Horezu is an old and important folk pottery center in Oltenia. Situated between Subcarpathian peaks and surrounded by picturesque landscapes, the city distinguishes itself through its historical and monachal character, while in the surroundings one can visit several monasteries considered to be monuments. The name of the city comes from the term “ciuhurez” (or “huhurez”), a bird similar to an owl that lives in the surrounding forests. Documented in the 15th century, the settlement began its period of prosperity three centuries later. The development of the region is owed to the transhumance routes and to the road of the salt (Ocnele Mari - Horezu - Cernesti), that turned this place into a market-town where exchanges were made. Shepherds sold wool and cheese in order to buy cereals and groceries and the potters commercialized pottery to purchase food.

For a long time, the people of Horezu have had pottery as a main activity, the art in which they specialized and the craft they passed on from generation to generation. Horezu pottery, made even nowadays through traditional methods was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage List as a “unique traditional craft”. In the beginning, regular vessels were made, used in everyday life, which the locals sold in the fairs in the area. Then pottery reached the rank of art, and the ceramics began to be decorated with traditional motifs and symbols inspired from the local flora and fauna, among which there were roosters, snakes, fish, peacock tail, leaves, wheat ears and flowers. In Olari village, in the houses of the masters’ families, you will be able to see how pottery vessels are made, starting from the mound of clay shaped on the wheel to the paining of the objects. At their gates you will see pots and plates richly decorated on display, a sign that you are invited to see the workshop where they were made. Enter and you will discover a part of the traditional craft.

The Maldaresti Museum Complex

Approximately 3 km from Horezu, there is a small village that accommodates the Măldăresti Museum Complex, composed of two fortified towers (“cule”) and the I. Gh. Duca Memorial House. The “cule”- a term used by the Ottomans to name those constructions that had defense towers as well, were fortified manorial houses, resistant to attacks. They have thick walls, small windows, firing holes and big and solid cellars, ensuring habitation in case of peril. The fortified boyar houses combine elements of Romanian architecture and folk particularities; inside, they display medieval art objects, peasant stoves, costumes and folk fabrics.

At Maldaresti you can visit two fortified manorial houses – Greuceanu and Maldarescu (I. Gh. Duca). The former, built in 1516, is situated on the right side of the museum complex, beyond a massive wooden gate. Rebuilt a couple of centuries later, some Brancovenian elements were added to the residence, among which the windows of the cellar, the first floor threshold and the arcade verandas. In the rooms there is a pleasant coolness, inviting you to a longer stay. The rooms have whitewashed walls and are furnished with antique pieces and decorated with pictures and paintings of the Maldaresti lineage. Having reached the threshold from the southern part of the fortified boyar house, you will find a secret chamber, of small dimensions, considered to be the safest in the entire building . The residents of the house could take refuge there in case of siege. The exhibition space has been extended by arranging the two rooms from the second floor, which lead to the Brancovenian  verandas. From this part of the house one can admire the surrounding landscapes and the entire museum complex.

There are many legends about the Greuceanu fortified manorial house. One of them tells the story of a girl who had fallen in love with a man, an ancestor of the one who built this house. Because he was a prisoner at that time, his lover helped him escape; they both took refuge in the house, leading a life like in the fairytales.

I. Gh. Duca, one of the greatest liberal politicians of the inter-war period was very fond of the fortified boyar houses in Măldăresti and decided to build a vacation house near them, without deviating from the architectonic style. Built one century apart, the residence which is now a museum, preserves the Brancovenian aesthetics through which "polished" those details specific to peasant houses in Vâlcea. The fortified manorial houses in Măldăresti evoke the atmosphere of the manorial times in Oltenia quite originally.

At Maldaresti you can also visit the Ethnographic Museum, where objects of folk architecture, seams, folk fabrics, paintings and traditional folk costumes are on display.

The Stone world of the Concretions

In Costesti village, near the road that connects Râmnicu Valcea and Târgu Jiu, nature has created bizarre original stone sculptures. Moreover, the only park in Europe that shelters these geological formations has been set up here. The history of the concretions dates back 16 million years ago, being one of the oldest landforms in the area. The odd stones, millimetric or human size, come from the local sand cementation, probably as a result of seismic activity. The concretions are found in several parts of the world- South Africa, America, Australia, or other European countries- but those in Costesti distinguish themselves through the diversity of their aspect: some are spherical, others are oval, but the ones that unite form bunches like grapes. These continue to emerge as the sand from the quarry is exploited.

The locals have different opinions and superstitions about the concretions, which they call “dorobanti”(meaning soldiers) or “living stones”. Some say that the stones have supernatural origins and that they are the testimony of the existence of an alien civilization. Others believe that, after a heavy rain, small stones spring from the wet sand and the large ones grow visibly. The specialists have not confirmed these myths, but they bring a touch a mystery aura to this area. Between fantasy and reality, the concretions are an interesting and spectacular phenomenon, which is worth discovering if you are in this area.

Horezu Monastery, Romanii de Jos

At Romanii de Jos, at the foot of Capatanii Mountains, in a natural setting that is abundant in deciduous trees and lively colored flowers, there is the Horezu (Hurezi) Monastery. Considered to be the most beautiful and refined example of Romanian architecture, defining for the Brâncovenesc style, the halidom is a part of the UNESCO Heritage Patrimony. The charm and tranquility of the area, broken only by the song of the wood owl, invites to humility and the rediscovery of inner peace.

In 1690, in the second year of his reign, Constantin Brancoveanu decided to build the most remarkable place of worship of his age, which drew the admiration of tourists from all over throughout time. The monastic ensemble comprises the monastery, a church and two hermitages. The monastery has two enclosures: an outer one, delimited by thick walls, and another, surrounded by buildings, with a ground floor and a first floor. The interior of the church is decorated with icons depicting the faces of saints and religious scenes framed in floral ornaments.

Among them, the votive painting from the narthex and the gallery of portraits depicting Constantin Brancoveanu with his family stand out. The royal throne carved in wood, wearing the coat of arms of the Cantacuzino family is also here. The church was meant to become the necropolis of the Brâncoveanu family, but the marble grave has been waiting for more than two centuries for the earthly remains of the ruler, found now at a church in Bucharest.

The Museum of the monastery preserves fragments of history witnessed by this halidom. It contains pieces of medieval art, fabrics, manuscripts, old books and Constantin Brancoveanu’s  famous calendars. The monastery has represented a powerful cultural center, sheltering a Scriptorium in which translations were made and a rich humanistic library, unique in South-Eastern Europe at the beginning of the 18th century. The work of the Romanian spiritual creation, Horezu Monastery is a place full of history from which you leave spiritually richer and more at peace with yourself and the others.

Bistrita Gorges

Bistrita Gorges, the narrowest limestone gorges in Romania, spread north of Horezu town. The spectacle offered by the bizarre-shaped cliffs and the murmur of Bistrita River that penetrates the whole landscape are downright delightful. But there are also other tourist attractions worth seeing in the surroundings. At the entrance in the gorges you can visit Bistrita Monastery, one of the most renowned monastic establishments in Vâlcea. Raised at the end of the 15th century in Neo-Gothic style, it has the imposing aspect of a cathedral. Cross its threshold for a couple of moments of tranquility and inner peace.

Near the monastery, on the right versant of the Bistrita Gorges, there is Pestera Liliecilor (the Bats’ Cave or Grigore Decapolitul’s Cave). Known and inhabited by hermits in the Middle Ages, it has two small churches partially carved into stone in the interior; the relics of Saint Grigore Decapolitul were deposited here, and in perilous times, the rulers’ treasures were hidden in the cave. Another cave was formed uphill from the gorges, dazzling with the height of its ceiling. In Pestera Ursilor (the Bears’ Cave) archeologists found some historical vestiges from the Neolithic period, others belonging to the Cucuteni culture. Nowadays, the cave is not electrified, and that is why it cannot be visited.

The people in Horezu animate the atmosphere with numerous fairs and festivals through which they promote their traditions and customs. Among these, the largest one is the Annual Pottery Fair called “The Hurez Rooster”, organized in the first week of June on the Stejari plateau. Potters from all the corners of the country gather at Horezu to present their beautiful works crafted in their own workshops. The colors of the pots create a joyful atmosphere fit for listening to the artisans’ stories and learning a little bit about their art. 

[An article written by Andreea Bertea]