Vișeu de Sus, town in Maramureș County, Romania
Vișeu de Sus is a small town in Maramureș region situated between two river valleys at the edge of the Carpathian foothills. It consists of wooden houses with sloped roofs connected by quiet streets and surrounded by dense forests.
First mentioned in the 14th century, the town formed from the merger of Vișeu de Jos and Vișeu de Mijloc. In the 18th century, the timber trade brought settlers from Zips, Salzburg and Tirol, permanently shaping the region.
The town reflects its multicultural past through visible traditions and architecture brought by settlers from Zips, Salzburg and other regions centuries ago. Old wooden houses, church decorations and customs like Christmas caroling in ancestral languages show how diverse communities shaped daily life here.
The town is best explored on foot, with narrow streets winding past wooden houses and small squares. The Mocănița, an old wooden-rail train, offers a scenic journey through surrounding forests and is a popular activity for visitors.
The old Mocănița railway was originally built to transport timber from dense forests and still operates today with historic steam locomotives. Many visitors do not realize this railway line is one of Europe's rare surviving wooden-rail lines and is still operated using traditional methods.
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