The thick woodlands surrounding many of the villages in Maramureș help the people who live there in a variety of ways. They use trees from the surrounding forests to build their homes, barns, furniture, wagons and farming tools. They also use wood as a form of cultural expression. For example, many villagers have an intricately hand-carved wooden gate outside of their home. In addition, lots of churches in Maramureș are built of wood. Because of the abundant wooden architecture and craftsmanship, Maramureș is often called “the land of wood.”
One challenge of living in a village in Maramureș is the difficulty of getting around to other towns and cities. Most villages don’t have convenience stores or grocery stores, so the villagers often need to travel to another town if they need to buy things they cannot produce themselves. Although more people are starting to own cars, and some people hitch-hike, the vast majority of villagers still use horse-drawn wagons or their own two feet to get around. Because of this, getting to the nearest grocery store can be a full day’s excursion! One girl staying at my hostel told me she had to walk over 9 kilometers to go buy groceries. That’s nearly 6 miles!
Even though people in Breb practice a traditional lifestyle, it is becoming more common for villagers to use modern day technology. Almost everyone in Breb uses a cell phone, has a TV set and has internet access in their homes.
