Travel Guide Ciocănești

It's the most picturesque of the villages that stretch along the Bistrița, towards Maramureș. In the heart of a bucolic valley, Ciocănești (1,400 inhabitants) stands out for its houses decorated with traditional motifs, carved on the facades. A unique feature in Romania, thanks to a woman by the name of Leontina Țăran. In the late 1940s, she decided to embellish her home with the village's own folk motifs, adorning costumes and painted eggs. "Aunt Leontina", as she was known, created a local fashion that spread throughout the village, which became an open-air museum. Since 2003, all new buildings have had to follow this tradition. Even the police station, the school and the dispensary have followed suit. You can admire Leontina's house, at no. 83 on the main street. It can be visited (+40 745 022 897). Ciocănești also boasts an ethnographic museum, which recreates rooms from traditional houses (kitchen, bedroom...), as well as a mine. Each room is decorated with a frieze featuring folk motifs, just like those that adorn the houses of this dynamic village.