Maramures (2)

One cannot visit Maramures without seeing Sighet and there the Memorial of the victims of Communism. I grew up with the stories told by my grandma about the people leaving the village and hiding in the mountains for political reasons: they didn't want to be part of the Communism regime, they didn't want their cattle and land to be taken, they didn't want to become atheist, they didn't want to be able to speak only when they were allowed to. I think they were brave and determined and with a straight spine. 

 all the little spots on the Romanian map were places where people opposing the regime were killed. When you enter the memorial, the walls bear thousands of names and faces of the people have died or have been imprisoned. Some were merely children and some were very old, yet they knew no mercy.

 this particular letter send from prison made me cry. the man says he is fine, bug begs his family to send a shirt, underwear anything, because it's so cold in the prison where he sleeps on bare cement. His tone is desperate, yet he assures everybody back home of his love.

 some of the things that were saved in time from the people imprisoned. A lot of intellectuals as well as students, peasants were punished for invented guilt. They sew letters. Yes sew letters and carved small objects from wood, bones, stone to keep their sanity.

 The place where Iuliu Maniu died. In the corner there is a plate with a spoon. Cold chills I felt. His body was thrown in a common grave. There were also 2 more cells called the black pit with only some chains on the ground. Couldn't enter as I knew I won't be able to take the negative energy of the place.

A room commemorates Nicolae Steinhardt. I read his book, the Diary of Happiness while in high school. It depicts the daily life of the imprisoned, the torture and the way to salvation. This man converted from Judaism to Orthodox-ism and later on became a monk and a writer. But what is important here is the fight against religious oppression. Maybe that's why the not very young generation still fills up the churches every Sunday. When you went to a time of demolished churches or praying in secret you feel a different kind of connections to spirituality.

The decreasing number of the German minority

I will always love you carved the husband  (Nicu) on the soap that he sent to his imprisoned wife.
She couldn't use the soap.

this is one of the imprisoned women from my grandma's village (20 years for being against regime). Others were imprisoned for 6 or 15 years just for hearing about negative elements of society and not turning them in.

Their faces:

After seeing Sighet a sort of heaviness made us go to Barsana monastery and recharge with some positive energy. Below, some photos from that beautiful place: