The Architectural Complex from Maramureș County

     The architectural complex coming from Maramureș county was transferred to the museum in 1973 from the villages of Ferești and Berbești, and illustrates the construction and ornamentation techniques of the hardwood houses of Cosăului Valley, seen in evolution.

     The archaic farmhouse of Ferești is built in a technique specific to the 15th-17th centuries and has a hall in the middle, a cold pantry and a living room. The small door is decorated with the sign of the cross, for protection. The unglazed walls are insulated with forest moss and the floor is made of rammed earth. 

      The house of the "nemeș" (entitled peasant) from Berbești dates from around the 18th or 19th centuries, and is built on a plinth of large boulders joined with yellow earth binder. It has four rooms: a hall, two living rooms and a pantry added along the length of the building. The open porch is decorated with carved arches on two sides. Its two roof eyes designate the smoke exhaust system.

     The house has a best room, which in some circumstances is also a living room, as one of the rooms was allocated to the elders if they lived with their children. The family wealth is displayed here, including the carpet which depicts the traditional dance of the area, called ”horă”.