Curtea de Argeş  and the Upper Argeş River Valley

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THE REAL DRACULA'S CASTLE LAKE VIDRARU THE OLD COURT TRANSFĂGĂRAŞEAN ROAD AREFU VILLAGE

Curtea de Argeş:  The Old Capital City

The modern history of the Romanian people came together in Curtea de Argeş as the home of Romania's first princes in the 14th Century, and is the burial place of Romania's 20th Century kings and queens.

Perched on the right bank of the Argeş River as it flows out of the Făgăraş chain of the Carpathian mountains, Curtea de Argeş developed along the river, capitalising on it's position as a trade route between the plains and the mountain passes to the north. 

The city is one of the oldest in Romania and served an important function as the capital of the nascent Wallachia principality at the very birth of what is now a national Romania.

Founded early in the 14th century by Prince Radu Negru, Curtea succeeded Câmpulung as capital of Wallachia, with a full palatial court and church complex built by Basarab I.

As a tourist, you've lucked out with the great road signs and informative signs showing you the main sights of the town.

From your arrival at the great old 1900s train station or the bus station nearby, once you hit the main boulevard, you'll find the major attractions nicely marked in this tourist-friendly town.

Cool Curtea!

The town is on the railway and on the road from Piteşti to the Turnu Roşu Pass to the north, making Curtea de Argeş the de facto gateway to the beautiful Făgăraş mountains to the north.

Holding treasures like the real Dracula castle at Poienari, the deep emerald waters of Lake Vidraru and it's dam, and of course, perched high atop the mountains, Bâlea Lake, frozen through the summer months at over 2000 metres high!

The Court of Argeş

The main not-to-be missed attraction in this old town is indeed the remains of Wallachia's oldest administrative building, dating from the 14th century, and the amazingly well preserved church (the oldest in it's original form in Wallachia) adjacent to the court, also from the mid 1300s. 

A statue of Prince Basarab I stands guard over his creation, a great old church. This court, palace and church complex in many ways marked the incept of Romnanian nationalism, solidifying further the trend of a strong administration for the region.  The first Prince Basarab was buried in his church in 1352, with his son completing the palatial court complex soon after his death. 

Don't miss the great old Byzantine frescoes painted during this time, now being painstakingly restored by removing overlays of more recent works. 

Open Daily except Mondays, 10a - 6p
 

The Municipal Museum

A reasonable adjunct to your photo-taking at the old church and court is the municipal museum, with informative panels and displays showing what early Wallachia was like in this very important region in Romania's history.

Curtea de Argeş served as the regional capital for Wallachia during an important period of Romania's history, on capital in a chain which lead out of the mountains, and down onto the wide Wallachian plains to where it is today at Bucharest.

Open Daily Except Mondays, 9a - 3p.  Str. Negru Vodă, 0248 711446

See also the San Nicoara Ruins (behind the museum), worth a quick look and some more photos!

The Monastery Church of Curtea de Argeş

Built by yet another in the succession of Princes Basarab, the delightfully ornate and grand vision which is the Curtea de Argeş monastery, complete with it's centrepiece church is sure to impress.

Photo Above

About a kilometre up the main drag (busses run frequently up B-dul Basarabilor) from the Princely Court is this wondrous little church, part of the main monastery complex there.

Warning:  This is a Very Bad Day
to Forget Your Camera!

Just make sure you stand very still and look only at small portions at one time of this astonishingly ornate church, or else you will come dizzy from the elaborate details of small flowers and wings, intricate lace-like patterns, and lavish twists and fanciful trim. 

All this architectural brou-ha-ha culminates in twin towers equally festooned with giddy abandon by the clearly inspired architect.  First finished in the early 1500s, the current Monastery Church was "rehabilitated" in the late 1800s by French workers.   This makes much of the more recent mosaics and woodwork as more of a French or Italian influence than being strictly Romanian, but it's still a sight to behold.

 Romania's royalty are buried here in white marble tombs, including Romania's first modern King, Carol I and next to him Queen Elizabeth, buried here in 1914 and 1916 respectively.  

Ferdinand I and Queen Mary are also there, the last Romanian monarchs to die, the English-born Mary in 1938. 

Church of the Master The main church in Curtea de Argeş looking great with some mid-winter snows on the grounds

Fotografia:  Sol Turism Ag

If you've already been to the beautiful Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, you will have seen that Mary was indeed a spiritual and interesting woman.  You may be surprised to learn her heart is not buried in Curtea de Argeş at all, but is in fact entombed in golden box at Castle Bran up the road a ways towards Braşov!

In addition to the royal burial grounds and great old frescoes, have a look at Manole's well in the small park across from the church.  The well is part of a natural spring there, although some vaguely amusing folklore surrounds the well, supposedly made by the builder of the Monastery Church as he jumped off (or was pushed off, the story varies slightly). 

If you like what you see, there is another church in Ceahlau in the Moldova region which has similar tours and figures on it, although built in wood, it's typical of the era. 

Open Daily, 9am - 6pm, 60 lei admission, 30 lei cameras

Read More about the Monastery Church in History Below!

The Church of the Master (Biserica Domneasca)

Another important church is the Biserica Domnească (Church of the  Master, meaning the Prince or Lord of the Local Ruling Family) built by Mircea cel Bătrân, completely renovated in 2003-2004.

It resembles a stone fortress, connected through catacombs to a guard tower on a nearby hill. 

Other Interesting Stops in town:   sBiserica Olari, and the Dumitru Norocea memorial residence.

Dracula's Castle

Most tourists will be shocked to find out that Poienari is actually the real castle home of Dracula.  If indeed you believe that Vlad Ţepeş was actually Dracula of course!

Poienari Castle looms in a convincing and dramatic manner over the deep cuts of the valley walls, looking very much the part for all things sinister.  Whilst not as ornate as the more visited name-sake castles to the east and north, Poienari is nonetheless the actual home and fortification built by the Dark Prince.

  See where the Bride of Dracula Leapt to Her Death! 

The wife of Vlad the Impaler supposedly threw herself out the window at Poienari Castle rather than allow herself to be captured by the Turks besieging the castle at the time.   

Vlad escaped by affixing horseshoes which looked like cowprints in the riverbank mud of the Argeş river, vexing his Ottoman trackers.

Ţepeş managed to take quite a few Turk invaders as hostage, and forced them into building much of the building's foundations.   A long series of steps (about 15 minutes) lead up from the hydroelectric facility along the lake, with an attendant charging 1€ per person.

Catch a maxi-taxi from near the train station or along the main boulevard (Basarabilor), and you'll be delivered right to the steps of the castle (about 40 lei each).   It's open 9am - 5pm daily, and entry is 20 lei, with an extra 10 lei camera fee.   The maxi-taxi stop is down the road a bit from the steps if there is not one waiting at the steps. 

Read more on the Dracula legend here

Lake Vidraru and the Transfăgărăşean

Although not quite a natural lake as it was formed by damming the Argeş river for a hydroelectric plant in the early 1960s,  Vidraru is nonetheless a rather stunning mountain valley lake, a favourite of locals and tourists alike.

An afternoon swim after a day of sightseeing is a great mid-afternoon pastime in the summer months before returning to Curtea de Argeş.  

There are several great chalets, cabins and roadside inns around Lake Vidraru, offering everything from a quick bite to eat or a week-long holiday resort. 

See More in Accommodation Below

For those continuing north, beyond Vidraru the road turns into the rather amazing Transfăgărăşean highway, which climbs and twists and turns it's way north to crest the Făgăraş mountain chain in a long tunnel which breaks into a surreal Alpine landscape. 

The dam took 5˝ years to complete, entering service in 1965, and was actually quite advanced for it's day, only the fifth such dam to be built in Europe and the ninth in the world. 

Today the dam produces around 450GW annually, contributing to the roughly 20% Romania gets from it's many hydroelectric plants -- an admirably high percentage when compared to the hydroelectric production of English-speaking countries (Australia is less than 1% for example).

The road situation is posted before you go to far, as it's often closed, even in summer months due to snow berms across the road on the Sibiu side.  See more on our County Sibiu page.

the Upper Argeş River Region

North-Eastern Argeş

This delightful region is typified by gorgeous little villages at the foot of forested mountains as the rivers and streams climb higher into the stunning Făgăraş mountains to the north.

Countless river valleys follow one another in bucolic idyll, and some of the best accommodation options and values are hidden in small pensiunes where the family may run one, two or three rooms, in a sort of farmstay arrangement. 

Arefu

On your way back from Vidraru, the great little village of Arefu can offer a glimpse into the Argeşean way of life.

Supposedly inhabited by descendants of the servants and courtiers of the original Dracula, Vlad Ţepeş, the villagers are fairly well-rehearsed in their standard lore, which can be rather entertaining if you stay there long enough for a good chat.

If you have time to stay with some villagers, check in at the library in town or with some of the properties listed with Antrec  for some good homestays.

History of the Monastery Church

The Monastery Church of Curtea de Argeş (early 16th century) is one of the most famous buildings in Romania, and stands in the grounds of a monastery, 1 1/2 m north of Curtea de Argeş. It is dedicated to Saint Nicholas.

It resembles a very large and elaborate mausoleum, built in Byzantine style, with Moorish arabesques. In shape it is oblong, with a many-sided annex at the back. In the centre rises a dome, fronted by two smaller cupolas, while a secondary dome, broader and loftier than the central one, springs from the annex.

Each summit is crowned by an inverted pear-shaped stone, bearing a triple cross, emblematic of the Trinity.

The windows are mere slits; those of the tambours (the cylinders on which the cupolas rest) are curved and slant at an angle of 70 degrees, as though the tambours were leaning to one side. Between the pediment and the cornice a thick corded moulding is carried round the main building.

Above this, comes a row of circular shields, adorned with intricate arabesques, while bands and wreaths of lilies are everywhere scupltured on the windows, balconies, tambours and cornices, adding lightness to the fabric. It is all raised on a platform 7 ft. high and encircled by a stone balustrade.

Facing the main entrance is a small open shrine, consisting of a cornice and dome upheld by four pillars. The Monastery Church is faced with pale grey limestone, easily chiselled but hardening on exposure. The interior is of brick, plastered and decorated with frescoes.

Close by stands a large royal palace, Moorish in style. The archives of the Monastery Church were plundered by Hungarians and Turks, but several inscriptions, Greek, Slav and Roman, are left.

One tablet records that the founder was Prince Neagoe Basarab (1512-1521); another that Prince Ioan Radu completed the work in 1526; a third describes the repairs executed in 1681 by Prince Şerban Cantacuzino; a fourth, the restoration, in 1804, by Joseph, the first bishop. Between 1875 and 1885 the Monastery Church was reconstructed, and in 1886 it was reconsecrated.

Legends

Its legends have inspired many Romanian poets, among them the celebrated Vasile Alecsandri. One tradition describes how Neagoe Basarab, while a hostage in Constantinople, designed a splendid mosque for the sultan, returning to build the Monastery Church out of the surplus materials.

Another version has Radu Negru employing one Meşterul Manole or Manoli as architect. Manole being unable to finish the walls, the prince threatened him and his assistants with death. At last Manole suggested that they should follow the ancient custom of placing a living woman into the foundations; and that she who first appeared on the following morning should be the victim. The other masons warned their families, and Manole was forced to sacrifice his own wife.

Thus the Monastery Church was built. When Manole and his masons told the prince that they could always build an even greater building, Radu Negru had them stranded on the roof so that they could not build something to match it. They fashioned wooden wings and tried to fly off the roof, but, one by one, they all fell to the ground. A spring of clear water, named after Manole, is said to mark the spot where he fell.

This motif is widespread in South Eastern Europe, most notably also in Russia, like the blinding of the Masons of Vasili Blajenii Cathedral by Ivan the Terrible.

The Prime Prince of Curtea de Argeş

Neagoe Basarab was the Voivode (Prince) of Wallachia between 1512 and 1521. Born into the boyar family of the Craioveşti (his reign marks the climax of the family's political influence) as the son of Pârvu Craiovescu or Basarab Ţepeluş cel Tânăr, Neagoe Basarab, who replaced Vlad cel Tânăr after the latter rejected Craioveşti tutelage, was noted for his abilities and competence.

In the 16th century, Wallachia was independent, but was required to pay an exorbitant tribute to the greater force of the Ottoman Empire. Neagoe encouraged the development of crafts and trade, while maintaining a good relation with Wallachia's other powerful neighbour, Hungary.

His diplomacy attempted to establish connections with the Republic of Venice and the Papacy, even offering to mediate the dispute between Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism, with the purpose of uniting Christendom against the Ottoman threat.

He adopted the Byzantine tradition of Church patronage, making generous donations to the Orthodox monasteries, not only in Wallachia but throughout the Balkans.

 During his reign the Curtea de Argeş Monastery was built (in 1517) - legend names Meşterul Manole as the chief craftsman; the account also fuses Neagoe with yet another legendary figure, Prince Radu (who would've caused Manole's death by ordering for the scaffolding to be removed while the builders were on the roof, ensuring that nobody would use Manole's craft, and thus preserving the uniqueness of the structure).

Neagoe ordered the earliest works on the old Metropolitan church in Târgovişte (the city where the edition of the Gospels was published in 1512) and the church in Şcheii Braşovului.

Neagoe Basarab wrote one of the earliest Romanian literary works, called Învăţăturile lui Neagoe Basarab către fiul său Teodosie ("The teachings of Neagoe Basarab to his son Theodosie"), which he touches various subjects such as philosophy, diplomacy, morals and ethics.