Ceahlau, Neamt 5.08

Ceahlău is a commune in Neamț County, Romania. It is composed of three villages: Bistricioara, Ceahlău and Pârâul Mare.AttractionsIn addition to a respectable church at Bistricoara, the village of Ceahlău has a larger 19th century wooden church, with wild swirling spires similar to those at Curtea de Argeș in Argeș County. The village of Ceahlău also features a handful of three and four-star guesthouses and a hotel facing the beautiful Bicaz Lake (Lacul Bicaz or Lacul Izvorul Muntelui, meaning "Mountain Spring Lake"). In addition to a little local general store, the village offers an ethnographic museum, and the remains of a princely castle just up behind the museum. Lodging at Ceahlău is a reasonable alternative to the higher prices of the resort community of Durău further up the river.GeographyCeahlău is on the edge of the Ceahlău Massif portion of the Eastern Carpathian Mountains. The village itself runs along the Hermitage Brook (pârâul Schitu), and includes a small portion on the north-west side of the river along Mountain Spring Lake.Ceahlău communeCeahlău commune is made up of three main villages, that of Ceahlău, along with Bistricioara on the main road from Piatra Neamţ, and Pârâul Mare . All of these villages are sited in the mountains, situated along the main watercourses which flow out of the surrounding peaks and ranges.Ceahlău VillageThe actual village of Ceahlău is the seat of local government for the wider eponymous township, with about 1500 villagers, mostly along the Pârâul Schit which runs through the village centre. The settlement here was originally named satul Schit .