Vama between ceramic tradition and mountain trails

At home in Vama, Istvanfi Gheza runs his own workshop at 531 Strada Ion Creangă; in 2022, he was honored as a “Living Human Treasure.”

Culture

Pottery was already being produced in Vama before 1850. The Vama Ceramics Museum displays more than 500 pieces, some of which are over 300 years old. Vama is known for the ceramic products made here. The Istvánfi family is considered the only pottery family in the Oaș Land. Its members continue the pottery tradition in their home workshop and at the Oaș Land Museum. Casa Contra in Vama houses a ceramics school workshop operated by the Oaș Land Museum. Potters from Vama help train children in the ceramics workshop at the open-air museum.

The cultural references thus lead from the workshop itself through the museum collection to the facilities of the Oaș Land Museum. While the Ceramics Museum preserves historical pieces, the focus in the workshop and studios is on producing and passing on the craft. This makes it possible to view the collection, living pottery tradition and training as different aspects of the same subject.

Landscape

A hiking route to the 1,012-meter-high Muntele Mic begins in Vama and leads to Băile Puturoasa. It offers views of Vama, Negrești-Oaș and the Maramureș Mountains. A tourist trail marked in red begins in Vama and leads via Băile Puturoasa; from there, the same trail continues to the Pietroasa summit. The different destinations and the red marking help distinguish the two routes when planning.

For orientation within the trail network, two details are therefore particularly important: The route to Muntele Mic states the elevation of the summit and ends at Băile Puturoasa. The red-marked trail, by contrast, describes a connection via Băile Puturoasa to the Pietroasa summit. The viewpoints mentioned for the first route add the geographical context of Vama, Negrești-Oaș and the Maramureș Mountains to this distinction.

Experiences

Băile Puturoasa currently has two pools in operation, with different water temperatures of 34–36 °C and 36–38 °C, respectively. Băile Puturoasa includes a steam sauna, a café and a recreation area with fitness equipment, a billiards table and table tennis. From Satu Mare, Băile Puturoasa can be reached via DN19/E81 and the towns of Oraşu Nou and Vama. The area around Băile Puturoasa has mountain trails for hiking and relaxing walks in the forest.

Băile Puturoasa therefore offers a range of different facilities side by side: two pools with separate temperature ranges, the steam sauna and the recreation area with several pieces of equipment and games. The mountain trails in the surrounding area provide a separate outdoor aspect. For travel there, the stated connection via Satu Mare, Oraşu Nou and Vama provides the geographical reference described.

Other places: Mădăras, Apa, Satu Mare, Lazuri, Urziceni, Botiz, Bixad, Dorolţ

Location

Vama is located on the road between Satu Mare and Sighet, at the entrance to Negrești-Oaș.

Complex Valea Măriei is a three-star hotel with a restaurant and recreation areas in Vama. Complex Pintea is an accommodation complex in a wooded area of Vama, near a lake.

Return to the main travel overview: Satu Mare.