Baia mare - city of gold - is the capital of Maramures County. The town was first documented in 1329 and developed as a gold-mining center in the 14th and 15th centuries under the name Rivulus Dominarum, which comes from the wives of the local miners, who used to wash the ore extracted by their husbands in the waters of the Sasar River. For more than 2,000 years the town’s history is bound up with mining as it was the major mining center of Romania where gold, silver, and other nonferrous metals where extracted.

Lying at the foot of the Gutai Mountains, Baia Mare does not look attractive at first sight, but behind those bleak socialist buildings, hides an amazing medieval Old Town - pearl of the city. In the Old Center of Baia Mare where local fairs used to be now you will find renovated Piata Libertatii surounded by cheerily hued 15th- and 19th-century buildings bursting with lively bars and chic cafes. The oldest house here, dating from the 1440s, stands on the east side of the square, a lone remnant of a long-gone castle built by Transylvanian prince Iancu de Hunedoara for his wife Elisabeta. In the center of Old City stands the most majestic and iconic landmark of Baia Mare - Gothic-style 45 meters tall Stephen's Tower that counts almost six centuries. Near the historic center is Piata Izvoarelor - Baia Mare's main open-air food market. Next to it stands the only remaining part of the town's 15th century medieval fortifications, the Butchers' Tower.

Besides the city’s historic center, culture and traditions, Baia Mare has the magnificent landscape of mountains and rolling hills. So, when traveling to Baia Mare don't forget to explore historical Maramures region which also includes Breb village (worth visiting).