Princely Court, Southern Romania, Romania

5Tiberiu_Baranyi 5:00 PM Nov 5, 2022

A lesson in Wallachia history
I got a dilemma, why in English translation it got the name of "Princely Court" - this is the Royal Court of Wallachian kings and Targoviste was the capital city of Wallachia for centuries in a row. So something got lost in translation ... this is the Royal Court! A place loaded with history and housing 2 landmarks of the city - the Sunset Tower (Chindiei tower - most likely the building started in the times of Vlad "The Impaler" Tepes) and the Princely Church - that actually was the church of the kings , attached to the Royal Palace - that was build in the era of Petru Cercel - towards the mid/end of the 1500's. Entrance fee is 12 Ron for adults - so almost for free .. what I was missing is the lack of guides, however there are plenty of panels describing what you can see there. The ruined palace of King Pretu Cercel would deserve a rebuild from my perspective , still the ruined palace has a certain charm to it. Another highlight is the National Old Romanian Books museum ... it is a very interesting place to visit and there is no surcharge, you will enter with the same ticket as to whole complex. Also there is a plaque at the entrance - behind the gate - with the line of Wallachia kings listed ... a very nice walk through the ages. Overall a great lesson in history for those who are interested ... and definitely appealing for kids. When you are in Targoviste it is a definite must visit and a great experience, I recommend you visit this place ...

5kansasfreestate 5:00 PM Mar 11, 2012

Romania Stayed With Family Met On Internet
Targoviste/Tirgoviste"s main attraction is the Chindia Tower and surrounding ruins. SUPER! I do not know if this tower has withstood time or has had some help being remodeled. But with all the frequent earthquakes over hundreds of years it amazes me that it proudly stands. There are many, many surrounding ruins. It is a shame Romania does not have the money for restoring all this. Or even another country stepping in to help. It looks to me that the government is doing some measures to prevent further decay! Oh... but what I would give to carefully poke and look on the sidelines at all these bricks in various stages of being stacked! An interesting fact: Vlad Tepes wanted Targoviste to be his capital city rather than Bucharesti.