The Suceava County

A birthplace of an old civilization, the Suceava county is situated in the North-Eastern part of Romania and on the first places as concerns its surface, number of inhabitants, and economic, tourist and human potential.

The relief is a mounatin and hilly one, with wonderful landscapes, with a dense hydrographic network, fast waters flow on sunny valleys.

The hundred thousand tourists who visit yearly this county is explained by its geographic position at a cross of roads between North and South, East and West, its neighbourhood with Ukraine, Poland, Republic of Moldova as well as to its wonderful landscapes, numberless cultural and historic monuments and artistic and folk life.

A specific feature of this county is that on a not big surface there is a great number of tourist attractions.

There are here good facilities for the summer and winter sports, for hunting and fishing, as well as for rest in large oasis of calm.

The mountains of Suceava has natural varied and attractive places. A wonderful route is the one to the Calimani volcanic massif (Pietrosul Calimanilor - 2102 m above sea level), or to the Giumaslau and Rarau massives, the last one being known for its karst relief. Some wonderful landscapes are offered by the narrow pathes of the Bistri(a Auric River, Upper Valley of Moldova and Suceava Rivers.

This county has large natural reservations of flora and fauna (stag, roebuck, bear, wild boar, capercaillie, lynx).

There are numberless landscapes which can be compared with the ones from Switzerland, France, Austria, Italy, Germany, Spain, a.o. The ecological value and proverbial hospitality of peoples create good conditions to integrate this Dornele zone into the world net of mountain values.

Among the 35 natural monuments and natural reservations, the century-old forests from Slatioara (600 ha with spruce fir trees which are over 400 years old) offers a remarkable view of the pure nature.

Among the vestiges perfectly integrated into the nature, a special mention has to be done in connection with the painted monuments which are included by the UNESCO among the masterprices of the world art. Also the International Federation of Tourism Journalists and Writers (FIJET) awarded the POMME D'OR international Prize in 1975 to this zone known now all over the world.

Among these monuments, the Voronef Monastery (1488) is shinning like a sapphire. At little distances one to another, there are reknown medieval orthodox foundations: Humor (1530), Moldovita (1532), Sucevita (1584) Monasteries visited by art and beauty lovers. Also here they are the Dragomirna Monastery (1609), an embroidery in stone, the Putna Monastery (1469) built by great Voivode Stefan cel Mare, this being also his grave.

Other monasteries of a great historic and orthodox value are the ones situated in the Stanisoara area: Slatina, Rasca and Pobota Monasteries.

The municipality of Suceava, the capital city of this county gathers about all creative and productive fields of activity which put into account the rich economic resources of Bucovina. A possible tourist route comprises the Princely Fortress of Suceava, the Sf. loan Monastery in Zamca, the Saint Dumitru, Holy Ressurection, Miruti medieval Churches. A point of interest is also the National Museum of Bucovina with its valuable historic and archaeologic exhibits.

Other towns are interesting by their specific features: Campulung Moldovenesc, the so-called Helvetian pearl of Bucovina, founded by ruler Alexandru eel Bun, and the municipality of Radauti, reknown by its fair.

For the lovers of literature, a stop in the municipality of Falticeni (a real Weimar of Romania) also called "the town of outstanding peoples". Here there are Ciprian Porumbescu's museum, Nicolae Labis' memorial house in Malini, or the folk zones of Ciocanesti, Vatra Moldovitei, Fundu Moldovei, Vama, Putna, Straja.

A special place has the village of Marginea where skilful potters make the famous black pottery known all over the world.

The Suceava county has modern accomodation facilities (over 4,000 places in hotels, inns, chalets, camp grounds, peasant households, and about 6,000 seats in restaurants), as well as over 1,000 km of modernized national and county roads and 430 km of railways.