at Poienile Izei is a good place to learn it. It stands on a small rise above the Izei valley, a dark timber church with a steep, double-tiered shingled roof and a slender spire, built in the early seventeenth century and moved to its present spot later. Inside, the walls and ceiling carry painted scenes from the eighteenth century, and the one that always gets quoted is a vivid Last Judgment in which sinners get remarkably specific punishments.
Read the complete Church of the Holy Parasceve 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 Parasceve is where the day begins. Next is Wooden Churches of Maramureş.
2. 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
Wooden Churches of Maramureş comes up about 19 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of Saint Nicholas.
3. Church of Saint Nicholas
Budești is one of the old villages of the Cosău valley in Maramureș, the far northern corner of Romania, where traditional life has survived longer than almost anywhere else in Europe. Its wooden church of St Nicholas, built in the seventeenth century, is a masterpiece of the local carpentry tradition: a dark timber body with a tall, steep shingled roof and a slender spire that seems to pierce the sky. Inside, the walls are covered with painted scenes from the Bible, and among the church's treasures is a coat of chain mail said to have belonged to Pintea the Brave, a legendary outlaw hero of the region. The church is one of eight in the UNESCO listing of the Wooden Churches of Maramureș.
Read the complete Church of Saint Nicholas write-up.
Recorded stop-planning note
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 48 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of Saint Nicholas. Next is back through Wooden Churches of Maramureş.
4. back through Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Return visit. Read the place description above.
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
back through Wooden Churches of Maramureş, late in the day. Next is Church of the Holy Parasceve.
5. Church of the Holy Parasceve
Return visit. Read the place description above.
Read the complete Church of the Holy Parasceve 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 Parasceve. That is the ride.
Leg by leg
Church of the Holy Parasceve to Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Church of the Holy Parasceve → Wooden Churches of Maramureş is 19 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Wooden Churches of Maramureş to Church of Saint Nicholas
Wooden Churches of Maramureş → Church of Saint Nicholas is 29 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of Saint Nicholas to back through Wooden Churches of Maramureş
Church of Saint Nicholas → back through Wooden Churches of Maramureş is 21 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Wooden Churches of Maramureş to Church of the Holy Parasceve
back through Wooden Churches of Maramureş → Church of the Holy Parasceve is 26 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.