Călineşti: Wooden Churches, Crafts and Circular Routes

Călineşti Susani preserves, with the wooden church “Adormirea Maicii Domnului”, a building with a trefoil-shaped floor plan and construction details characteristic of Moldavian wooden church architecture. The entrance portal bears the date 1784. Fragments of wall paintings from 1788 have been preserved inside. The forms of the building suggest Moldavian influences, while the trefoil-shaped floor plan and the construction details define the church’s distinctive design. The different features are distributed across the floor plan, portal, interior and forms of the building.

Culture and Crafts

A second wooden church stands in Călineşti Căieni: the “Nașterea Maicii Domnului” was built from oak wood in 1663. Thus, the two parts of the village preserve different buildings, each with its own name and date of construction. In addition to the churches, the historic building heritage of Călineşti also includes the blacksmith’s workshop homestead.

The blacksmith’s workshop homestead in Călineşti consists of a residential house and a barn with a stable. A workshop and an anvil block are also part of the complex. The homestead is dated to the mid-19th century, more precisely to the period from 1840 to 1860. In 2005, a wooden structure erected from timber that had been brought to Călineşti was also installed in the parish courtyard. The preserved complex therefore comprises residential areas, buildings used for agriculture and the explicitly mentioned workshop area.

Houses and Landscape

Călineşti is one of the places between the Mara and Cosău rivers. The area between the Mara and Cosău is considered a mosaic of natural and near-natural habitats. This geographical classification connects the village with the valley area between the two rivers. The description of the landscape therefore refers both to the location of the village and to the different habitats in its surroundings.

The village has traditional houses and homesteads with large gates richly decorated with carvings in solid oak. Traditional Maramureș houses characteristic of Călineşti can be visited on site. The houses, homesteads and gates are therefore just as much part of the village’s built heritage as the wooden churches and the blacksmith’s workshop homestead. The gates combine size, solid oak and elaborate carvings as distinct design elements.

Circular Routes

The “În Maramureșul Istoric” route is a motoring, agrotourism, ethnocultural and historical circular route. As a round trip, it passes through Baia Mare, Cavnic, Botiza and Ieud. Other places along this route are Bârsana, Călineşti, Ocna Șugatag and Mara. The round trip is approximately 200 km long. The route thus connects several places in historic Maramureș in a regional itinerary and encompasses different designated circular-route characteristics.

Another route runs through the Valea-Cosăului Valley and leads via Budești, Sârbi and Călineşti. It is classified as an agrotourism, ethnocultural and ecumenical circular route. Both routes are therefore designated as circular routes and include Călineşti in different itineraries. The second route explicitly places the village along the route through the Valea-Cosăului Valley.

Local Information

The local tourist information centre of Comuna Călineşti can be reached by telephone at 0262 373 084.

To the overarching travel overview: Maramureş.

More Destinations

More places within the same destination:

Ruscova, Borşa, Leordina, Onceşti, Giulești, Sarasău, Săcălaşeni, Săcel.