HEAD FOR THE HILLS: Kath Griffiths' life-long love affair with Romania. In 2004, Griffiths first arrived in Romania and was instantly captivated by its landscapes, traditions, and people. Living in a Szekler village while joining a friend’s film crew, they experienced a way of life rooted in farming, craft, and communal exchange. Over time, travels across the country revealed Romania’s rich biodiversity, layered history, and resilient folk culture, much of which survived communist attempts at erasure. From embroidered clothing and woven wool to painted furniture and dowry chests, its textile heritage remains vibrant, preserved in museums, villages, and churches, and still practiced in daily life. Today, Romania continues to enchant with its Saxon villages, wooden churches, and medieval towns, and the author’s enduring affection for its traditions and landscapes draws her back again and again. "Romania boasts a stunning array of textile heritage. Until relatively recently, girls were taught to embroider from a young age. Much of the winter was spent making and embellishing textile items, often by candlelight. In many areas, there is a long tradition of growing hemp to be woven into everything from household linens and clothes to grain sacks, and nearly everything was home-produced or bartered with neighbours. In the more mountainous areas, wool textiles are still commonly made, and heavy felted wool clothing and blankets are made in fulling mills from local wool, which is spun, woven, and then felted using hammers powered by the water wheel." Be transported through the article on a journey into rural Romania, and find inspiration in an accompanying travel guide - full of museum and market tips to inspire an adventure within the region. Discover more in Issue 126, Deco. Available to purchase via selvedge.org, or via our link in bio. - Credits: Article by @parnaramarama Images: Maramureș and Brasov, Transylvannia, Romania. - #Romania #Transylvania #SzeklerLand #Maramures #SelvedgeMagazine #Bucovina #SaxonVillages #RomanianHeritage #TextileHeritage #FolkCulture #EmbroideryArt #Handwoven #CraftTraditions #TraditionalCrafts #WoolWeaving #HeritageTravel