Târgu Lăpuș: Gorge, Lake and Culture

Lăpuș Gorge is part of the European network of protected areas and has the status of a Natura 2000 site. Of the total 36 kilometres, 25 kilometres are designated as a nature reserve. This makes a clearly defined natural area the focus of Târgu Lăpuș, alongside cultural sites and regional trails.

Nature and Landscape

Lăpuș Gorge is a narrow section of valley cut by the Lăpuș River into the crystalline schists of the Preluca mountain range, within the administrative territory of the town of Târgu Lăpuș. It extends between Răzoare and Remecioara as far as the confluence of the Lăpuș and Cavnic rivers. The Pișătoarea waterfall is located in this gorge and is the largest waterfall in Lăpuș Gorge; it is more than 25 metres high.

Southeast of Târgu Lăpuș lies Lacul Lighet. Created in 1975 by damming the Nireș stream, which is also called Lighet, the lake covers four hectares and is between 0.5 and 6 metres deep. Seven themed trails are marked in the Lăpuș Gorge nature reserve. In the immediate vicinity, a circular trail also leads through Lăpuș Gorge from Răzoare via Groape to Preluca Veche and back; it is 14–16 kilometres long and takes approximately eight hours.

Trails and Activities

The moderately difficult, blue-marked Traseul Albastru begins in the centre of Târgu Lăpuș and leads towards Baia Mare. At Lacul Lighet, its blue trail marker leads to a cold spring. From there, you can either return along the same route or walk around the lake on a path and then return to the marked trail. The route length, approximate duration and trail characteristics can thus be considered side by side as different factors for planning your own day.

Fishing at Lacul Lighet is managed by the “Cheile Lăpușului” Angling Association from Târgu Lăpuș. The lake is home to, among others, carp, crucian carp, grass carp, silver carp, bleak, roach and perch. A preferred cycling route begins in Târgu Lăpuș, leads via Rogoz, Dămăcușeni, Suciu de Sus and Suciu de Jos to Groșii Țibleșului, and then returns.

Culture and History

Together with seven other municipalities, Târgu Lăpuș is involved in the formation of the ethnographic region of Țara Lăpușului. In the village of Rohia, one of the 13 villages belonging to the urban territory of Târgu Lăpuș, the Sf. Ana-Rohia Monastery is situated on Dealul Viei, amid a beech and oak forest at an altitude of approximately 500 metres. Sf. Ana Monastery was built in 1926 by the priest Nicolae Gherman in memory of his daughter Anuța.

The Rogoz Ethnographic Museum House contains traditional objects from the Țara Lăpușului region and is also a venue for events with traditional themes. At the wooden church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Rogoz, the ends of the roof beams are carved in the shape of stylised horses; this design is considered unique in Maramureș. According to tradition, the wooden church was built in 1663 from two enormous logs brought from Dealul Popii.

In Rogoz, families preserve the tradition of bringing food on Maundy Thursday, leaving it on the table overnight and giving it to poor people on Good Friday. The craftsman Nicolae Șerban from Rogoz makes troițe, sculptures, totems, Maramureș gates and bas-reliefs.

Memorial Sites

Along the path to the entrance of the Orthodox Church of the Holy Archangels Michael and Gabriel in Târgu Lăpuș stand two wooden crosses carved by Alexandru Perța Cuza. The Martyrs’ Monument of 5 December 1918 in Târgu Lăpuș Central Park was erected in 1936 and bears the names of the victims of the massacre of 5 December 1918. The memorial plaque for the Jews of Târgu Lăpuș commemorates the town’s Jewish community and the persecution with which the Holocaust began there on 4 May 1944.

Additional destination pages: Băile Borşa, Poienile Izei, Botiza, Săliștea de Sus, Săcel, Baia Mare, Ieud, Bârsana

For the overarching travel overview: Maramureş.