The village of Breb in Maramures, Romania feels like stepping back in time. The villagers live a traditional, self-sufficient agricultural lifestyle where they produce their own food and goods. Though some modern technologies like cell phones have been adopted, traditional practices like using scythes, oxen and horses, and wooden homes persist. The villagers are warm and welcoming people, and the surrounding natural areas provide opportunities to explore forests and mountains home to diverse plants and animals.
2. Breb
When you first arrive in Breb, it’s hard not to fall in
love with this little farm village hidden in a valley on
the foot of mount Gutâi. With only 500 houses but
lots of fields and orchards in between, Breb feels
very intimate, yet spacious at the same time. This
place seems very special, and it certainly is!
3. Breb feels a lot like stepping back in time. The people cutting the grass with scythes, the oxes
and horses plough the land, the traditional costumes worn on sundays, the ancient crafts like
woodcutting and weaving still visible, wooden porches and fences in front of the houses, and
medieval washing machines in the rivers. It all comes alive in Breb, because it never
disappeared.
4. All this, and more, is what Breb makes so special and why we decided to settle here and
want to share it with others. To experience this old way of life in an agricultural setting,
where the households are self-sufficient in producing their own food and many more things,
can be a true inspiration.
The villagers of Breb are hardworking, open and warm people. They are never too busy for
a talk, to show you the way or even to invite you in their homes.
5. Of course Breb is not all about living history, new things have appeared. Nowadays mobile phones
are used by almost every villager, some of the horses are replaced by tractors and televisions can be
seen shining through the windows in the evenings.
6. Animals are playing a big role in the village life of Breb. You’ll see lots of horses, sheep and
chickens.
The animals provide them with fresh dairy products, wool, meat and eggs.
7. From the village of Breb you can easily explore the nature around it.
This mountain can be seen from lots of places in the village.
Mount Gutâi with it’s
surroundings has an unique
bio system, with a lot of
special plants and
animals. Foxes, lynx,
wolves and even bears are
habited in this area..
8. The Wooden Church of Breb
While not listed in the UNESCO World
Heritage site list, the wooden church in Breb
is among the oldest of the preserved
churches of Maramures.
9.
10. Every home has a huge garden,
which provides all the fruits and
vegetables for the family
Traditional hand-carved wooden gate at
the entrance of a home in Breb,
Maramures, Romania
