Pipirig: Between the Basin, Folk Culture and European Bison

Pipirig lies in the Pipirig Basin along the upper course of the Neamț River (Ozana), east of the Stânișoara Mountains. To the west-northwest, it is dominated by the 1,530-metre-high Bivolu Peak.

Nature

Forests cover 69% of the area of Pipirig commune. Vânători-Neamț Nature Park encompasses all or part of the administrative area of Pipirig. European bison live in the wild within the area of Pipirig commune, in Vânători-Neamț Nature Park.

Culture

The “David Creangă” Ethnographic Museum in Pipirig was founded on 7 June 2003 and moved to its new location in the administrative centre of Pipirig commune in summer 2016. It is housed in a beam-built house typical of the region, with a shingle roof; it includes a veranda, an entrance room and two rooms. It preserves objects that are over 100 years old and were collected from the area of Pipirig commune. The museum displays traditional clothing from the region, including bundițe, ii, catrințe, opinci, ițari, chimir and brâu. In Rodica Ciocartau’s workshop in the village of Boboiești, old folk-art objects from the Pipirig region are displayed alongside traditional tools.

History

The bell tower of the “Sfântul Nicolae” church in Pipirig dates from 1864. On the journey from Târgu Neamț to Pipirig, turn right from national road DN15B onto commune road DC 159 to reach the “Sfântul Nicolae” wooden church. It was built in 1807 in place of an old chapel by Transylvanians who had migrated from the mountains, including David Creangă’s grandfather. The church’s parish museum displays icons from the 18th and 19th centuries. One of them is an icon of the Virgin Mary with the Child dated 1776. The parish museum also includes a painted wooden chivot, made in 1841 together with the church’s iconostasis.

Brânzăria lui David Creangă in the village of Dolhești is a monument of public interest dating from the 19th century. The approximately 200-year-old beam-built structure, where milk was processed during Creangă’s childhood, has been preserved in the courtyard of his great-great-great-grandchildren in the village of Dolhești.

Things to do

Various paths lead from the Vânători-Neamț Nature Park visitor centre through deciduous forests to the bison reserve or the acclimatisation enclosure, where you can search for European bison with rangers. A tourist route leads from Târgu Neamț through Pipirig to Poiana Largului. “Ziua Pipirigului” takes place in September and offers the opportunity to experience numerous events with a local character. Traditional dishes are served at Casa Afetelor in Pipirig.

When comparing hotels in Pipirig, you can compare travel dates, room category and cancellation conditions side by side on the respective offer pages. This information makes the different options transparent and can be matched against your planned period and desired conditions.

Other destinations: Piatra Neamţ, Bodești, Bicaz Chei, Schitu Tarcău, Tupilaţi, Târpești, Văratec, Trifești

To the overarching travel overview: Neamt.