Curtea Domnească Targoviste, Dâmbovița

1. The Gate Tower

Entry is via Gate tower with guardhouse. Before we pass through this gate, read on the right 25 objectives on the map of the ensemble to visit, of which I mention here only the most important and visited by us. Under the large arch of the gate a plaque recalls rulers of the Romanian Country.

2. Museum of Old Romanian Print and Books

We follow our route to the right and stop at Museum of Old Romanian Print and Old Romanian Books, in a building with a wooden pillar on the first floor and covered with shingles. Aici luam note de history of Romanian printing. If you have bought tickets at the main entrance, they are valid, they are checked, but you don't have to pay anything else here at the printing museum.

The oldest written texts on our territory are those found on the tablets of burnt clay (4th millennium BC). The Dacians knew how to write first using the Greek alphabet, then the Latin alphabet.

The real history of printing begins with Macarie's printing house from the Dealu Monastery where the first books of worship are printed in Slavonic (1510). Deacon Coresi brought the first Romanian printing presses, which are the basis for the appearance of modern Romanian (1582). After a rather inactive period, Serban Cantacuzino A new printing press is brought to the Metropolitan of Bucharest and the Bible is printed (1688). More and more printing presses appear. Books are bound, this craft becoming an art.

On display are information, documents, old books, a wooden board, printouts, the faces of several rulers. A bored lady museographer is hiding from the numerous customers and talking loudly on the phone in private interest defying the visitors, which I complained directly to the lady (and not only). The explanations accompanying the exhibits are clear and useful and interesting.

3. Church of St. Friday

We leave the printing museum and continue in the same direction towards Church of St. Friday. According to the inscription on the façade, it was built in 1517. It is also known as Little Domneasca Church. It is dedicated to Our Lady Paraschiva. Around the church are cherry trees laden with ripe fruit. At the side of the church, in the wall of the royal courtyard, we discover that there is still an entrance gate to the complex, open, without entrance fee! From here we have a view of the Crane's House, which today houses a special museum, the National Museum of Romanian Police.

4. Petru Cercel Palace

We then head towards the interior of the Domnesti Court. We pass the ruins the household annexes and servants' houses and near the Dionisie Lupu House. We get closer and closer to the majestic walls. We discover a gang to an underground chamber.

We arrive somewhere in the middle of the Domnesti Courtyard and take a break near ruins of Petru Cercel Palace, architectural monument from the 16th century. It is on two levels with many rooms plus the basement where it is arranged Lapidariumwhere a painting exhibition was open. The footprint of the palace is 32 m x 16 m, and the cellar is 110 square meters.

5. Great Domnească Church

So far, we've actually traveled on three sides of the Mari Domnesti Church. We close the fourth one, the one with the entrance to the church. We visit the church, which we find as we have found it for years under renovation.

The Great Church is the foundation of Prince Petru Cercel (1583-1585), being built at the same time as the palace. It is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The church is painted, but a good part of it needs to be restored. Inside is the tomb of Constantin Brancoveanu.

6. Chindiei Tower

After strolling along the walls, on the walkways or along the footbridges, it's time to head towards the symbol of Targoviste - Chindiei Tower. The tower is 27 meters high and can be visited by climbing its spiral stairs. You pass a few intermediate floors where some historical information is displayed. The stairs lead us up to the open-air platform of the tower, which we walk clockwise to admire from above the Domnesti Court Complex, Chindia Park, which starts immediately next to the walls of the Domnesti Court, the city. The base of the tower is in the shape of a pyramid trunk which covers the cylindrical body of the tower itself.

Nearby are the stone ruins of Paracel Church, built by Michael I (1418 - 1420), with a height of 2 meters, the building was destroyed by the earthquake of 1802 and later demolished. We also wandered among these walls, the last two objectives are places dear to us since we met.