Skiing in Romania in Maramures County

Borsa and Maramures before 1948

Romania had the opportunity to organize the 1948 Winter Olympics, but missed everything. Theevent should take place at Borsa, but it was abandoned. It was scheduled immediately after theSecond World War to take place at Borsa.

If this would have happened, Borsa as a resort could become a city where international competitionstake place. Unfortunately Borsa fell as a choice for organizing this competition as a result of thevotes that were given. Then the Olympics were held in St. Moritz in Switzerland.

The reason was a political one because communists were already beginning to settle in Romania.After the war, power was imposed by Stalin and then it was clear that they could not choose a statethat had to do with communism. This was the reason for not choosing Borsa.

Then Borsa was a great battlefield for tourism promotion, as the Brasov area during the interwarperiod. Francisc Nistor, famous photographer and initiator of the first museum of ethnography ofMaramures is helping the development of tourism in Maramures. He also makes numerous reportsabout winter sports in this part of the country. But he also discovers that all the chalets which werebuild in the interwar period were burnt down.

Francisc Nistor founded the first ski school in Maramures. He also founded the tourism in thiscounty and marked the first time with the club which he led 125 km of hiking trails for the first time.

In Prislop between 1936-1938 was built one of the most beautiful inns that was ever made inMaramures, an architectural gem of wood, with the financial support of the Royal House, especiallyof King Michael. Because King Michael visited Borsa, even if it was a summer period in 1939 in thepresence of Dimitrie Gusti. He gave a sum of money for sleeping in Prislop, and he make a journeyon foot and then by horse to ?tiol Lake and the Blue Spring of Iza.

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Hungarians started the investment before WW1

The first design for winter sports at Borsa is due to foreigners. Hungarians built the Olympic slope,the first chalets, all to create a place conducive to the development of these sports. The whole storybegan in 1914 when Greater Hungary had the highest mountain peak in the empire, in RodnaMountains, called Pietrosul Rodnei. Then was thought that in this area, where there are the bestathletes at the time, with investment in sports, It could be organized their winter Olympics inGreater Hungary.

Borsa was best situated, as rainfall, but also as altitude and were determined to score Borsa to hostWinter Olympics made by the Hungarian Kingdom. They started the first works, they built a slopewhich today is called the Olympic slope, built the first chalets, the current school complex, the first

building of its kind, then they made Stibina chalet, the chalet from Puzdrele area, which had to takestaff dealing with the Olympics.

The slope remained and it was still used until 1986, when was moved to another side. By 2000,however, the idea to make such an investment there on a project started during the communistperiod, was there to be made a cable car linking the current ski to the former Olympic slope.

The future of winter sports at Borsa

Currently there are no longer organized sporting events, no more races, nothing of what was onceon the slopes. At the moment at Borsa winter sports fans can come and practice only skiing.

City Hall began in 2009 a project to arrange a gondola project, which is currently blocked. Mostlikely the project, which was started on time of former government will resume next year, accordingto the most optimistic forecasts of local government.