Agăș: Mountain Trails, Churches and Traditions

Above Vârful Viscol, a hike offers views of the Hășmaș Mountains and the Ceahlău Massif.

This means that the landscape view extends from a named peak to two distinctive mountain regions. In the article, Vârful Viscol also represents a starting point where the hike is combined with views of the Hășmaș Mountains and the Ceahlău Massif.

Mountain Trails

A section from Vârful Viscol to Lacul Șolintar is marked with a red cross. From Lacul Șolintar, the trail continues with a yellow triangle marking to Păstrăvăria Cărunta. For personal day planning, the approximate duration of about 8 to 9 hours can be taken into account directly; the high level of difficulty is also part of this route description.

The hike is therefore described as a time-consuming tour with a high level of difficulty. Its route is structured by the named sections and the two different markings: first the red cross to Lacul Șolintar, followed by the yellow triangle to Păstrăvăria Cărunta.

A mountain hiking trail marked with a blue cross begins in Diaconești, in the municipality of Agăș. After two kilometres, this trail passes Mănăstirea Diaconești. It reaches the Cărunta peak at an altitude of 1,517 metres. A hill on this trail offers views of the Trotuș Valley and the Tarcău Mountains.

The Diaconești route thus connects a starting point in the municipality of Agăș with a named monastery, a peak and a viewpoint. The details of two kilometres, an altitude of 1,517 metres and the blue cross make the sequence of the described trail stations understandable.

A mountain hike began in the village of Beleghet, in the municipality of Agăș. From there, the access route to the trailhead at Vârful Viscol was covered.

Alongside Diaconești, Beleghet is named as another village in the municipality of Agăș serving as the starting point for a mountain hike. The trailhead at Vârful Viscol appears here as the destination of the access journey.

Culture and Traditions

From 18 to 24 August 2025, the eleventh edition of a summer school took place in the Agăș parish. Its full title was “Util, plăcut, frumos în Lumina Lui Hristos”.

The summer school is clearly placed in its temporal and thematic context by its specific period, its eleventh edition and its full Romanian title. It is therefore one of the named cultural events in the Agăș parish.

The 2025 summer school included glass painting and beekeeping with a glass beehive. Woodworking, pyrography and work on the potter’s wheel supplemented the programme.

The combination of these programme items alone demonstrates the range of practical activities mentioned: glass, a glass beehive, wood, pyrography and the potter’s wheel are each expressly listed as components of the summer school.

The old wooden church in Goioasa dates from 1837.

The “Mugurașii” ensemble performed a collage of winter customs from the Trotuș Valley. The traditions portrayed included the Plugușorul custom, the dance of the goats and the dance of the little horses. The bear dance and mask dances were also mentioned.

The collage thus brings together several named forms of traditional customs from the Trotuș Valley. In addition to the Plugușorul custom and the dances of the goats and little horses, bear and mask dances are also part of this performance.

Hundreds of worshippers gathered at Mănăstirea Diaconești in the municipality of Agăș. They venerated the icon Maica Domnului-Altărița.

Shared Experiences

On 24 June 2015, a church youth project organised a cycling tour. Children from parishes in the Muntelui Valley took part. The tour led to the “Pogorârea Duhului Sfânt” monastery in the village of Cotumba, municipality of Agăș.

Other destinations in this selection are Bacău, Darmanesti, Letea Veche, Comăneşti, Slanic-Moldova, Ghimeș-Făget, Gura Văii and Moinesti.

For the wider travel overview: Bacau.