Princely Court Of Curtea de Argeş

Besides the magnificent cathedral of Curtea de Argeş, one should also visit the old Royal Court built by Basarab I.

From the Palace Complex stands among the ruins the Royal Church (Biserica Domnească). Having as patron St. Nicholas (Sf. Nicolae) and dating back to 1352, the church is of the utmost historic importance. The mural paintings are from the time of Vlaicu Vodă (1364-1366), while some of the fresco fragments from XVIII-the century were also preserved.

The church had been the necropolis for many Wallachian rulers from Basarab Family (also known as Bazarab or Bazaraad) and among the ruins many important archaeological findings were discovered.

More about the sites from Cortea de Argeş here. The location of the Palace Complex is here, while some of my photos follow:

Curtea de Argeş Monastery

The town of Curtea de Argeş (Argeş Court) is one of the oldest towns in Romania, founded in the early 13th century and first capital of Wallachia after the unification of Romanian pincipalities under the rule of Basarab I (The Founder - Întemeietorul).

The Cathedral of Curtea de Argeş, having as patron St. Nicholas, was completed in 1526 and is part of a monastery. During its history it was vandalized by foreign invasions, but repaired in 1681 by Prince Şerban Cantacuzino, restored in 1804, by Joseph, the first bishop and reconstructed between 1875 and 1885 by King Carol I to today's splendid look. Inside the cathedral can be found the tombs of the Romanian royal family: King Carol I (1866 - 1914) and Queen Elisabeth (also known as Carmen Silva), King Ferdinand I (1914 - 1927) and Queen Marie, King Carol II.

The cathedral is famous in Romanian folklore due to the legend of Meşterul Manole (Manole The Master Builder): it is said that, due to the fact that the church kept tumbling, he had to build his beloved wife inside its walls. Nowadays there is a mark on the cathedral's wall in the place she is supposed to have been enclosed. It is also said that after the completion of the church the masons were left on the roof (so they couldn't build a more beautiful church). To get down, Manole built some wings and crashed into the ground. In that place a fresh water spring appeared (the today's spring in the park near the monastery).

Below are some of my photos, while the location is this.

Alba-Iulia (Alba Carolina Fortress)

Alba-Iulia (the ancient Roman Apulum, also known as Gyulafehérvár and Karlsburg/ Weißenburg) is a modern city in today's Transylvania. Being a place with a long history, there is much to tell and much to see, but the most important landmark is the upper city.

From the ancient roman city of Apulum, the stronghold constantly evolved as one of the most important settlements in Transylvania. Alba Iulia became the capital of the Principality of Transylvania in 1541, a status it was to retain until 1690. It witnessed the first unification of the three Romanian-populated principalities of Wallachia, Moldavia, and Transylvania, in the time of Michael The Brave (Mihai Viteazul) and also the proclamation of the union of Transylvania with the Kingdom of Romania. The final form of the fortress (Alba Carolina) was achieved between 1714 and 1738 (constructed by Giovanni Morando Visconti), and it is considered to be the most representative of Vauban type in Europe.

Important churches, monuments and museums can be visited inside the fortress:
- The Crown Orthodox Cathedral (1921), also known as the Cathedral of National Reunion. It has roman architectonic elements inspired from Târgoviște Royal Court.
- The Roman-Catholic Cathedral (1246-1291) - One of the most valuable medieval monument in Transylvania and one of the most ancient in Romania. In the Cathedral are the remains of Hunyad prince family. The architectural style includes gothic, romanesque and baroque elements.
- The Union Museum (Babilon) (1853)
- The Union Hall (1898), where the Union of Transylvania with Romania took place
- The Roman-Catholic Episcopal Palace (1715)
- The Transylvanian Princes Palace (16th Century)
- The Commissariat Palace (18th Century)
- The Academic Collage (1622)
- The "Batthyaneum" Library (1719) - where old documents are kept, but they can not be seen without special permission
- The Apor Palace (17th Century)
- The 3rd Citadel Gate, with the statue of Carol VI on the top and the interior façade having 4 statues representing: the Abundance, The Wisdom, The Temperance and The Force. This is the gate where every day, at 12am, the changing of the guards takes place - an unique event in Romania.
- The 1st Citadel Gate, with mythological reliefs. On the top of the Arch there are Venus (beauty symbol) and Mars (war symbol) and in the middle is the Austrian blazon (heraldic symbols can be seen all over the medieval fortresses).
- The 4th Citadel Gate, with the Atlantis statue, the Fury statue, weapons, trophies and flags.
- The Custoza Monument (1906)
- The Losenau Monument (1853)
- The Horea, Cloșca and Crișan Obelisk (1937)

There's also the tourist tour (with an entrance fee) called "The Route of the Three Fortifications" - A unique tourist destination in Europe and the world, the Route of the Three Fortifications offers the visitors a life-time chance to travel 2,000 years back in time, walking about the vestiges of three fortifications belonging to three different historical epochs, successively built on the same location, each new citadel including the previous one: The Roman Castre (106 AD), The Medieval Citadel (XVIth -XVIIth cent.) and the Alba Carolina Citadel, a Vauban-type fortification ( XVIIIth cent.). The route includes visits to: The Minting Factory Gate, South Gate of the Roman Castre, The Military Camp, The Access Tunnel to the Artillery Platform, The Artillery Platform, The Guard Room - The Arms Room, The Bethlem Bastion and the Alba Carolina Citadel.

One of the best romanian historic movies is Mihai Viteazul, and one of its most impressive scene is the entrance of Michael The Great in Alba Iulia in 1599. Since many people want to see THAT gate, but the fortress had a different structure at that time than the one we see today, there's a joke saying that the 4th citadel gate is the one Michael entered through and the 3rd citadel gate is the one Amza Pellea (the romanian actor playing Michael The Great in the movie) entered through.

A birds-eye view on Wikimapia, while some more info on Alba Iulia official site and some of my pohotos bellow:

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