Surroundings :: Târgovişte

In the history of the Romanian people, the city of Targoviste has held a special place which was won three centuries ago when it was the residence of the Princes and the capital of Wallachia, main economic, military, political, cultural and religious center of the country. Being documentary attested in 1396 in the "Traveling Impression" written by Johannes Schiltberger, Targoviste will soon become a powerful capital, having an important influence and renown in Central and South-East Europe. This fact is proved by its presence on all the maps of the Middle Ages, by the numerous descriptions in the texts and pictures belonging to the respective period of time as well as by the documents existing in the great European libraries and museums.

Since the long period when it was the capital of Wallachia, Targoviste has preserved in time the memory of the great number of personalities and events that contributed to the appearance and maintenance of the national spirit of the Romanians.
A periplus here has to start from the Ensemble of the Princely Court. Its first nucleus was dated during the ruling of Mircea cel Batran, being later on enriched by the following rulers with other constructions.

In the days of Vlad Tepes (Vlad the Impaler), "Turnul Chindiei" ("The Sunset Tower") was built, becoming the emblem of the town. Petru Cercel ordered the construction of the second Princely House and the Big Church of the Court. It was in Matei Basarab's days that the Princely Houses were repaired and the "Turkish bathing place" was built. In an extension of the main enclosure the St. Friday's Church and Princess Balasa's Houses are to be found, near the ruins of Dionisie Lupu's House.

In 1517 the Metropolitan Seat moved to Targoviste, in the days of Neagoe Basarab who built the old Metropolitan Church, one of the biggest and most beautiful at that time. Under the reign of Matei Basarab a Princely Printing Press worked in Targoviste Metropolitan Church, issuing important works, such as "The Great Low or Improvement of the Low". In 1889 the demolition of the old church was decided and its replacement with the one that can be seen even now, work of the French architect Lecomte de Nouy.

Rising above the town from the height of the first hillocks that go up to mounts Bucegi and Leaota, "Dealu Monastery" is the foundation of Radu cel Mare. In time it has been a powerful cultural center and a symbol of the national greatness.
This was the place where Macarie's printing press works, the one that issued the first printings in Slavonic in Walachia. This was the place where Emperor Rudolph the Third's representatives came to sign the treaty of alliance with Mihai Viteazul, the first to unify the country, and this is the place where the head of the great Prince rests.

In the southern part of "Dealu Monastery" a wonderful landscape of the town opens out. The old central part of the town, preserving the beautiful houses of the noblemen and dealers in the green oasis of the garden, encloses another famous monastery "Stelea Monastery".(the XVI th century )
The rich heritage of documents and objects, which reconstruct parts of the history of the town, is to be found in the Gallery of the National Complex "The Princely Court".

A lot of buildings (genuine historical and architectural monuments) belonging to this Complex contain museums and exhibitions which offer, both the inhabitants of the town and the tourists visiting the old capital, monuments of glory as well as of intense creative activity of the town of Targoviste.

A first group of museums is composed of the Museum of the Town History, The Art Museum and the future Ethnography Museum that will be lodged in The House of the Brancoveanu Children. Nearby there is the group consisting of the "Museum of The Writers from Dambovitza" lodged in the house of Al. Bratescu-Voinesti and of the "Museum of the Printing Press and of the Old Romanian Book" in the house of the great scholar Constantin Cantacuzino Stolnicul.

Watching over the destiny of the town for more than 100 years, the Town hall of Targoviste is a masterpiece of the Italian architect Vignossa. Targoviste was named "The Wallachian Florenta" by the one of our contemporary writers, Mircea Horia Simionescu, son of this wonderful town that is looking forward to offering its visitors a lot of strong, pleasant and ever lasting impressions.