Curtea de Arges (The Court upon Arges)

The town of Curtea de Arges was the first capital city of Wallachia. In the 13th century (1247) Curtea de Arges became the residence of ruler Seneslau, whose son Basarab united all the principalities between the Carpathians and the Danube under the name of Wallachia.

The first historical documentation of Curtea de Arges dates back from Herodot who wrote about some Geto-Dacians names of rivers including Ordeoss (Arges River). The natural conditions made that Arges River valley to be inhabited since the oldest times. It had an important economic, social, political and cultural development. It seems that here appeared one of the firsts Dacian tribal unions with its capital at Argedava.

The Court upon Arges was the capital city of Wallachia since 1241 and until 1330 when Basarab I moved it to Campulung. During the reign of Nicolae Alexandru (1352-1364) here was built the Royal Church, the first necropolis of the Romanian rules from between the Carpathians and the Danube, and San Nicoara Church which it’s said that was built by the order of Lady Clara, the ruler’s mother. It is also said that the church might have been catholic and that it was connected to the Royal Church by an underground tunnel. In this town was opened the first kind of bank and the first school which was attended only by the townspeople’s children.

At the beginning of the 14th century in Curtea de Arges was built the famous monastery to which is connected the Creation Myth. This put the town of Curtea de Arges on the map of the civilized cities mostly because the art and craftsmanship of Curtea de Arges Monastery are unique in the South-Eastern Europe. Here are buried the last kings of Romania and for a period of time was the summer residence of then Prince Mihai, now King Mihai of Hohenzollern.

On 29th of October 2014 Curtea de Arges receives from Princess Margaret in the name of King Mihai the title of the first Royal Town due to its connection to the royal family not only in the past, but also in the present. Many kings and queens tied their lives to this town.

There are many things you can see if you come here apart from those from above. You should not forget that Curtea de Arges practically lies in the foothills of the Carpathians and this is a town situated on the renowned Trasfagarasan and very close to Dracula’s Fortress Poienari.

Article: Andreea Andrei

Photo: Iulia Georgescu

Enjoy below Curtea de Arges photos