Things to see and do Moldoviţa

A picturesque ride not to be missed: this small train pulled by a steam locomotive takes you 12 km through the beautiful Bucovina countryside. Built at the end of the ^19th century to transport timber from the forest to the sawmill, this narrow-gauge railway line was in use until 2001. Trains run every weekend and every day in high season. Open-air restaurant at the terminus, in the village of Argel. There is an alternative route from the same station to Vatra Moldoviței (diesel locomotive, 10 km, 2 hrs.).

It was founded by Petru Rareș in 1532, not far from a 1410 church built by Alexandru cel Bun and later destroyed by a landslide (its ruins are still visible, 500 m away). While most of the monasteries in the region have suffered much destruction, Moldovița has preserved all of its original buildings. The Buna Vestire (Good News) church is surrounded by a bucolic, delicately flowered garden, enclosed by an imposing 6-metre-high, quadrilateral perimeter wall. This makes the church all the more impressive.

The interior and exterior paintings date from 1537. Inside, you'll see, among others, a votive painting of Petru Rareș and his family offering the model of the church to Christ. Outside, the painting on the south façade is particularly well preserved. The themes depicted are the Tree of Jesse, the Hymn to the Virgin and, below, the Siege of Constantinople (where you'll notice the use of perspective).

A small museum is housed in the former treasure house. Built by Metropolitan Efrem in 1612, it also housed a school for copyists and miniaturists. From the reign of Alexandru cel Bun until the ^18th century, the Moldovița monastery functioned as an important cultural center, where church books were copied and decorated. The most precious manuscripts date from the ^15th century. The museum's centerpiece is Petru Rareș's carved wooden throne. Also on display are icons, embroidery, old books..

Houtsoul artist Lucia Condrea has some 30,000 eggs on display in her museum. Most of them are her creations, but there is also a section of antique eggs and an international collection. In addition to the traditional batik technique, Lucia Condrea uses fourteen techniques that she has invented herself: lace, crochet, cubism... Her sources of inspiration are many, but she draws in particular on traditional Romanian motifs. An original work of great finesse.