Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr and Codrul Secular Slătioara starting at Chernivtsi
Plan this ride
Recorded distance
321 km
Riding-time estimate
7 h 09
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.
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Distance and riding time are measured on the routed road. Check local closures and conditions before you ride.
From Chernivtsi it runs 321 km to Chernivtsi; allow about 7 h 09 of riding. It goes by way of Churches of Moldavia, Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of, Codrul Secular Slătioara and back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of. The stored terrain estimate reaches about 1,100 m; a measured road-elevation profile is not available. It crosses from Ukraine into Romania - carry ID and check vignette or toll rules. It was put together for the scenery rather than the shortest line.
Waypoint introductions and full write-ups
1. Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr
The Residence of the Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metropolitans in Chernivtsi is one of the most extraordinary buildings in Eastern Europe, a red-brick complex of towers, domes and arcades that looks like a cross between a Byzantine monastery, a Moorish palace and a Victorian college. It was designed by the Czech architect Josef Hlávka and built between 1864 and 1882 as the seat of the Orthodox metropolitan of Bukovina and Dalmatia, then provinces of the Austrian Empire. The roofs are covered with coloured glazed tiles in patterns derived from the folk art of the region, the interiors are lavishly decorated, and the complex includes a seminary, a church and gardens. Today it houses the Chernivtsi National University, and it was listed by UNESCO in 2011. Students fill the courtyards, and guided tours show the main halls, including the stunning Marble Hall.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr is where the day begins. Next is Churches of Moldavia.
2. Churches of Moldavia
Sucevița is the last and the largest of the great painted monasteries of Bucovina, and when you come down into its valley and see it for the first time, a squat fortress of white walls and towers with a church inside painted from eaves to plinth in deep greens, reds and blues, it stops you in your tracks. It was built in the 1580s and 1590s by the Movilă family, princes and churchmen of Moldavia, and its frescoes are among the best preserved of all the painted churches. UNESCO groups it with seven others as the churches of Moldavia.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Churches of Moldavia comes up about 85 km into the recorded legs. Next is Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of.
3. Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of
The painted monasteries of Bukovina are among the most extraordinary buildings in Europe, and the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin at Humor, just outside Gura Humorului in north-eastern Romania, is one of the finest. Built in 1530 and painted inside and out a few years later, it belongs to the group of churches that were inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1993. The outer walls are covered with frescoes in rich shades of red and brown, telling biblical stories and lives of saints to people who could not read.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
about 128 km into the recorded legs you reach Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of. Next is Codrul Secular Slătioara.
4. Codrul Secular Slătioara
Slătioara is old-growth forest of the kind that Europe has mostly lost. The reserve, tucked into the slopes of the Rarău and Giumalău ranges above the Moldova valley, protects beech, fir and spruce that have never been seriously logged, and it is part of the Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians that UNESCO recognised. Walk under the canopy and you notice the scale first: trunks as thick as a doorway, fallen giants furred with moss, and a dim green light even at noon.
May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.
Planning note
Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr closes the day.
Leg by leg
Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr to Churches of Moldavia
Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr → Churches of Moldavia is 85 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.
Churches of Moldavia to Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of
Churches of Moldavia → Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of to Codrul Secular Slătioara
Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of → Codrul Secular Slătioara is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
Codrul Secular Slătioara to back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of
Codrul Secular Slătioara → back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of is 34 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of to back through Churches of Moldavia
back through Church of the Assumption of the Virgin of → back through Churches of Moldavia is 43 km of rhythm rather than effort. Let it flow and let the view breathe.
back through Churches of Moldavia to Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr
back through Churches of Moldavia → Residence of Bukovinian and Dalmatian Metr is 82 km of getting across. Ride it tidily and keep the enthusiasm for what comes after.