Valcea Tourist Region

Today we invite you to Valcea County, to discover some of the tourist assets of a county which is perfect for religious, monastic, leisure and healing tourism

Daniel Onea, 20.09.2018, 12:32

Today we invite you to Valcea County, to discover some of the tourist assets of a county which is perfect for religious, monastic, leisure and healing tourism. Valcea County boasts a great number of historical monuments included on the national heritage list. No less famous are the spa resorts in Valcea County. Of those, the Olanesti resort holds pride of place as regards the number of springs, their overall daily volume of water and the variety of mineral waters in terms of composition and concentration.

Monica Gheorghiu coordinates the National Tourism Information and Promotion Center of the Valcea Couny Council. Her suggestion for a first stopover is the town of Ramnicu Valcea, where we can find impressive tourist assets:

“Id first like to mention the archbishopric compound, the Antim Monastery and the former Cetatuia hermitage, representative from a historical point of view, as we as other monastic compounds: the Annunciation church, the Saint Paraskevi Church or the Saint George Church. Cultural institutions include the History Museum, boasting ten impressive collections, including items from the Neolithic, the Bronze Age, the Dacian Age, the Middle Ages, as well as items illustrative of modern and contemporary history. Here you can find assets of national interest or even items included on Romanias heritage list. One such item is the bronze masque of Ocnita, a unique piece in south-eastern Europe, a Roman bronze amphora or the consecrated wafer silver chalice. I should also like to mention the Simian House Art Museum, an impressive cultural and historic asset.”

The asset was turned into a museum between 1972-1980, while at present the museum houses a permanent exhibition, bringing together precious pieces, sculptures and paintings. Speaking about that, here is the coordinator of the National Tourism Information and Promotion Center of the Valcea County Council, Monica Gheorghiu

“I have to mention here the Valcea Village Museum, built around the Bujoreanu Watchtower. This is an open air museum village, stretching over 8.5 hectares, representing a traditional rural dwelling with all its social and cultural institutions. You can also visit the Anton Pann memorial house, depicting the travels the scholar and teacher made in the Valcea area. In terms of culture, I would also mention the Art Galleries, the County Library, and the theaters in our city, as well as the philharmonic.”

The city of Ramnicu Valcea is also recommended by Simona Iliescu, an inspector with the communication office at Ramnicu Valcea City Hall:

“There are many reasons for which tourists should stay in our city and county for several days at least, especially considering that this year is a triple anniversary for Ramnicu Valcea. In the year of the centennial, the city too celebrates 100 years since the Great Union, and also 630 years since its first documentary mention. The great Romanian ruler Mircea the Old issued a decree in 1388, on May 20, mentioning our city. At the same time, we are celebrating 170 years since the national anthem of Romania was played in Zavoi Park in town. This is a very important town historically.”

Simona Iliescu also recommends you visit on July 29, the day of the celebration of the national anthem:

“The City Hall, in partnership with other authorities and local NGOs, organize ample cultural manifestations dedicated to this event. Of these, I would mention a film festival, many concerts held by the Philharmonic, and many exhibitions in art galleries. In addition, the City Hall holds every evening traditional and pop music concerts. For May 20 we planned a number of cultural events on the anniversary day of the city. We would also like to have tourists towards the end of the year, when we inaugurate a winter fair in Ramnicu Valcea. We also have ample events dedicated to Romanias national day. In this context, we will have a fair for children and a lot of concerts.”

Ramnicu Valcea is within easy reach of three spas, all within 18 to 20 km of the city. Here is Simona Iliescu again:

“These are Calimanesti, Baile Govora, and Olanesti. Calimanesti is close to Cozia Monastery, a major architectural monument erected in 1388. In Baile Govora we have Govora Monastery, built in the 15th century, the place where ruler Matei Basarab printed for the first time in Wallachia a code of law, the Govora Code, in 1640. I would also recommend a place of major historical significance, Horezu, 50 km away from our city. Here we have the Hurezi Monastery, a UNESCO heritage site, where you can see Hurezi pottery, which is also a UNESCO heritage item. Lets not forget Maldaresti, a short way away from Horezu, where we have several watchtowers, and the I.G. Duca Memorial House. If you appreciate fine wines, I recommend a visit to the vineyards of Dragasani.”

Monica Gheorghiu, from the Tourist Information Center of Valcea County, told us about the tourists that use their services:

“They come to get information mostly about trails in the mountain areas, about areas where they can go trekking. We have English language promotional fliers, as well as fliers in German. We eagerly welcome everyone who wants to visit Valcea County. We tell them that the tourism potential of the country is exceptional, and we accommodate every form of tourism.”