The Romania Photo of the Day created in partnership with stock photo provider Dreamstime aims to highlight the best of Romania. From stunning landscapes and popular tourist destinations and landmarks to people, traditions, and food, this series helps you discover Romania one photo at a time. This week, we put the focus on beautiful Romanian landscapes in autumn colors. 

The Rodnei Mountains National Park is the largest natural protected area in northern Romania, and the second largest reserve in the country. (Photo source - click on the number to get to the photo 7360176 © Rechitan Sorin | Dreamstime.com) 

The park, which covers more 47,000 hectares and contains the entire Rodna massif, including Mt. Pietrosu Mare (the tallest of the Eastern Carpathians group), extends over the territory of the Maramureș and Bistrița-Năsăud counties. It is one of the three UNESCO-declared biosphere reserves in Romania, together with the Danube Delta and Retezat National Park.

It is one of the most picturesque natural areas of Maramures and enchants all the guests who visit it, says planiada.ro, with its glacial lakes, such as Lala and Iezer, its caves such as Tăușoare, Zânelor, and Laptelui, its waterfalls, such as the Cailor Waterfall (which is the highest natural waterfall in the country) and the Buhăescu Mare waterfall, as well as its abundance of enchanting plants and wild animals.

Furthermore, it is surrounded by 17 communes where one can see old wooden churches, windmills, and traditional houses.

Other interesting things to visit in the area are historic monuments such as the Moisei Monastery, which was built in the 17th century, the 18th century wooden church of Lower Borșa, the 18th century Roman Catholic church in the village of Rodna, and St. Peter and Paul Church in Săcel, built in the early 20th century. There is also the workshop and kiln of Burnar Tănase and Dumitru Burnar Tănase (son and grandson of the famous potter Cocean Tănase), the last potters doing Săcel clay work.

maia@romania-insider.com