Bistra Mureşului: Nature, Hiking Trails and Holiday Apartments

Nature

The Defileul Mureșului Superior Nature Park has been protected by law since 2007 and covers 9,000 hectares. It is home to specially protected bird, flower and animal species; there are also extensive coniferous and deciduous forests. Deda is also part of the park. Along the Mureș, it extends for approximately 30 kilometres through the volcanic Călimani and Gurghiu Mountains. The Cascada Cofu waterfall is located on the Valea Cofu. It is situated near Bistra Mureșului.

Hiking Trails

The officially approved hiking trail leads from Bistra Mureșului via Scaunul Domnului, Poiana de Mijloc, Poiana Stejii, Poiana Moldoveanca, Poiana Țiganca and Poiana Lungă. In 2024, it was newly marked with blue bar markings. Hiking trail 15MN10 runs from Bistra Mureșului via Valea din Mijloc to Poiana Cofu. It is of moderate difficulty. The route is 20.6 kilometres long. It takes between seven hours and seven hours 45 minutes. The trail offers views of Scaunul Domnului and Bistricioru. 15MN10 can also be travelled by mountain bike. The access route to Scaunul Domnului starting from Bistra Mureșului begins at the local Păstrăvărie. It follows a hiking trail marked with a blue triangle. After the last residential building in Bistra Mureșului, there is a small campsite. The trail then continues along a forest road. The two routes described provide access to the surrounding area via different courses: the officially approved trail connects several named Poian, while 15MN10 leads via Valea din Mijloc to Poiana Cofu. For 15MN10, both the moderate difficulty rating and the exact length and time span are specified. The access route to Scaunul Domnului supplements this information with the blue-triangle marking and the continuation along the forest road.

Culture

The monumental work “Stihiile războiului” took shape at the Casa Atelier Ion Vlasiu. In 1976, it was exhibited at the Venice Biennale. The Casa Atelier Ion Vlasiu was built in the 1970s according to the artist’s own concept. For 25 years, it was the place where Ion Vlasiu worked in summer. In the area of the village of Bistra Mureşului, near the Bistra stream, there was a Greek Catholic monastery dedicated to “Sfânta Fecioară”. The Bistra stream is a right-bank tributary of the Mureş. The monastery was also called Mănăstirea pe Bistra. It was active in the 16th and 17th centuries. It is documented for the years 1546 and 1690. Along the Bistra valley near Bistra Mureșului, people built picturesque watermills and fulling mills (vâltori). The atelier is connected both with Ion Vlasiu’s own working period and with the creation of a work later exhibited in Venice. The monastery’s history mentions not only its dedication but also the second name Mănăstirea pe Bistra and the two documented years, 1546 and 1690. The stream, valley, mills and fulling mills form further named elements of the local cultural and landscape history.

Other Places

Other destinations: Burgfeld, Saschiz, Săcalu De Pădure, Eremitu, Weichseldorf, Weissenkirch, Trei Sate and Gorneşti.

To the main travel overview: Mures.