Curtea de Arges
Situated at the foot of Fagaras Mountains, only 160 km from the capital Bucharest, Curtea de Arges is also the gate to the famous Transfagarasan, the highest road in Romania. The town is ready to welcome visitors irrespective of season. The tourist offer is rich, including historical monuments, rich displays of local customs and traditions or strolls and hikes in the surroundings.
Daniel Onea, 14.12.2017, 14:50
Our guide today is tourism developer and promoter Dumitru Grecu, who told us about the rich and special history of Curtea de Arges:
“It was the first capital of Wallachia and also home to its first metropolitan bishopric. It is the final resting place of the kings and queens of Romania, so the town is extremely valuable from a historical, religious and cultural point of view. The monuments here are quite exceptional. The Princely Church is probably one of the most important Christian churches, not only among orthodox churches, because its paintings are very old. They date back to the 14th century and have been preserved un-restored. The technique used in these paintings is extremely laborious and interesting, in terms of composition, chromatics and the messages conveyed. Some of these representations are quite unique in the world. Unfortunately, not many people are aware of this. The Princely Church in Curtea de Arges should be seen by all Christians, from all around the world. I’ve met Catholics who were very much impressed with the place. And these people, even if they live in far away countries, have come several times here to see the monument, and each time they discovered something new about it.”
The next recommendation our guide Dumitru Grecu made was the Master Mason Manole’s church, the eparchial cathedral in Curtea de Arges:
“This is a symbol of Romania and probably the most beautiful church in the country. It is extraordinary in terms of architecture but also due to the message it conveys. It was built in just 5 years, between 1512 and 1517 by the Romanian ruler Neagoe Basarab, who was also the architect of the church. The message of the legend of Master Mason Manole, whose name the church bears, is that nothing can be done without sacrifice and the more you want to achieve something, the bigger the sacrifice. Another important thing is that Curtea de Arges is the place where the members of the Royal Family are buried. King Carol I and Queen Elisabeth, King Ferdinand and Queen Marie were all buried here, and soon, the last sovereign of Romania King Michael I will come to sleep his eternal sleep here too, next to his wife Queen Anne, who died last year. So, the princely court of Curtea de Arges will be the final resting place for three kings of Romania.”
Many of the tourists who come to Curtea de Arges are interested in first visiting the historical monuments; and they are many, according to our guide, the tourism developer and promoter Dumitru Grecu:
“Apparently it is not by chance that Romania’s kings chose their final resting place here. There are, they say, some good energies surrounding the place. The very architect who restored the Arges Monastery Church, Lecomte de Nouy, chose his final resting place in Curtea de Arges too. Many tourists decide to visit the town and the area, which is quite developed also from an economic point of view. We export goods worth some €300 million, more than three counties taken together. Also, the Vidraru Dam was built on Arges Valley in 1960. It was built in just five years and back then it was one of the biggest and most important in the world. This is also a special tourist attraction, because of the lake formed behind the dam, Vidraru Lake, which covers and area of 870 hectares and the landscape it creates is quite extraordinary.”
However, the biggest tourist attraction of late has been the Transfagarasan, as Dumitru Grecu also told us:
“The road has been described in the past years as the most beautiful in the world, at least according to some international travel agencies. Of course, such appreciations are subjective, and we could not definitely state it’s the most beautiful, but it’s definitely a fantastic road. Many people drive along it and this year we’ve had a record number of tourists. Actually, the number of visitors is growing by the year.”
Some people come to Curtea de Arges for ecumenical tourism, some for cultural tourism, others come to relax or find adventure and some for a mix of them all. Anyway, the area provides all sorts of opportunities for a complex and rewarding tourism experience. And, as our guide tells us, it keeps developing:
“What we still need is a skiing area, and it seems that we will have it by the end of next year. This way we will have covered the entire range of tourist activities that tourists can benefit in one place. Also, next year, we will have new entertainment activities on Vidraru Lake. We have also started some off road activities and the route is rather spectacular, going up 2,200 meters, along roads that some vehicles do not have access to.”
So, if you decide to include Romania on your travel agenda, make sure you don’t miss the beautiful Curtea de Arges. (Translated by M. Ignatescu)
