Historic Center of Craiova

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

The Vârvoreanu House is one of the buildings included in the list of historical monuments of Dolj County, being built at the end of the 19th century. Today there is a kindergarten functioning in the building. Photo: Monumentalist

The Stoilov-Bolintineanu House is a historic architectural monument of local interest, located in the center of Craiova, on Calea Unirii, no. 5 (near Valea Vlăicii), opposite to the Constantin Vălimărescu House. The building, dating back to the end of the 19th century, belonged to General Simion Stoilov, the father of the great Romanian mathematician Simion Stoilov. The Stoilov-Bolintineanu House has a three-level height (basement, ground floor and attic). On the exterior, the main entrance stands out (from Savinesti street), covered by an awning, as well as the decorations and frames of the windows on the facade facing Calea Unirii. Source: www.monumenteoltenia.ro/casa-stoilov-bolintineanu/

It is a historical monument of local value, that belonged to Dr. Mihai Cănciulescu, one of the representative figures of the Oltenian medical community in Romania during the interwar period. It is located at the intersection of Simion Bărnuţiu Street and January 24 Street, opposite of the "Sf. Archangels Mihail and Gavriil" Church. Cănciulescu House has a three-level height regime (basement, ground floor and attic) and an internal courtyard enclosed by a cement and iron fence. On the exterior of the house there is the richly ornamented decoration around the windows and cornices, with decorative plaster, the sheet metal roof with windows and skylights and the main entrance covered with an awning. Photo source: monumenteoltenia.ro, gds.ro

Vernescu House is a historic architectural monument from the beginning of the 20th century, located near the center of Craiova. The house is located on Metropolitan Firmilian Street, at no. 20, and is neighboring another local architectural monument, Pencioiu House. The house belonged to Dr. Dumitru Vernescu, one of the representative figures of the medical community in Romania in the first part of the 20th century. Vernescu House has a three-level height scheme (basement, ground floor and attic) and an internal courtyard surrounding the house, enclosed with a cement and iron fence (facing the street). On the exterior of the house, some elements stand out: a decoration of apparent brick, decorations around the windows and cornices, decorative plaster with intricate letters D and V, tin roof with windows and skylights, brick baskets and the balcony on the western façade. The door and window framing is wooden. The visible facades (western, eastern and southern) are degraded, with the plaster missing on large areas. Source: www.monumenteoltenia.ro/casa-vernescu-craiova/ Photo: Mihai Murărețu

The Pencioiu House, a historical monument, is located in the central area of the city. Situated near the Adventist Church of Craiova and the former headquarters of the conference, the building on Mitropolit Firmilian Street, no. 18, proved to be the ideal place that fully meets the current needs of the Adventist Church from the Oltenia region. In the building used to live D.G. Pencioiu, lawyer, literary critic and Romanian translator. He temporarily served as mayor of Craiova (1918) during the German occupation. Photo: www.monumenteromania.ro

The school’s origins go back to 1833, as Lazaro-Otetelisanu's girls' boarding school, a name which it taks from its founders, being the first school for girls in the Romanian Principalities. The establishment of this boarding school is related to the extensive development of national education in the capital of Oltenia following the adoption of the Organic Regulation. It was founded before the other similar institutions in the Romanian Principalities. The initiative of "this school, for a better education of boyar girls", sprang into the "enlightened mind of Overseer Iordache Otetelișanu, great patriot and fond of the national culture". With ”his funds, but also with the material support of the Cupbearer Constantin Lazaro", who donated to the school the houses inherited from his wife, Zoiţa Pârşcoveanca, he founded "Lazaro-Otetelisanu Boarding School for Girls" in 1833. Students admitted to this school had to know how "to read and write" in a foreign language. As a matter of fact, since 1860, the girls’ boarding school came under the care of the state and was put under the control and supervision of a committee, a fact that was decided by the Parliament's vote of August 4, 1860. At that time, the school operated with six classes: four lower ones and two upper ones. From a study programme dated 1861, it is found that the following subjects were taught in the school: Romanian language, religion, history, geography, drawing, calligraphy, crafting, physical sciences, natural sciences, cosmography. The name of the school is changed again in 1883 when it becomes a "Pedagogical Institute for Girls", "because of the goal pursued by the school authority to create graduates who whould become schoolmasters." From 1891, it is added ”to the institute an application school (primary school) which was operating apart from it, on the basis of a special program under the ministerial orders." Since becoming a state school after 1860, the tendency was to develop the secondary education for girls, as well as to prepare valuable elements for primary education. Starting with 1959, the institution takes the name Middle School no. 3, until 1966, when it became a mixed school, allowing, for the first time, boys in its school rooms. Between 1966-1976, the school was named "Highschool no. 3 "and then, in the period from 1977 to 1989, it was named "High School of Philology-History ". In 1990 the school returned to the traditional name of "Elena Cuza High School" and since 1998 it is named "Elena Cuza National College". Throughout its existence, the school had as main objective for its students the learning of a foreign language, especially until 1944 and between 1970-1975 when all disciplines were taught in French. The specificity of the school was preserved even in recent years, with regular classes of philology-bilingual foreign language (French, English, German and Spanish). Also, in recent years, foreign lecturers have taught at those classes, native speakers of that language, who have come following various European programs initiated by the school. Source: elenacuza.ro Photo: www.facebook.com