Săpânța

Săpânța is a village in the Maramureș region.

Understand

Merry cemetery tombstones

Săpânța is a small village in the Romanian part of Maramureș, close to the Ukrainian border. When Stan Ioan Pătraş started to work on the Merry Cemetery, which became unique in Europe, the village turned into a tourist attraction worth seeing. Not only the cemetery should be visited, but also the world's tallest wooden building, Peri Monastery, and the museum for Pătraş in his house.

Even though Săpânța is now one of the most recommended sights in Romania, it hasn't lose its rural and natural character. Enjoy the atmosphere of a typical Romanian village in the heart of Maramureș.

Get in

By train

• Travel by train to Sighetu Marmației, then hitchhike or take a bus for 18 km.

By bus

• Bustrans from Baia Mare (3-5 lei): there is a bus 3 times a day to Sighetu Marmaţiei (1hr 5min), and from there a twice-daily bus to Săpânța (21 min, twice daily) (July 2018).

By taxi

• A taxi from Baia Mare to Săpânţa takes 1hr 30 min and costs 150-190 lei (July 2018).

By plane

• The closest airports are Satu Mare and Baia Mare.

See

Church of Peri Monastery

• 1 The Merry Cemetery (Cimitirul Vesel). It is famous for its colourful tombstones with naïve paintings describing, in an original and poetic manner, the persons that are buried there as well as scenes from their lives. 10 lei. (updated Sep 2018)
• 2 Săpânța-Peri Monastery (Mănăstirea Săpânța-Peri). The tallest wooden church in the world. (updated Apr 2015)
• 3 Stan Ioan Pătraş House Museum (Casa Stan Ioan Pătraş). The house of the artist who created the Merry Cemetery. 

In case you plan to spend more time in Săpânța, the village offers other less crowded but interesting sights:

• 4 The second Merry Cemetery (Cimitirul Vesel 2). Since the main cemetery has a limited size, this cemetery is used in addition to the famous one. Nevertheless it impresses with similarly beautiful crosses and a view over the village in its surroundings. 
• 5 Open-air museum for rural architecture and technology (Ansamblul de arhitectură tehnică populară). This small sight shows how the people in Săpânța used water in the past. 

Buy

Several mini-supermarkets and tourist shops are in Săpânța, especially close to the Merry Cemetery. They are not made for big shopping but they should be sufficient for spending one day in the village.

Go next

Go back to Sighetu Marmației and see the Memorial for the Victims of Communism or proceed to the unique forest steam train in Vișeu de Sus.