Arges County.
The Monastery of Curtea de Arges.
The Valeny Monastery.
The Cotmeana Monastery.
Dambovicioara Cave.
Transfagarasan Road - Driving into the sky.
Vidraru Darn.

Arges County.

The Arges County is situated in the Central-Southern part of Romania. On its territory, near by the municipality of Pitesti (the capital of Arges County), the 45 Parallel and the 25 Meridian meet each other. The most part of its territory is the upper basin of the Arges River from which it took its name and keeps it from the beginning till now. In the Fagaras Mountains there is the Moldoveanu (2,534 m above sea level), the highest peak of the Romanian Carpathians. The Arges county is crossed by a lot of rivers and valleys of the hydrographic basins of the Arges, Vedea and Olt Rivers, the length of the main rivers being of about 1,000 km. The Arges River is 140 km long in this county. In the mountain and hilly zone there are a lot of natural ice lakes as well as man-made lakes. The natural elements, valuable historic places and modern lines of communication back the Arges county as a tourist zone of national level.

The county has 3 municipalities, 4 towns and 95 communes. The municipalities are: Pitesti (which is the capital of Arges county), Campulung Muscel and Curtea de Arges.
Piteşti (/pi'teʃtʲ/) is a city in Romania, located on the argeş River. The capital and lArgest city of argeş County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Piteşti is situated on the a1 freeway connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest, being an important railway junction.
Campulung (also spelled Cimpulung, /kɨɱpu'luŋg/), or Campulung Muscel, is a city in the argeş County, Romania. It is situated among the outlying hills of the Transylvanian alps, at the head of a long well-wooded glen traversed by the river Targului, a tributary of the argeş.
Its pure air and fine scenery render Campulung a popular summer resort. In the city there are more than twenty churches, besides a monastery and a cathedral, which both claim to have been founded, in the 13th century by Radu Negru, legendary first Prince of Wallachia.
Curtea de argeş is a city in Romania, situated on the right bank of the argeş River, where it flows through a valley of the lower Carpathians (the Făgăraş Mountains), on the railway from Piteşti to the Turnu Roşu Pass. It is part of the argeş County. The city is the site of several medieval churches (among them the Curtea de argeş Cathedral) having been a bishopric since the close of the 18th century.

If you plan to visit Romania we listed below some places that worth to be seen:

* * *

The inscriptions, the documents of the time and also the writngs of foreign travellers are very high on the architectural harmony and equilibrium of Prince Neagoe's church saying "it is one of the wonders of the world".

Begun in 1514 by Neagoe Basarab's will to have a wonderful monument built, the church was erected on the very place of the first Metropolitanate of Wallachia, under Prince's supervision and following master Manole's advice, being built in stone of albesti, marble and mosaic brought from Constantinople. although unfinished, in 1517 the Prince founder decided the Monastery of Curtea de Arges to be consacrated on the assumption of the Virgin - its dedication day - with great pomp in the presence of outstanding Orthodox religious personalities, led by the Ecumenic Patriarch Theolipt of Constantinople.

On the occasion the the consecration in august 1517, Gavriil Protul made his first description of the Arges Monastery whose beauty he thought surpassed that of Sion and St. Sofia of emperor Justinian.

after its consecration, Neagoe Basarab kept on paying a great attention to this church, having the new monastery in Arges embellished with a surrounding wall, cells, a refectory, a belfry, making it, as Gavriil Protul said "resemble God's paradise". In 1521, when the founder passed away, his body was buried in the pronaos, which thus became a princely necropolis. Radu from afumati (1522-1529) did everything that had still to be done for the church, as by his marriage to Ruxandra, Neagoe Basarab's daughter, he had taken over not only the rights, but also the duties of founder of the monastery. Thus, by his orders, on 18th September 1526, painter Dobromir finished the painting of the church.

The documents of the following centuries certify more important restorations of the church and the whole monastery during the reigns of Princes Matei Basarab (1632-1654) and Serban Cantacuzino (1678-1688). Finally, from 1875-1885, the restoration by architect andre Lecomte du Nouy (1844-1914) ssaved the monument from destruction. This restoration entailed a new painting of the monument by F. Nicolle, Ch. Renouard and Nicolae Constantinescu, thus the precious fresco by Dobromir of Targoviste being lost. Nevertheless, a few fragments can still be seen at the art Museum of the Romania and in the Collection comprising objects of religious art of the monastery.

It is worth mentioning that in 1793, when the Diocese of Arges was set up, Neagoe Basarab's foundation became episcopal residence, a rank kept till 1979.
Considering the present image of the monastery, Neagoe Basarab's foundation is still keeping its past splendour and greatness, being an evidence of the creative spirit of the Romanian nation over the centuries.

another places to visit are the Monasteries of Valeni and Cotmeana.
Situated between Ramnicu Valcea and Pitesti, these monasteries are representative for the Orthodox architecture in Wallachia, a historical province in southern Romania

* * *

The Valeny Monastery.

The Valeni monastery lies between the cities of Pitesti and Ramnicu Valcea, 60 kilometers off Pitesti.
The church has a rich history which began in the 17th century, when Josima, a monk descending from the boyar family of Gradisteni founded a hermitage. We don't know exactly whether that hermitage was affiliated to a monastery or tosome other institution. Later it became affiliated to Wallachia's Metropolitan Bishopric, at the time based in Bucharest. During the Russian -Turkish wars in late 18th century, the church was vandalized and the monks put to death. Two or three survivors were transferred to the monastery of Robaia, a monks' monastery at the time, by Iosif, the first Bishop of the Arges county, who decided to establish a strong nuns' monastery, gathering nuns from several hermitages in the region. When it was closed down in 1960, the monastery had 160 nuns. Now, only 30 nuns have been left there.

after being turned into a nunnery, Valeni monastery flourished mainly because the nuns there were working hard in tailorsâa‚¬Ëœshops, weaving very nice carpets and all sorts of floss silk things. Today, the monastery makes church vestments that arouse the tourists interest.

The monastery has got two churches, the church's infirmary built in 1888 and the large church of the monastery which is situated in the centre of the complex and has a very interesting history. Built by Josima in 1662, it was a masonry church that was not spacious enough during the nuns' time and then a larger church was built behind the small one which was completed in 1886. When the building was completed, the small church was pulled down and on the site where the altar holy table used to stand, there was a candle holder with the candle being permanently lit. In 1940 the steeple, being quite high and not supported by pillars, fell down and with it the nave and the altar screen collapsed; only the narthex and the porch remaining standing. Between 1950-1955 the church was restored to the way it looks today and was consecrated by Patriarch Justinian.

Probably due to the fact that the villages in the valley are twinned with villages in France , most of the visitors of Valeni monastery come from France . But there also tourists from Greece , america , Italy , Britain . Not only Orthodox but also Catholic, anglican, Protestant believers and even free thinkers ask questions about this organization and the principles of Orthodoxy. Catholics are curious to see mural paintings and ask questions about them. This organization can very much compare to the Benedictine monasteries because they share certain principles with the Orthodox monasteries, that is hard work and pray.

* * *

The Cotmeana Monastery.

Dating back to 1385, the Cotmeana monastery is a monument illustrating the development of the 14th century architecture in Muntenia, the southern region of Romania . It is located between the towns of Pitesti and Ramnicu Valcea, more precisely 32 km away from Pitesti, the capital of Arges county. The monasteries have facades made of face brick and are embellished with Byzantine - Balkan style decorations dating back to the 14th century. They have also 14th century bells.

This monastery was founded by Mircea the Old. There is a picture featuring him holding the Cotmeana church in his hand, as it looked at that time. In the background is see a steeple where, they say, there is the oldest bell in Wallachia, which had been donated by boyar Dragomir in 1385 and which fell down following an earthquake. The bell is now in the belfry at the gate. as the story goes, Mircea the Old founded this monastery on the occasion of a battle. There was an older hermitage on that place, dating probably from 1100, and Mircea the Old came to pray there and promised to the monks that if he won the battle he would rebuild the monastery. He kept his promise, won the battle and rebuilt the monastery, endowing it with estates, several gypsy villages and it seems that even the surrounding villages were founded with the bondsmen brought over by Mircea the Old. Of course, that was a very important monastery. It was secularized during Prince alexandru Ioan Cuza and was closed down during the Communist period until 1990.
after the 1989 Revolution, the Cotmeana monastery, just like other places of worship in Romania , has been restored.

* * *

250 m long, this cave has the aspect of little ramificated gallery, with an ascendent line (see the map); it can be easyly visited, having the ceiling higher the a man (aprox. 2 m).
In the interior there are good visiting conditions - slight air current sign that there is an other entrance. Temperature is between 10-12°C, and the humitidt is moderate. The fauna is relatively poor: no cave spieces have been found, only fossiles of the cave bear (Ursus spelaeus).

The cave is known since 1579, year in which the cave is attested documentary during Mihnea Turcitul ruling. Later in 1767, J. Fridvalsky writes about this cave in a scientific work Mineralogia magni Principatus Transilvaniae, some this cave is the first Karst form from Wallachia mentioned in a scientific study.

Recent researches descovered new galleries, but there are not yet introduced in the visiting circuit.

Even is not very important from speleogical point of view (many of the stalactites and stalagmites being destroyed by some visitors), the cave is an important touristic objective, by its localisation, at the bottom of Piatra Craiului, with many natural beauties, with chamois and vultures, ozonized air, clear waters.

In this picturesque area there some halting places like "Brusturet" or "Piatra Craiului" Chalets and varied monuments created by man: Oratea Fortress, Dambovicioara Bridge etc.

* * *

Transfagarasan Road - Driving into the sky.

an unique experience of crossing the Carpathians on the N-S direction at a maximum altitude of 2000 m on the highest road in Romania - the Transfagarasan road. The multitude of charming sights and the beauty of the monuments we visit in this tour will leave you a very nice memory about Romania. On the return path, The Olt valley will charm your eyes with its landscapes.

Built as a strategic military route, The Transfagarasan (trans + Fagaras) or DN7C is the highest and most dramatic paved road in Romania. It runs north to south across the tallest sections of the Carpathians, between the highest peak in the country, Moldoveanu, and the second highest, Negoiu. The road connects the historic regions of Transylvania and Wallachia, and the cities of Sibiu and Pitesti.

The road was constructed between 1970 and 1974, during the reign of Nicolae Ceausescu. It came as a response to the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia by the Soviet Union. Ceausescu wanted to insure quick military access across the mountains in the event the Soviets attempted a similar move into Romania. Consequently, the road was built mainly with military forces, at a high cost both financially and from a human standpoint-roughly 6 million kilograms of dynamite were used on the northern face, and about 40 soldiers lost their lives in building accidents.

The road climbs to 2,034 meters of altitude. The most spectacular route is from the north. It is a winding road, dotted with steep hairpin turns, long S-curves, and sharp descents. The Transfagarasan is both an attraction and a challenge for hikers, bicyclists, drivers and motorcycle enthusiasts alike. Due to the topography, the average speed is around 40 km/h. The road also provides access to Balea Lake and Balea Waterfall.

The road is usually closed from late October until late June because of snow. Depending on the weather, it may remain open as late as November. It also may be closed at other times because of weather conditions (occasionally it snows even in august). There is a sign at the town of Curtea de Arges that provides information on passage. The traveler can find food and lodging at several hotels or chalets (cabane) along the way.

It has more tunnels (a total of 5) and viaducts than any other road in Romania; in the vicinity of the highest point, at Balea Lake, the road passes through the longest road tunnel in Romania (884 m).

among the attractions along the southern section of the road, near the village of arefu, is the Poienari fortress. The castle served as the residence of Vlad III the Impaler, the king who inspired Bram Stoker's Dracula character. There is a parking area and a path to the ruins.

The northern section is used as a part of yearly cyclism competition Tour of Romania (Romanian: Turul Romaniei). The difficulty of this section is considered to be very similar to Hors_Categorie climb (literally beyond categorization) in Tour de France.

* * *

Vidraru Darn.

In 1965, the Vidraru Dam was ranking 27th in height in Europe. The building of this dam took 5 years and a half. There are 42 km of underground galleries.

at the time it was inaugurated, the Vidraru Dam ranked 5th in Europe and 9th in the world among similar buildings. It is made out of concrete, it is 166 m high and it contains 9 inner horizontal galleries.

The amount of energy that is produced here every year is of 400 GWh.The Vidraru lake is located on the Arges river and is 28 km long.

and the list can go on... there are also many another places to visit in Arges.

* * *