Discover the many touristic attractions of Gorj county

The forms of relief and the kind of rocks found in the mountains of Gorj county is of such a nature that most rivers that pass through the mountaneous chains were able to dig narrow canyons along whose side many caves and caverns were formed. One of the most beautiful canyons in the area is the Oltet Gorge found in the proximity of Polovragi Monastery and accessible only by foot or by offroad cars. Because of the narrowness of some areas in the space dug between the Parang and Capatanii Mountains, the enormous blocks of rock on both sides give the impression that they’re going to swallow you alive. The Oltet Gorge Natural Park is unique because of the rare fauna and flora that it hosts. Another impressive geographic formation is the Sohodol Gorge, which dug a spectacular canyon through the Valcan Mountains, leaving behind caves, caverns, dolines, lapies and sinkholes. If you still feel the need to see even more groges as remarcable as these, you have a whole list to choose from out of the diverse offer of Gorj: Galben Gorge, Corcoaia Gorge, Susita Gorge, Patrunsa Gorge, Gropul Sec Gorge etc.

Gorj county is renown for its rich karstic relief, hosting two of the most famous caves in Romania: Women’s Cave and Polovragi Cave. Women’s Cave is the most visited cave in the country, having a length of 900 m arranged for visiting (out of 3,5 km). Besides the numerous bones of wild animals such as bears, lions, hienas, wolves, foxes, goats and boars, a Homo Sapiens Fosilis woman’s cranium has also been found here, which is one of the reasons why the place got the name of Women’s Cave. Situated near the Galben Gorge, it was formed by the Galben River itself, which along thousands of years sculpted impressive shapes, such as the Small Dome, the Bloody Rock, the Shrine’s Hall, the Pulpit, the Big Chandelier, the Cupola, Turk’s Hall or Bears’ Gallery and formations that are rare at a national level, such as those of dahllite. Polovragi Cave is one of the biggest and most beautiful caves in Europe, having various geomorphological forms such as lace nets of icicle stalactites, intermediary collumns, domes, groups of stalagmites, deep basins, clay leaks, cavern ochre etc. Tourists can visit 80 m (out of 11 km discovered so far) of galleries, aisles and halls gracefully sculpted in limestones by the Cerna River which afterwards meets with the Oltet River. Other caves worthy of visiting in the area are Closani Cave, Martel Cave, Cioaca cu Brebenei Cave, Lazului Cave, Gura Plaiului Cave, Iedului Cave etc.

Most lakes in the Gorj area are mountain lakes or glacier lakes, formed on the course of important rivers or at high altitudes as a consequence of glacier meltings. Calcescu Lake, of a rare beauty and situated in a marvelous alpine scenery, is one of the main attractions of mountain hikes along the Carpathian ridges, being one of the biggest glacier lakes of the Parang Mountains. With a depth of 9,3 m and a surface of 3 hectares, it is the only lake naturally populated with trout, also being the place where the Lotru River emerges. Another lake that attracts through the beauty of the landscapes around it is Iovan’s Valley Reservoir Lake. Surrounded by forested mountains through which the water dug deep ramifications, the lake offers an astonishing scenery with ridges of various heights rising in steps from the lake side. For other lacustrine landscapes which impress through location and panoramas, don’t hesitate to visit other lakes in our county, such as Rosiile Lake, Mandra Lake, Vaja-Clocotis Lacustrine Complex, Gheresul Lake, Zanoaga Stanei Lake, as well as the numerous small glacier lakes situated along the high ridges of the mountains.

Besides the Jiu Canyon Natural Park, Gorj county is the host of many other parks and natural reservations of a special beauty which are under strict rules for visitors and hikers in what nature protecting is concerned. The biggest of them is Domogled Cerna Valley National Park, which stretches on the surface of 3 counties and has a vastity of 61000 hectares, out of which 30000 hectares are on the territory of Gorj. Other protected areas in the county are Piatra Closanilor Natural Reservation, Piatra Sfinxul Lainicilor Natural Reservation, Mount Oslea Natural Reservation, Sohodol Gorge Natural Reservation, Sacelu Mineral Springs Natural Reservation etc.

The Rural Architecture Museum in Curtisoara compounds a number of 30 households and annexes situated in a natural scenery that captures the true charm of village life. One of the few outdoor museums in Romania, it is a veritable jewel of local folklore and a palpable proof of the simple, but meaningful, lifestyle, of the people of Gorj throughout time. Set around the Cornoiu Kula, a fortified construction for refuge purposes which represents the centre of the village put together by museologists for the simulation of a typical rural settlement, the museum at Curtisoara offers a journey into the fascinating past of plain people who built their lives with their own hands, through ancient rituals and traditions. A similar formula, but at a smaller scale, is used by the outdoor museums in Lelesti and Arcani. Other jewels of rural architecture are represented by the memorial houses of Constantin Brancusi, Ecaterina Teodoroiu, Tudor Vladimirescu and Maria Lataretu, the difference being made by the fact that beside their quality of monuments of rural architecture, they are also historical monuments that have hosted important personalities of Romanian art and history.

Gorj is a county rich in architectural treasures which are part of the cultural patrimony of the country, and the main characteristic of architecture in the Oltenia region is the presence of kulas. Besides Cornoiu Kula from the Museum of Curtisoara, you can also visit the individual constructions spread in various places in the county, such as Cioaba-Chintescu Kula, Crasnaru Kula, the Kula-house in Glogova, the Cartianu Kula-house, the Barbu Ganescu House, the Cornea Brailoiu Ensemble, the Dimitrie Maldarescu House etc. Another attraction of the county is represented by the multitude of monuments, among which the Ecaterina Teodoroiu Mausoleum is the most popular, being errected in 1936 by the sculptor Milita Petrascu in the honor of Gorj heroine who courageously withstood the enemy armies in the First World War. Other important monuments in Gorj are the Pades Proclamation Monument, Captain Ursache’s Cross, the Mihai Viteazu Monument in Schela etc. Another monument worth mentioning is the County Museum, which administers and coordinates a series of memorial houses and museums in the county and also has history, archeology, arts and ethnography sections.

Ancient remains of archaic settlements that show elements of the Geto-Dacian and Roman civilizations that lived here in times of glory have been discovered on the territory of our county. Possibly the most well-known is the Roman Military Camp in Bumbesti-Jiu, which is situated on the banks of the Jiu River and dates back from the 1st century, having the role of guarding the entrance in the Jiu Canyon in the time of Emperor Traian and then of Emperor Septimius Severus. A thesaurus of 92 silver coins and an inscription dedicated to the Roman Emperor Antoninius Caracalla were found here. 800 m more to the North you can find the Roman Military Camp in Vartop, which was built and used between the two wars that had Dacia conquered by the Romans, after which it was abandoned. Other ancient remains on the territory of Gorj are Chivadarul Roman Camp at Valea Perilor, the Runcu sites, the Geto-Dacian fortifications at Polovragi etc.

Lainici Monastery, rebuilt in 1929 in the old fashion style of the 14th century, is located on the Jiu Canyon and represents a charming stopover for any passer by. After being destroyed repeatedly since its first errection, the monastery has known its present state of glory through the works of Abbot Ioan Selegean and of Archmandrite Ioanichie Parvulescu, who in 1994 have finalized a new church in the perimeter of the monastery. This church, unique in the world, represents in fact two churches in one disposed on two levels and the interior paintings are also unique because they represent a series of saints who have been recently martyrized. Another attraction of this new church is the icon of Mother Mary „Grabnic Ascultatoare”, which is a miracle maker icon painted on sandalwood and brought from Mount Athos.

Tismana Monastery is located on the road from Targu Jiu to Tismana, 36 km away from the former. It is 7 centuries old and is representative for the feudal ecumenical architecture. The museum from inside the monastery has an impressive collection of mural paintings, old icons on wood, cult objects, old books, ecumenical clothes etc. In the chapel church, errected by Matei Basarab, there are three painted-glass windows of a rare beauty created by Iohan Wirnst. Close to the monastery, on the Cioclovina hill, there are two convents, both architectural monuments from the 18th century, the Lower Cioclovina Convent and the Upper Cioclovina Convent.

Gorj county is known as a cradle of Orthodoxy, offering ecumenical tourism numerous treasures of architecture for admiration or refuge from day to day life. Among the most impressive holy settlements that can be visited by beauty and peace lovers we may mention Crasna Monastery, Visina Monastery, Camaraseasca Monastery, Stramba-Jiu Monastery, Dealu-Mare Monastery, Icoana Monastery, Logresti Monastery, the Lord Cathedral in Targu Jiu, Sf. Nicholas’ and St. Andrew’s Church in Targu Jiu, St. Apostles Peter and Paul Church in Targu Jiu, St. Nicholas Church in Telesti, Locurele Convent and many others.

Another representative aspect for religious architecture in the Oltenia region are the wooden churches, which can be found spread throughout the whole county of Gorj and which date from the 17th – 19th century: the wooden church in Curteana, the wooden church in Lelesti, the wooden church in Stroiesti, St. Vasile wooden church in Pieptani, St. Joan the Baptist Church in Farcasesti, St. Nicholas wooden church in Negomir, the Archangel Saints Church in Ceauru. Many of these churches are taken into consideration towards restoration by non-profit organizations and institutions that militate for the conservation of these rural ecumenical pieces of architecture.

Because of the high mountain ridges on the territory of the county, the alpine tourism is also blooming, and it is represented by sports such as wintersports, rock climbing, hiking, mountain bike marathons and races, ATV, enduro, offroad driving etc. Some of the resorts that welcomes tourists every year are Ranca resort (situated on the Transalpina road), Straja resort or Rusu resort. The cabins, points of equipment hiring, cable transportation such as funiculars or tele-chairs and the points of refuge that serve the general public offer a veritable entertainment schedule. Events and festivals dedicated to winter sports and mountain-connected activities are organized periodically.

Transalpina Road (DN67C), recently paved completely, is the highest road in Romania, connecting the cities of Novaci and Sebes transverally through the Meridian Carpathian Mountains. Its highest point is Urdele Pass, where its altitude reaches 2.145 m. The road passes through Ranca resort and continues on by Papusa Peak, goes through Urdele Pass, sweeps along the mountain ridges on platforms that are almost straight and then goes down on frequent tight curves towards the Lotru Canyon to accompany the river towards Obarsia Lotrului, after which it goes through the less high forested mountains to Sebes, being careful to marvel us with the charming view along Oasa Lake on the way there. Around Urdele Pass there are many hiking routes that can be taken on the ridges of the Parang Mountains, passing by the multitude of glacier lakes in the area and through numerous breathtaking panoramic view points.

A renown spa resort is the Sacelu Mineral Springs Natural Reservation, which offers treatment possibilities with waters rich in sulphur, chlorine, iodine and bromide.

Rafting lessons for beginners or performance rafting can be organized on the Jiu Canyon; every year sees events and meetings for the lovers of this sport. Other extreme sports and activities dedicated both to organized groups as well as to individual tourists are rock climbing, zip lining, survival techniques, paintball, archery, crossing of segments on chords, bungee jumping, paragliding etc. A special attraction is represented by offroad climbing with 4X4 cars on inclined terraces.