Ocnele Mari

Between Govora and the municipality of Râmnicu-Vâlcea (seat of Vâlcea county), one can visit Ocnele Mari. Ocnele Mari is a town from the south-central part of Romania, built in a depression at an altitude of about 320m. The principal activity for this small town is extraction of salt and fossil mud for treatment. Ocna means salt mine and this vast resource (a salt layer that's 600m thick) has made Ocnele Mari famous, as have its spa and ancient ruins.


This area had inhabitants since the Stone Age and archaeologists have discovered evidence that 2000 years ago a Dacian fortress, Buridava, was found here and it was even mentioned in the writings of the famous Greek historian Ptolemy. Near the ruins of Buridava experts uncovered a necropolis, where many archaeological artifacts were found, mostly pottery and an important storage room for cereals. In the same spot a fountain was also discovered and local legends say that it was built in very remote times and that is was used to power up some sort of old sewage system that brought the water to the local settlements. The most important discovery at Ocnele Mari is a couple of ceramic artifacts with "BUR" etched on them, either related to the name Buridava or even to the great Dacian ruler Burebista. Also, on some other pottery items archaeologists found the inscriptions "REB" and "MARK", which seemed to have been made by geto-dacians.


The name Ocnele Mari was first mentioned officially in a document signed by the ruler Mircea cel Bătrân and written between 1402 and 1418. In fact the area where Ocnele Mari is today was exploited by the Cozia Monastery, that sold the salt for profit, with the approval of Mircea cel Bătrân. Salt was extremely important in the Middle Ages, bringing an important profit to any state, in this case Wallachia. The exploitation of this then very useful resource was carried out with the aid of enslaved gypsies, which were at that time the only slaves from the country. The criminal residents of the jails were used also as forced labor in the salt mines. In more recent history, Ocnele Mari was mostly known for the penitentiary with the same name, where many political prisoners were sent during the communist regime. The penitentiary is now gone, due to the crumbling of the salt mine. Soon after the communist regime was officially installed, the Ocnele Mari penitentiary became one of the most important concentration camps for the prisoners taken from the members of the national movement of anticommunist resistance.


A particular aspect of post-mining activities in Romania is related to the frequent occurrence of salt mines, wherein numerous lake pits occur as a result of ancient salt exploitation. Filled with meteoric water or due to groundwater rising, they are now extensively used for balneology. It is to be mentioned that Romania contains the largest salt resources/reserves throughout Europe. Starting from 1812, Ocnele Mari became renowned for its clorosodic and iodinated waters, plus the fossil mud baths, used for many treatments in the local spa. This establishment uses the old salt mine entrance Balta Roşie, which is 120m deep. The curative water and mud are used to treat rheumatic diseases or gynecological illnesses. The water of the lake is so salted, that there is no need to know to swim, the water supports you at surface! (from Unseen Romania)

Călimăneşti-Căciulata

Călimăneşti-Căciulata, often known just as Călimăneşti, is a town in the central-southern part of Romania (Vîlcea county), on the Olt River, in Jiblea - Călimăneşti Depression, at 260m altitude. It is situated on the traditional route connecting the region to Transylvania, and at the southern end of the Olt River valley crossing the Southern Carpathians, 18km N of the municipality of Rîmnicu-Vîlcea (seat of Vîlcea county). The climate is characteristic of the sheltered Sub-Carpathian hollows, without temperature contrasts, with cool summers (July average around 20°C) and rather mild winters (January average 1.5°C below); average annual temperature is 9.8°C, moderate precipitation (750-800 mm annually). The town is build along National Road 7 (DN7), the second most used road in Romania.


There are proofs that the mineral waters of Călimăneşti-Căciulata were used since the Roman times. The Romans built here fortifications and baths (Pons Vetus Castrum). Călimăneşti and Căciulata are documentary attested in 1388. Later, the monks from Cozia Monastery built here a place for treatment. Two great rulers of Wallachia, Mircea cel Batrân and Matei Basarab, came here to treat themselves. In the 17th century, was founded here a paper mill. The French doctor Joseph Caillat, who took temporary residence in Wallachia (1854), analyzed the Călimăneşti mineral waters in 1859, and in 1869 Napoleon III was on a cure of mineral water sent over from Călimăneşti. In 1893, the samples of mineral water from Călimăneşti-Căciulata won the gold medal at the International Foods and Mineral Waters Exhibition in Brussels. The first cure establishments are dated 1910. During the 20th century, many hotels and treatment facilities were built in Căciulata, a northern area of the town which is close to Cozia Monastery. The area around the town is full of fresh water springs and spa waters that are not in use.


Călimăneşti-Căciulata is known as a spa town, an all-season resort of national importance. The natural cure factors are the sparing climate and the springs (discovered in 1827) of sulphurous, chlorided, brominated, sodic, calcic, magnesian, mostly hypotonic mineral waters, with varying concentrations, chemical compositions and temperatures (mineralization between 0.5 and 11.5 g/l; athermal, mesothermal = 41°C, and hyperthermal = 49.5°C). The spa is recommended for the treatment of digestive diseases (chronic gastritis with hypoacidity, chronic constipation, chronic colitis), hepatobiliary diseases (biliary dyskinesis, non-calculous or calculous chronic cholecystitis, chronic hepatitis, chronic pancreatitis, conditions after operations of the liver), kidney and urinary system diseases (kidney lithiasis, chronic pyelonephritis, urinary infections), metabolic and nutrition disorders (diabetes mellitus, hyperuricemic condittions, obesity), respiratory diseases (bronchitis, chronic tracheobronchitis), peripheral neurological disorders (paresis, conditions after proliomyelitis), rheumatic conditions (spondylosis, arthrosis, polyarthrosis, tendonitis), post-traumatic conditions (after sprains, luxations, fractures), gynecological disorders (menopausal ovarian syndrome), ear, nose and throat diseases (chronic rhinosinusitis, chronic allergic laryngitis, etc.), dermatological, cardiovascular and other disorders.


The present-day facilities include modern installations for warm mineral-water baths in tubs and pools, for electrohydro-, and kinetotherapy, for aerosols and inhalations, outdoor pools with sulphurous thermal water (at Căciulata), mineral water fountains for internal cure, gyms, sauna, swimming pool on the bank of the Olt, etc. At Căciulata there are a sanatorium for children, specialized in the treatment of hepatitis sequels, and the country's only sanatorium for silicosis patients; at Calimanesti there is a clinic of the Bucharest Institute of Balneophysiotherapy and Medical Recovery, and a section of the specialized department of the Bucharest Institute of Medicine and Pharmacy. Bottling station for mineral waters. (internet infos compilation)

Olăneşti Bath

Known also under the name of “Izvoarele de Aur” (Golden Springs), Băile Olăneşti (Olăneşti Bath) is a small town in the central-southern part of Romania (Vâlcea county), on the Olăneşti River (right tributary of the Olt River), in the Sub-Carpathian depression of Olăneşti, elevation 430-475 m, 18 km NW of Rîmnicu Vîlcea (seat of Vîlcea County). The protective climate with mild winters (January average - 2.5°C) and cool summers (July average 21°C), annual average temperature: 8.5°C is very pleasant. The rainfall are moderate (750 mm annually) and the winds are rare and slow. Ozoniferous air in the surrounding forests.


Băile Olăneşti it is on the top of the spas in Romania considering the number of springs, their daily total flow rate, as well as the variety of compounds and the concentration of mineral springs. The resort has over 35 hydro mineral sources, both as natural springs and as a result of some mining and drilling works (pits and galleries). A number of 15 mineral springs are caught to be used in internal cure. Two mineral springs and four mineral water wells are used in external cure.


Băile Olăneşti is an all-season resort of national importance, with sulphurous, chlorided, slightly iodinated, brominated, sodic, calcic, magnesian mineral waters of various concentrations (oligomineral, hypotonic, isotonic, hypertonic) known from the 18th century. The first chemical tests of these mineral waters were made back in 1830. In 1873 these mineral waters got the gold medal at the International Exhibition in Vienna. The mineral waters of the springs at Băile Olăneşti are recommended in internal cure for the treatment of chronic diseases of the kidneys and urinary system (kidney lithiasis, chronic pyelonephritis, chronic glomerulonephritis), of the alimentary canal (hypoacid gastritis, biliary dyskinesis, chronic cholecystitis, chronic hepatitis etc.), metabolic and nutrition disorders (diabetes melitus, obesity etc.), respiratory (microbial or viral pneumopathy, allergic asthma, bronchitis, etc.), dermatological (incipient ichthysis, chronic eczema and rash, neurodermatitis, acne etc.) and otorhynolaryngological diseases (laryngitis, nasal and sinuses allergy), associated diseases (degenerative and abarticular rheumatic troubles, asthenic neurosis, endocrine disorders etc.).


The resort provides installations for warm baths with mineral waters in tubs, for electrotherapy and hydrotherapy, gyms, etc. There are 24 springs for drinking mineral water. Băile Olăneşti is among the few places in the country where treatments are developed for the strengthening of the body of people affected by various allergic diseases, by applying injection with isotonic sulphurous mineral water directly from the source. Not to mention, this treatment also represents a world premiere. (from www.ici.ro and www.destinatiaromania.eu)

Govora Monastery

The monastery was partially constructed during the reign of Vlad Dracul Voivode (ruling prince), to the end of the 14th century and the beginning of the 15th century. In 1440, during the reign of his son, Vlad Ţepeş Voivode, it was devastated by boyar (noblemen) Albu cel Mare, and thereafter reconstructed during the reigns of Vlad Călugarul Voivode and Radu cel Mare Voivode between 1492 and 1496.


The exterior of the church was craftsmanship decorated and the windows were embellished with elegant frames made of sculpted stones. The paintings inside the church were executed by master-painters Iosif, Hranite, Teodosie, and Ştefan, under the earnest care of Monk Paisie, the spiritual adviser of the monastery. The iconostasis is an exquisite piece of inestimable value; the icons were painted having a golden background.


The monastery underwent thorough repairs and alterations during the reign of Matei Basarab Voivode between 1640 and 1645. These restorations were made including for installing the printing press that had been donated to the monastery by Petru Movilă, Metropolitan of Kiev. In 1775 the refectory was constructed. The belfry tower and the monastic outbuildings, which are situated on the northern side of the holy establishment, were constructed at the beginning of the 18th century and several significant enlargements and structural modifications were made in the 19th century.


Between 1636 and 1642, in the printing house of the Govora Monastery, there were printed (in the Slavonic language) the following remarkable liturgical books: The Psalter, which was printed in 1637, The Small Book of Religious Rules and Regulations, which was printed in 1640, and the Govora Book of Rules and Regulations – which was the first code of religious regulations written in the Romanian language, subsequent to the printed works of Deacon Coresi (which had been published in Braşov, in the southern part of Transylvania). The rooms of the old printing house have been preserved until now.

The monastic complex was thoroughly renovated in 1957 and in 1969. (from 100 Romanian Monasteries)

Govora Bath

Govora Bath (Romanian: Băile Govora) is a small town in Southern central Romania (Vâlcea county), situated in the Govora Sub-Carpathians depression, elevation 360-380 m, 20 km SW of the municipality of Râmnicu-Vâlcea (seat of Vâlcea county). The town is surrounded by hills covered with beech, oak and fir woods, and have moderate continental hillside climate with slight Mediterranean influence: cool summers (July average temperature 19°C) and mild winters (January average -3°C). Moderate precipitation (800 mm annually) and infrequent winds.


Govora Bath is an all-season resort of national importance renowned for the variety and therapeutic properties of the chlorided-sodic, iodinated, brominated, sulfurous waters (used for external cures) and of the magnesian, calcic, slightly sulphurous, hypotonic waters (for internal cures) known and used since 1866. In treatments is used also mineral mud extracted in the locality and fossil sapropelic mud brought over from Ocnele Mari. The mineral waters have been discovered and therapeutically used at Dr. Zorileanu's prescription, in 1879. In 1887, people started to dig and capture the springs from Govora and they built an establishment for therapeutic baths (29 cabins and 2 pools). Palace Hotel, the Central Warn for baths and the Casino have been built between 1911 and 1914. in the beginning of the twentieth century, Govora was famous for its luxurious hotels, medical treatments and huge potential of entertaining tourists.


The resort is recommended for the treatment of respiratory diseases (bronchial asthma, chronic bronchitis, lung emphysema, microbial or viral pneumopathies, rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, etc.), degenerative (spondylosis, arthrosis, polyarthrosis) and abarticular rheumatic diseases (tendonitis, tendomyositis, scapulohumeral periarthritis), as well as for the treatment of peripheral and central neurological disorders (light pareses, sequels after poliomyelitis, etc.), of certain post-traumatic disorders and certain associated diseases (gynecological, endocrinological, cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, etc.). The modern balneological establishments are endowed with facilities for baths of warm iodinated and sulphurous mineral water, applications of warm mud, pneumotherapy, electrotherapy, kinetotherapy, treatments with apiary products, etc. In Govora you can also find a children sanatorium for rheumatic and respiratory diseases.






In the resort, one can visit the "Gheorghe Petre" Archaeology and Art Collection (archaeology, feudal art, numismatics) ot the Govora Monastery (early 15th century), or can taste the specific Oltenian cuisine.

The Russian Church in Bucharest

St. Nicholas Russian Church (Romanian: Biserica Rusă) is located in downtown Bucharest, Romania, just off University Square. In an attempt to improve the image Imperial Russia had in Romania, Russian Ambassador Mikhail Nikolaevich Giers initiated the building of a Russian Orthodox church in central Bucharest in 1905. It was meant mainly for the use of the legation employees, as well as for Russians living in the capital city of the Kingdom of Romania.


The Court of Emperor Nicholas II provided the funds needed for the building (600,000 gold rubles). The structure occupies a surface of 350 m² and it was set in brick and stone. The seven domes (taking the shape of onion domes — characteristic of Russia, but unusual in Romania) were initially covered in gold. The iconostasis was carved in wood and then covered in gold, following the model of Church of the Twelve Apostles in the Moscow Kremlin; it was then decorated by the painter Viktor Vasnetsov.


The church was finished in 1909, and it was sanctified on November 25, 1909. During World War I, just before the start of the occupation of Bucharest by the Central Powers, it was closed, while all valuables and the archives were transported to Iaşi and then farther to Sankt Petersburg, where they vanished during the Russian Revolution of 1917. After the war, physical damage was repaired by the Russian community in Bucharest, with services starting again in 1921. As the service was held in Old Church Slavonic, it was also attended by ethnic Bulgarians and Serbs in the Romanian capital.


As the old Russian priest had died, in 1935 the church was transferred under the authority of the Romanian Government, which meant it for the use of the students and professors at the University of Bucharest. In 1947, at the request of Soviet authorities, the church passed once again under the Patriarchate of Moscow, which named a new Russian priest, also providing the funds for its refurbishment. In 1957 Patriarch Alexius I decided to pass it again to the Romanian Orthodox Church, which had it restored once again. It was sanctified again in 1967 and in 1992 it was again given for the use of the students and professors at the University of Bucharest. Because of its present congregation it is also known as Biserica studenţilor ("The students' church"). (From Wikipedia)

Prince Constantin "Bâzu" Cantacuzino

Constantin Cantacuzino (nicknamed Bâzu, November 11, 1905, Bucharest – May 26, 1958 Spain), Romanian aviator, one of his country's leading World War II fighter aces. He is probably one of the few pilots, if not the only one, that shot down Soviet, US and German airplanes, ranging from the I-16, the Yak-1,3,7,9, the La-3,5, the Spitfire, the P-38 and P-51 to the Fw-190F.


He was born in Bucharest, as the son of Mihai Cantacuzino and Maria Rosetti, both from old noble families and very, very rich. His mother married for the second time with George Enescu (Romania's best composer and a world class violinist, the Yehudi Menuhin's teacher). Young Constantin went to high-school in Bucharest. He loved motor sports and he could afford to practice them all the time: he was an excellent biker (won some races) and driver (he set a new record on the Paris-Bucharest race). Bâzu played tennis and was the captain of the Romanian ice hockey team at the World Championship in 1933.

That year he attended the "Mircea Cantacuzino" Flight School and flew a lot around Europe until the beginning of the war and sometimes in very difficult conditions. He was the pilot of the prince Gheorghe Valentin Bibescu, the president of the International Aviation Federation. Cantacuzino piloted a C.641 Typhon in a record breaking version with raised canopy and increased fuel capacity, only 2 were built. Until the beginning of the war he had already over 2000 hours of flights all across Europe and in 1939 he won the national aerial acrobatics contest with his Bücker Bü-133 Jungmeister. In 1941, he was named chief-pilot of the Romanian national air transport company LARES.


The prince managed to get in the front line as a fighter pilot in the 53rd Squadron (equipped with Hurricane Mk. I). From 5 July, when he started flying war missions, until 31 October 1941, when he was demobilized, he claimed 4 victories and 2 probable. After the capture of Odessa, the Romanian armed forces reduced the number of front line troops, because the main objectives were achieved (Besserabia was liberated and the Soviets were pushed away the frontiers). Bâzu was one of the reservists who were sent home, he retook his position at LARES, but he managed to return to active duty in 1943. On 26 April 1943 he was re-mobilized and assigned to the 7th Fighter Group, which was equipped with the new Me-109G. On 5 May he arrived on the front line and was named commander of the 58th Squadron. On 29 June, he and his wingman engaged 4xYaks, 2xLa-5s and 4xSpitfires, while trying to protect 3 Romanian Ju-88s. His wingman was badly hit and forced to return to base. He continued the fight and shot down 2 Spits. He was also damaged, but managed to escape. Unfortunately, two of the bombers were destroyed. In July he flew both day and night missions, even though his "Gustav" was not equipped for that kind of flying. He tried to stop the Soviet night bombings of his airfield. The Germans protested and considered him mad. He finally gave up these missions. Between 2 and 5 August he shot down 9 planes (4xYaks and 5xIl-2s), raising his score to 27. On 28 August he received the Iron Cross, 1st class, but in the autumn of 1943 Bâzu got sick and was interned to a hospital and then had to stay a while away from the front to rest.


On 10 February 1944 he returned to active duty in the 7th Fighter Group, which was sent to the front with the Soviets in Moldavia. On 15 April, there was an American raid and Cpt. av. Cantacuzino and his wingmen attacked the bomber formations and shot down 6 Liberators (the prince got one himself). He continued flying missions against the VVS and had a few victories. On 31 May the 7th Fighter Group was pulled out of the first line and assigned to home defense. Cantacuzino remained in the 9th Fighter Group. He had 36 kills. Bâzu was the first Romanian pilot to send a Mustang to the ground on 6 June. He shot down another one on 15 July and started August with 2xP-38s. After the death of Cpt. av. Alexandru Şerbănescu, he was named commander of the 9th Fighter Group.

After 23 August 1944, when Romania quit the Axis and joined the Allies, the Germans started bombing Bucharest, from airfields close to the capital, which were still in their hands. The 7th and 9th Fighter Group were brought in to protect the city and Bâzu shot down 3xHe-111 with this occasion. Until 25 September he made several flights to Italy. Then he returned to his Group, which was engaged in the fights with the Germans and Hungarians in Transylvania. When the war finished, Cpt. av. Cantacuzino was demobilized and returned to LARES. He had 60 victories and was the highest ranking Romanian ace.


After the war, times changed. The USSR imposed a communist regime that started confiscating private properties and imprisoning the old elite and all those who dared not to think like them. Bâzu lost all its land and soon his wife left him. He managed to escape to Italy in 1947 and then he settled down in Spain. There he was helped by the Romanian community to buy himself an airplane, in order to earn his living at air shows. He died on 26 May 1958 and there are two versions of how he died: one is after an unsuccessful surgical operation and the second when he crashed with his airplane.

Thanks to Victor Niţu for the infos provided!