A challange lauched by the Ministry of Culture in Romania on its Facebook page led to a week of continuous posts regarding cultural attractions and interesting tourist objectives in Neamț County. And this is because the Neamț locals have responded to the challenge and have stated a whole series of reasons why they love their homeland and why it has to be discovered by tourists. Thus, the posting list has shown why a county less known to the tourists is such an offering holiday destination.
The virtual journey began after the vote counting. Out of more than 2.000 comments, the most often mentioned county was Neamț, namely 1.041 comments. Suceava County ranked on the second place with 303 comments, followed by Tulcea County with 110 comments.
The first post referred to the impressive Neamț Fortress. By the means of its special appearance and its significant history, it never ceases to impress those who visit it.
Commissioned by Petru I Muşat and then extended and consolidated under the rule of Stephen the Great, who also set up a defense trench with an arched bridge, the imposing fortress resisted many sieges of many enemies. Important pages of heroism were written here, such as the eight-day opposition to the furious Ottoman siege led by none other than the fearsome Mehmed the Conqueror following the battle of Războieni (1476) or the glorious episode written in their own blood by the 19 frontier guards facing the Polish army led by Jan Sobieski, in 1691. All these stories still reverberate with life behind the stone walls, captivating the visitors.
Once they reach the fortress, tourists have the opportunity to get inside the 21 rooms, just like going through a symbolic portal that takes them back to the glorious times in history. Here they also have the opportunity to attend a guard exchange and thus to find out more about the guards of Stephen the Great, the rulers of those times and witness battle demonstrations in ancient equipment and cavalry parades.

Photo Gallery: © Neamț County Council

The latest large public event ”Days of Neamţ Fortress – Medieval Festival” was in 2019, organized by Neamț County Council in partnership with Târgu-Neamț City Hall, Neamț County Museum Complex, “Carmen Saeculare” Center for Culture and Arts in Neamț and “Ion Creangă” Culture House in Târgu-Neamț.

Below, you can also find a gallery of images from cultural events organized by “Carmen Saeculare” Center for Culture and Arts in Neamț and funded by Neamț County Council.

Holidays International Festival (Vacanțe muzicale) 2019 – opening event concert:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?vanity=CulturaNeamt&set=a.1589463484521183

The second post reffered to the beauty of Piatra Neamț City, also called the ”The Pearl of Moldavia”
Right in the heart of the city, the residence of #Neamț County, people passionate of history and culture can step follow in the footsteps of the ruler of Moldavia, Stephen the Great, because in the historical center one can find a real symbol of the city – The Princely Court in Piatra-Neamţ.

Photo Gallery © Neamț Photo Club:

 

Piatra Neamț, by its special aspect, has the potential to exceed the expectations of any tourist. Surrounded by high hills – Pietricica (528 m), Cozla (650 m), Cernegura (850 m) and Cârloman (617 m) has several areas of interest, where tourists and locals can engage in leisure activities, some depending on the season: ski slopes, kayaks on Bâtca Doamnei Lake, gondola lift with a view of the whole city and one of the most sought-after attractions in the north of Moldavia, equitation at ”Virgil Barbuceanu” Equestrian Base, hiking and visits to the ruins of the Petrodava Dacian Fortress and many other. Regarding the main events that normally take place in Piatra Neamț and throughout the Neamț County during a normal year and not a pandemic one, as was the year 2020, you can find out more here:

Events

Another incursion through iconic places was stopping by “Ion Creangă” Memorial House in Humulești – the house in which the Romanian storyteller was born and grew up until 1846 and then on and off until 1855. You can really feel the significance of the famous descriptions in the ”Recollections from Childhood”, only by coming here. A whole childhood universe is activated here: “I don’t know how others are like, but I for one, when I think of my birthplace, of the family home in #Humulești, of the chimney pillar where my mother was tying a rope with tassels at the end of it, for the cats to play with until they were exhausted, of the smoky ledge which I was grabbing when I began walking, of the stove behind I used to hide, when us the boys were playing hide and seek, and other games full of fun and charm. I still feel as if my heart were bouncing and I am laughing even now!” – Ion Creangă, excerpt from ”Recollections from childhood”.

Photo Gallery: © Neamț County Council

The Neamț journey continued with places and people from Valea Ursului, a commune which strictly holds on to the ancient customs and traditions.

Photo Gallery © ”Carmen Saeculare” Culture and Arts Centre in Neamț:

The impressive Ceahlău Massif cannot be missed from any presentation of the county, a mountain with a holy aura, considered in the past by the Dacians as the altar of the God Zamolxis and the place where many hermits have worked on their spiritual ascension throughout history. The only holy mountain in Romania and the second holy one of the Orthodox Christianity after Mount Athos, the Ceahlău Massif is also considered an open-air museum, a true natural fortress that impresses through its greatness and harmony. Its odd-shaped rocks that rise half-way over the cliffs hide legends and stories, and tourists are each and every time taken over by the blue horizons, the high peaks, the gentle slopes or the Lake Izvoru Muntelui that can be seen even from the top of the mountain. In winter, the mountain is truly charming.

Photo Gallery © Neamț Photo Club:

Photo Gallery: © Neamț County Council

 

Going back to the beauty and the local attractions, the virtual journey took the tourists through Piatra Șoimului commune, that has 2 archaeological sits – the site on Horodiștea-Calu Hill (in the proximity of Piatra Șoimului village) and site on Deleni Road in Negulești village. Other two tourist attractions worth visiting, considered architectural monuments, are the Wooden house assembly (18th and 19th Centuries) in Negulești village and the wooden church ”Saint John Bogoslov” (”Sfântul Ioan Bogoslov) 1792 in Piatra Șoimului village.

Photo Gallery © ”Carmen Saeculare” Culture and Arts Centre in Neamț:

The Neamț patrimony series promoted by the Ministry of Culture could not overpass the “Bison Land”, the only place in Romania ranked in “Top 100 Sustainable Destinations” worldwide. So, tourists who want to follow the tracks of Europe’s biggest herbivore, here in Neamț, can embark on a Bison Safari adventure.

Photo Gallery: © Neamț County Council

 

The traditional villages of Neamț are picturesque, the places where eternity was born, where traditions and customs are kept and where time seems to be standing still.

In Pipirig commune, tourists can visit the entire church settlement “Saint Nicholas” (19th-20th centuries), classed as a monument of architecture, or stop by David Creangă’s Shed where dairy products were made (19th century) in Dolhești village.

 

 

Grințieș commune is another location where people are strictly preserving traditions. Thus the commune is famous for “Bujor’s band”, a local band of customs and traditions which performs on New Year’s Eve and Saint Vasile’s Day, mask games mentioned even in the writings of Alecsandri, Russo, Rosetti, Kogalniceanu and Asachi. Here, tourists can also visit a touristic attraction included in the list of historical monuments in Neamț County as a monument of local interest: The wooden church ”All saints’ Sunday”.

Photo Gallery: © ”Carmen Saeculare” Culture and Arts Centre in Neamț

Another tourist attraction that the Ministry of Culture’s representatives promoted in their posts, a place that delights the eyes of the tourists and more especially the photography enthusiasts is Lake Cuejdel in Neamț.
Well hidden in Stânișoara Mountains, also called the Cross Lake due to its shape, Cuejdel is one of the biggest natural dam lakes in Romania and undoubtedly the most spectacular one. The beauty of the wild landscape is highlighted by the water’s surface that is pierced by broken tree trunks and surrounded by the specific flora and fauna of the area.

Photo Gallery: © Neamț County Council

 

The virtual trip of promoting beautiful places in Neamț continued with the display of images and information about Agapia Nunnery, one of the biggest of its kind in Romania, which was painted by Nicolae Grigorescu, when he was only 20 years old.

 

 

 

The last stop of the virtual journey through Neamț County was “Mihail Sadoveanu” Memorial house, located in Vânători-Neamț commune, on Vovidenia Hill, in the immediate proximity of the Vovidenia Hermitage, 1 km far from Neamț Monastery.