|
Sighetu Marmatiei, know as just Sighetu locally is on the border with the Ukraine. They don't like to advertise that fact that is there a major border crossing out of Europe and into the former USSER ten minutes walk from the center of town. That's because things are cheaper on the other side and so they want you to stay here. Sighetu is a nice to town to spend a day or two in. It has that old fashioned feel as all the shops are still shops and not closed down due to the new supermarkets. They are on their way, so it will be interesting to see what happens, but for now, the town bussels with people off to the vegmarket and the town is full of cafes, old commy ones and ones that are as new as any where in Europe.
Communist Prison museum or Museum of Arrested Thought which is it's correct name. The old prison in town is now a museum dedicated to explaining exactly what went on under Ceausescu's rein. What I find scary when I visit there, is the people who used to run the prison and put the prisoners in the torture room are my age and still working in the town. It tales of the cold war and reading about them in the cells where people died in the cause to over through Ceausescu is quite moving and well worth the visit.
Maramures Museum - There are a few museums in town. I used to not think there was any point in showing people these museum to get a feel of the old house as what you see in the Museum is the same as what you will see in Breb, only the people living in the houses in Breb are not stuffed manikins and real people going about their business. I only discovered in 2010 that the house museum has one of the best collection of wooden masks in Romania and it is worth a visit just for this. The museum in town has lots of masks made with sheep's skin and scared Angus when we first explored it's stuffy rooms.
Jewish Cemetery - Nearly 50% of Sighetu's population before WWII was Jewish. Elie Wiesel who used the word 'Holocaust' in his books to describe what happened to Jews in Poland was from Sighetu. The cemetery is worth a visit, if the prison has not made you feel to sick of what mankind can do to it's own.
There are some great restaurant in Sighetu. We will show you the best ones and look forward to sharing a beer with you in them. Night life... not really. Need to do that in Cluj. The bars in Sighetu are still old fashioned and girls are not expected to be seen in them after 5.00pm.
|
