Bistra Mureșului: Nature Park, Hiking Trails and Culture

Nature and Landscape

The Defileul Mureșului Superior Nature Park has been legally protected since 2007 and covers 9,000 ha. It is home to specially protected bird, flower and animal species as well as extensive coniferous and deciduous forests.

The park also includes Deda and extends for approximately 30 km along the Mureș through the volcanic Călimani and Gurghiu Mountains. The Cascada Cofu waterfall is located on the Valea Cofu near Bistra Mureșului.

Hiking Trails and Orientation

Hiking trail 15MN10 from Bistra Mureșului via Valea din Mijloc to Poiana Cofu is of moderate difficulty, 20.6 km long and takes between seven hours and seven hours 45 minutes. It offers views of Scaunul Domnului and Bistricioru and can also be travelled by mountain bike.

The duration and length of the route, along with the difficulty, viewpoints and possible means of travel, are provided as separate details that you can compare side by side when making your personal plans.

The access to Scaunul Domnului starting from Bistra Mureșului begins at the local Păstrăvărie and follows a hiking trail marked with a blue triangle.

The homologated hiking trail Bistra Mureșului–Scaunul Domnului–Poiana de Mijloc–Poiana Stejii–Poiana Moldoveanca–Poiana Țiganca–Poiana Lungă was re-marked in 2024 with blue bar markings.

After the last residential building in Bistra Mureșului, there is a small campsite before the trail continues along a forest road. The two marked trails can be distinguished by their different markings.

Anyone comparing hotels for a stay in Bistra Mureșului can consider travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions separately. These details show which period is planned, which room selection is intended and which conditions apply to a possible change.

Culture and History

Casa Atelier Ion Vlasiu was built in the 1970s according to the artist’s own concept. For 25 years, it was the place where Ion Vlasiu worked in summer.

Ion Vlasiu’s monumental work “Stihiile războiului” also took shape at Casa Atelier Ion Vlasiu; in 1976, it was exhibited at the Venice Biennale. The studio, workplace and exhibited work thus belong to different temporal and cultural aspects of the same place.

In the area of the village of Bistra Mureşului, near the Bistra stream, a right-bank tributary of the Mureş, there was a Greek Catholic monastery dedicated to “Sfânta Fecioară”, also known as Mănăstirea pe Bistra. It was active in the 16th and 17th centuries; documentary records exist for the years 1546 and 1690.

Along the Bistra Valley near Bistra Mureșului, people built picturesque watermills and fulling mills (vâltori). These structures complement the historical information about the valley with traditional water-powered facilities.

Other Places

Curteni, Gheorghe Doja, Schässburg, Reen, Rohrdachen, Lunca Bradului, Weissenkirch, Corunca

To the higher-level travel overview: Mures.