The Valcea County

The Valcea county, bordered to the North by the Meridional Carpathians has all formations of relief: mountains up to 2,200 m above sea level, plateaus and hills, valleys which are proper for agriculture.

The hydrographic network is rich, the Olt River crosses the Valcea county on a lenght of 130 km, gathering in its basin numerous other courses.

The county has two municipalities: Ramnicu Valcea, the capital city and Dragasani; six towns: Calimanesti, Brezoi, Horezu, Ocnele Mari, Baile Olanesti, Baile Govora.

The Valcea county is dated from back to January, 8th, 1392 and it is mentioned in a document of Mircea eel Batran, Voivode of the Wallachia (1386-1418) by which the bee culture in the Valcea county is given to the Cozia Monastery.

The territory of this county is well-organized administratively and inhabited since long time ago as the archaeological discoveries show.

The picturesque regions and the curing waters contributed to the development of the tourism here. The table waters from Calimanesti-Caciulata, Baile Govora and Baile Olanesti are miraculous in the cure of a lot of diseases.

The tourist network of this county consists in cultural, historic and architectural monuments, much of them being unique ones as the monasteries of Cozia, Horezu, Govora, Bistrita, Dintr-un Lemn, Surpatele, Arnota as well as the Episcopal Palace of Ramnic. Also there are Geto-Dacian and Dacian Roman camps and fortresses from Buridava or Calea lui Traian on the Olt Valley.

In the natural reservations situated in the Cozia, Buila, Vanturita and Capatana Mountains are protected, as monuments of nature, some species of Romania's flora and fauna.

In the Valcea county there are sixteen museums. The main one is the History Museum in Ramnicu Valcea with its 50,000 exhibits which depicts the history of the Romanian people on this land. The other museums are also interesting: "Nicolae Balcescu" Memorial in his native village; Art Museum in Ramnicu Valcea; "Gheorghe Magheru" Museum in Troianu, Ramnicu Valcea; "Anton Pann" Memorial House in Ramnicu Valcea; the Collection of archaeology, old books
and Mediaeval art in Govora; The Museum of vine and wine in Dragasani; the Collection of ethnography and folk art in Bujoreni, Ramnicu Valcea; the "Inatesti" Collection in Ramnicu Valcea; the Maldaresti Museum Complex; "Gh. D. Anghel" Collection in Costesti; "Gib I. Mihaescu" exhibition in Dragasani; the archaeological Exhibition in Ocnele Mari; the "Teodor Balasel" Collection in Stefanesti; the Rearmouse Cave in Bistrita; the ethnographic Collection in Irimesti.