Rusănescu House, today the Marriage Registry Office

It is a monumental building, located close to the very center of Craiova. Over time, it hosted the headquarters of the Union of Students' Associations from the University of Craiova in the 1960s, or the Children's Palace, somewhat later, but the youngest know it as the site of the Court of Appeal after the' 90s. In the List of Historic Monuments in Dolj County, the house is named Matei Băileşteanu and dated from the end of the 19th century. It is supposed that Matei Băileşteanu might actually be this Gogu Matei, recorded somewhere, in any act, with this name. The house has a built-up area of 400 sqm and bears the imprint of architect Paul Smărăndescu, the author of several neo-Romanian style buildings. It was built in the years 1914-1915 on Smârdan Street, at no. 18, on the land on which there were some old houses with a single floor, that used to belong to Ghiţă Urdăreanu, the grandfather of Nicolae Titulescu. The new houses of Gogu Matei were among the largest in Craiova, as shown by a painting of the 27 buildings in the city that had heating facilities, on August 16, 1918. Gogu Matei, who used to call himself Mateescu, had an estate in Predeşti and was one of the founding members of the Banat Bank in Craiova. By 1937 it is recorded that the property was in the possession of the Naiculescu family. Source: craiovadeieri.wordpress.com, monumenteoltenia.ro

The current emplacement situated in a monumental building it was assigned to the Court of Craiova in the years after 1960. During the inter-war period and immediately after, the city courts from Oltenia had the headquarters in the building of the current University. The building, constructed in the year 1890, by the architect Ion Socolescu, in a Neo-Classical style, and assigned to the Palace of Justice, was adequate for judging the cases from all the counties in Oltenia. The fact that justice was a real power was emphasized at the middle of the XIXth century in the court seals engraved with an oval shield, the blazon of the district (the crusaded golden eagle) and the balance, the symbol of justice. The years 1990 – 2004 bring important changes in the structure of the court. Between 1990-1993, there were 13 formations of the Court, functioning with a number of 26 judges. In 2012, the total number of judges is 46. It is the first court in the county and in the area of the Court of Appeal of Craiova, judging by the volume of work. Having taken into account the functional requests, Craiova Court of Justice was completely renovated in 1998. At the Craiova Court of Justice functions only one current archive, which serves both the criminal and the civil department. The archive has a room where lawyers, experts and other law specialists can study the files. Also, here is located the record office common to both departments. Since 2006 has been implemented the computer network and the ECRIS application for electronic file registration and random assignment. There are 46 formations of the court working in 6 court rooms, with an average of 10 sessions per day. Source: audiotravelguide.ro

Casa Vrăbiescu is a historical architectural monument from the middle of the 19th century, located near Craiova`s downtown. The house is located on Calea Unirii, no. 100, and is right next to another local architectural monument, Casa Caleteanu. The house belonged to the Vrăbiescu family, its most representative owner being Iulian Vrăbiescu, jurist and politician, prefect of Dolj, deputy and chairman of the Senate in 1931. House Vrăbiescu has three levels (basement, ground floor and floor). On the northern side it is bordered by Casa Caleteanu, the eastern façade is on Calea Unirii, and the western one on Str. Gheorghe Doja. The main entrance is through a covered gang, closed with tin gates, leading to the interior yard. Above the entrance is a closed balcony with windows fixed in metal structure. From an ornamental point of view, the eastern façade of the building is distinguished by a rich ornamentation and delicate, artistic details such as those above the upstairs windows and the cornice. The windows carpentry is made of wood, while the ornament above the entrance gate, the balcony structure and the balcony-style fences from the upstair windows are made of metal. The exterior façades (eastern and southern) are extremely degraded (fallen plaster, pierced by bars of iron concrete reinforcement, broken windows). Source: www.monumenteoltenia.ro

Constantin Vălimărescu House is a historical monument of local interest architecture, located in downtown Craiova, on Calea Unirii, no. 4. The building is surrounded by other significant historical monuments in Craiova, including the Stoilov-Bolintineanu House, the National Bank of Romania - the Dolj headquarters and the All Saints Catholic Church. The building dates back from the end of the 19th century (1892-1893) and was built by the entrepreneurs Costa and Nedelcu, according to the plans of the French architect Albert Galleron. The building has four levels (basement, ground floor, floor and attic), a monumental entrance and a spacious courtyard with several access ways (pedestrian and car). The main gate leads to the main entrance to the building, crossing the courtyard through a paved alley. Source: www.monumenteoltenia.ro

The Bengescu House seems to have been built in 1880 by Gheorghe Bengescu (diplomat, historian and publicist of Romanian and French languages, a full member of the Romanian Academy) and sold to the Orthodox Society of Romanian Women, around the year 1915. In the building, the Orthodox School for Girls used to function. Also, the first cinema in Craiova, "Popular Cinema", was operating in Bengescu House. After the revolution, it was returned to the National Orthodox Society of Christian Women, which donated it to the Archdiocese of Craiova. Source: www.facebook.com/Monumentalistul/

The N.D. Popescu apartment building is built in Neo-Romanian style in the 1920s by architect State Baloşin.

The Obedeanu School in Craiova is the first school in Oltenia - attested since 1775 - and the precursor of the 2nd oldest secondary school institution in the Principalities. Together with the ”Annunciation and the Holy Emperors” Church of the former Obedeanu Monastery, a hospital for the poor and an asylum, the Obedeanu School was the epicenter of a religious, cultural and social settlement in the landscape of Craiova during the 18th and 19th centuries. This school was attended by many personalities, such as Tudor Vladimirescu, Petrache Poenaru, Gheorghe Chiţu, Theodor Aman, Alexandru Macedonski, Eugeniu Carada, Constantin Argetoianu, Gogu Constantinescu, Nicolae Titulescu, dr. Constantin Angelescu, Constantin Nicolăescu-Plopşor and many more. The school was established in the cellars of Obedeanu Church, founded by the great boyar Constantin Obedeanu. This school at Obedeanu church in the years 1774-1775 was the first school in Oltenia, whereby Obedeanu's establishment began its great historical and cultural role. It was, for 100 years, the only elementary school in Craiova and the second national school in Romanian language from Wallachia, after St. Sava. Once it was set up, the school was included in the education system of that time. The school functioned, with some interruptions, from 1816 until 1821, being confirmed by legislative acts of organization. The study plan included the study of the Greek language, French language, arithmetic and the Romanian language, and since 1813 two teachers have been appointed for the study of the Romanian language. After Tudor Vladimirescu's Revolution of 1821 and the arrival of Grigore Dimitrie Ghica Vodă as ruler, he ordered the abolition of Greek schools, on the orders of the sultan. Thus, the school of Obedeanu Church became in 1822 a public school under the name of Princely School, with primary and upper classes, in which the young people of Craiova learned the Romanian, French and Greek languages. In the spring of 1825, the teachers Stanciu Căpăţâneanu and Grigore Pleşoianu, pupils of Gheorghe Lazăr and I. H. Rădulescu, set up at the Obedeanu Church the National School of Romanian Language, whose name will be linked to the entire subsequent evolution of the educational system in Craiova. Between 1826 and 1832, due to the deterioration of the building and the socio-political conditions at that time, the school operated with great interruptions. In 1832, through the care of Stanciu Căpăţâneanu, Grigore Pleşoianu and Florian Aron, the third grade of the school together with the upper classes (future gymnasium) temporarily moved into the cellars of the Madona Dudu church, and the 1st and 2nd grades still operating in the school's building in the courtyard of Obedeanu Church. After 1834, this school was entrusted with training teachers for rural schools, at that time called candidates. This mission ceased once the Normal School was set up in Craiova. After the renewal of the Obedeanu establishment in 1858, the buildings that have long been used as a school lasted until 1888-1889, continuing to be school buildings – this time primary school following the new organization of education, until the old buildings of the Obedeanus, in ruins and with no one to take care of them, were demolished by the Craiova City Hall. The new buildings of the two primary schools - the Obedeanu School for Boys and the Zoiţa Brâncoveanu School for Girls - were built on the site of the old buildings and cellars next to the Obedeanu church. According to the history of the Obedeanu church, between the two school buildings there is another building, built in 1900 with the purpose of a school cafeteria. The dividing wall between the church and the school was erected in 1968 on the initiative of the school. It should be remembered that out of everything that was once the Obedeanu establishment, today only the church and a part of the wall surrounding the school on the west and north side are still standing. From a legal point of view, following a decision of the Dolj County School Inspectorate in 2010, the Obedeanu School lost its legal capacity, becoming a structure of the School no. 12 "Decebal". Practically, it continued to function, with pre-school groups and grades I to VIII. In terms of patrimony, the Obedeanu School has four buildings, two of which are historical monuments (the school building with entrance from Brestei Street and the one with entrance from Painter Oscar Obedeanu Street). Source: www.monumenteoltenia.ro/

The Charmed Castle of Craiova is located in the most famous and popular park in the city, the "Nicolae Romanescu" Park. However, the fact that it is in a less visible place, being hidden among the trees, has made it less known to tourists, until a few years ago. The Charmed Castle was built in 1905 with the purpose of concealing the water tower in the park. It was built in a romantic style and was one of the meeting places of the Craioveni. The castle is located near the Suspended Bridge, another popular park sight. It separates two hills and is above a water.

This remarkable work of landscape architecture was built between 1901-1902, at the initiative of Mayor Nicolae Romanescu, according to the plans of the French architect E. Redont. One of the main attractions of the park is the Gheorghe Bibescu House, known as the Artists' House. After the restoration of Gheorghe Bibescu House, the buiding turned into an exhibition and conference centre, sheltering art workshops and becoming an important attraction for the park visitors. Source: primariacraiova.ro/ro/monumente-de-arhitectura Photo: www.facebook.com/CraiovaMyBeautifulCity