These attractions offer not only a pleasant way to spend the time but also interesting information about the history of this place, about the fauna of the forests from Neamt County and about the stories full of funny moments presented by our greatest story teller Ion Creanga. We are talking about Neamt Stronghold, Ion Creanga Memorial House and “Dragos Voda” Aurochs Reservation.

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Neamt Stronghold is located on Culmea Plaiesului Hill and was built by ruler Petru Musat in XIV century. The location is brought to life by thousands of tourists that come to see this place every year. This historic monument that watches over the entire Ozana Valley was rehabilitated from 2009 when the old ruins of the stronghold were transformed in a true touristic attraction. Tourists can see how the old chambers of the stronghold looked. The old church St Nicolae, the kitchen, the bedrooms or the terrace are only few of the hot spots that you can visit here. View photos of Neamt Stronghold.

Ion Creanga Memorial House is a typical traditional Moldavian house and the place where tourists come to discover the humorous atmosphere from the stories of Ion Creanga. Here in this small traditional house every visitor tries to spot all the objects that are mentioned in the stories of Ion Creanga … and be sure that everything is there. Visit this local attraction for a traditional touristic experience. View photos of Ion Creanga Memorial House.

“Dragos Voda” Aurochs Reservation and Carpathian Fauna is located near Neamt Monastery and is the place where you can come face to face with the former king of the Neamt forests: the Moldavian Bison – Aurochs. Tourists can admire only 6 of the 28 aurochs that live here (the rest are into the forests from Vanatori Natural Park). In this touristic attraction you can also see and other animals such as: the bear, the wolf, the boar or different species of deer. Visit this place and admire the mighty aurochs.

Images from the “Dragos Voda” Aurochs Reservation from Neamt County

Google Map for touristic objectives from the route Piatra Neamt – Bicaz – Borca

The Royal Court and Church from Piatra Neamt – The church from the Royal Court, with the patron of St. Joan, was built by Stefan cel Mare (Stefan the Great) between 1468 and 1475. Together with the bell-tower it forms an architectural complex that can be seen in the center of Piatra Neamt, in the Liberty Market. Right near the Royal Court we can see the church St. Joan, which was built between 1497 and 1498. Together with the church St Joan, in 1499 the bell-tower was also built.

The Art Museum from Piatra Neamt – The building in which the museum is located was built in 1930 by Italians Carol Zani and Vicenzo Puschiasis. Here we can see an exhibit of ethnographic art and traditional art (textile, ceramics, furniture) which illustrates the habits and the clothing from this area. The museum represents a panoramic vision of the evolution of art (paintings, graphics, sculptures, tapestry) made by Romanian artists at the end of the XX century. In works of sculptors like Ion Irimescu and Ion Jalea, painters like Gh Petrascu, Fr Sirato, N Tonitza, Corneliu Baba we can see the period between the two world wars – a period marked by the incidence of the European currents evolved in the XX century.

The Ethnography Museum of Piatra Neamt – Founded in 1980, the Ethnography Museum hosts an impressive collection of ethnographic objects and traditional art from Neamt area which illustrates the occupations, customs and clothing but also traditional wood architecture.

The Equestrian Complex from Piatra Neamt is considered to be the most beautiful in the country because of the scenery and how it’s built and maintained. Founded in 1986, in a place surrounded by beautiful hills with green vegetation, the equestrian base is a real attraction point for tourists and for those that want to practice the sport of ridding. Everyone can participate to classes on how to ride horses. The program also includes Touristic Rides and Rides with the Carriage. During the summer you can go on mountain ridding with horses specially trained for this kind of routes. Kids have a pony, so it doesn’t matter if you are big or small: you’ll have a great time here and something to tell your friends about.

Telegondola from Piatra Neamt – If you reach Piatra Neamt it would be a shame not to go and see the city from above, from the comfort of Telegondola that goes above the city. This construction is one of the biggest achievements of the Local Council in terms of touristic attractions. The starting point is at the train station and it arrives on top of hill Cozla. This is the most spectacular way to get on top of the hill Cozla and also the quickest.

Bistrita Monastery – Located at a distance of 8 km west of Piatra Neamt, on the national road DN15 to Bicaz, in Alexandru cel Bun commune, the monastery lasted for over 600 years despite the hardships of history. The monastery from Bistrita has a great historical and archeological value because it’s one of the oldest from Neamt County. Here we can find the tombs of some great Romanian princes like Alexandru cel Bun.

Pangarati Monastery – The monastery is located near DN15 (National Road 15) that links the towns Piatra Neamt and Bicaz, near the hydroelectric from Stejaru. Pangarati Monastery is first mentioned at the beginning of the XV century in the year 1460 when the monk Simeon, which was one of the advisers of Stefan cel Mare (Stefan the Great), built here the first wooden church. The church has a unique architecture: the windows are from wood with an iron grate. The exterior walls of the church are whitewashed.

Vaduri Lake – Geographically, Vaduri Lake is located at an altitude of 350 m with Stanisoarei Mountains at north and Gosmanu Mountains at south. This is a lake that was created in 1966 to provide electrical energy and just like Pangarati Lake it is the property of S.C. Hidroelectrica S.A. from Piatra Neamt. This place offers ideal conditions to spend the winter for some bird species.

Pangarati Lake – Geographically, Pangarati Lake is located on the transversal sector from Bistrita River Valley at an altitude of 370 m. As natural borders we see Stanisoarei Mountain to the north and the Gosmanu Mountain to the south. The lake represents an important place where many migrating birds are stopping by, because of the rich food that its waters provide.

The Art Museum “Iulia Halaucescu” was first opened in November 2003 in the village Tarcau, in the building where once was the old school. The museum is formed by six rooms that host 120 art works and personal belongings of Iulia Halaucescu. The museum manages to reconstruct some aspects from the life of the artist and to also light a glimpse of the past.

The Dam from Bicaz was built between 1950 and 1960 between two mountains called Gicovanu and Obcina Horstei. The dam it’s impressive by its proportions, with a length of 435 m, height 127 m and 119 m width at the base. It also offers an incredible view to the entire valley and Izvorul Muntelui Lake.

Izvorul Muntelui Lake is also known as Bicaz Lake and it took birth because of Bicaz Dam. The lake is the biggest artificial lake organized on interior rivers from Romania and it’s also the place where in sunny days we can see the reflection of the mighty Ceahlau Mountain.

The Wooden Church from Farcasa – built in 1774 by people that came from Ardeal to Moldova, the church from Farcasa was rebuilt in 1951 and its one of the most valued religious monuments from Bistrita Valley.

A one day trip from Piatra Neamt to the Monastery Petru Voda represents a true adventure for the tourists that want to discover the natural wonders from this place. The starting point for this journey is the town Piatra Neamt, from where you follow the national road DN 15 that goes to Bicaz. At 8 km after you exit the town you can make your first stop to the Monastery Bistrita. This monastery was built and reinforced by rulers Alexandru cel Bun, Petru Musat and Stefan cel Mare (Stefan the Great) and managed to resist to all the difficulties for more than 600 years.

After you leave the monastery you continue the trip and the next stop is a belvedere point on the shore of the Lake Pangarati. This lake is a protected area and here you can watch the birds that also stop here during the winter migration. Right after this point you’ll see on the right the road that goes to the Monastery Pangarati. This religious place dates from the XV century and the most interesting architectural building is the old church. The particular and unique fact about this church is that there are in fact two churches built on top of each other.

After this stop you’ll go through the town Bicaz where you can visit the Museum of Ethnography. This museum also hosts a special room with the paintings of Iulia Halaucescu. After you leave Bicaz on the road that goes to Izvorul Munteului you’ll see the Dam from Bicaz. This dam is a true architectural achievement with a length of 435 m, height 127 m and a base width of 119 m. You can stop on top of the dam and see the beauty of the Lake Izvorul Muntelui on one side and the entire valley and the town Bicaz on the other side. The lake Izvorul Muntelui is the biggest artificial lake organized on the interior rivers from Romania, with a length of 40 km.

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Right on the shore of the lake Izvorul Muntelui you can see the entertainment harbor from where you can make a small cruise on the lake or rent a boat, a water-bicycle or a motor-boat. Near the commune Potoci there is a great belvedere place from where you can see the lake and the dam and from where you can also buy some trout from the local trout-farm. In the sunny days from here you can see the great mountain Ceahlau reflecting in the waters of the lake.

The road continues in a series of curves, going through the villages that are built along the lake. After few kilometers you’ll reach the viaduct Poiana Largului where you can see the rock called Piatra Teiului (the locals also call it The Devil’s Rock). In this place the road separates: to the left you can go to the Durau resort and to the right, where we are going, to the Monastery Petru Voda.

This road that goes to the monastery will get you in the town Targu Neamt in the end, from where you can return to Piatra Neamt, making a complete circle. At 10 km from the viaduct you’ll see a country road that goes on the left, to the Monastery Petru Voda. This monastery was built in the XX century and became quickly a place of interest for pilgrims because of father Iustin Parvu.

From here you can return to Piatra Neamt on the same road that you came or you can continue the road, reach the town Targu Neamt and from there Piatra Neamt in a complete circle.

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