The Church of Madona Dudu is also known as Maica Precesta, meaning pure Mother in Romanian. Its name is derived from an icon of the All-Holy Theotokos found here in the 17th century in a dud (Romanian for mulberry tree). Between 1758 and 1760 a church in the Brancoveanu style was built where the tree grew. Before it, this was the location of an older wooden church, built in 1700. The church owned a lot of property and shops, and also housed the first hospital for people with mental disabilities in the region. It was completely destroyed in an earthquake in 1838, and was later rebuilt in the Baroque style by a Viennese architect. Because it was very small, it was pulled down in 1913, when the present building was constructed. It was designed in the Neo-Byzantine style, and was sanctified in 1942. Today, it is one of the religious landmarks of the city of Craiova, and has an important cultural and charitable role. Since 1992 it has been a bishop’s cathedral.
Visit to Madona Dudu Church, St. Demetrius Cathedral, Mântuleasa Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Craiova (optional)
Departure to Strehaia and visit to the Monastery of Strehaia
Departure to Maglavit and visit to the Monastery of Maglavit
Departure to Vidin, Bulgaria
Dinner and overnight accommodation in Vidin
Visit to the Cathedral of Saint Demetrius, Church of Saint Paraskevi and Church of St. Pantaleon in Vidin
Free time in Vidin: a tour of the Baba Tonka Fortress, visit to the Historical Museum and the Krastata Kazarma museum (optional)
Visit to the Strupeski Monastery of St. Elijah the Prophet, Vratsa
Lunch in the Monastery area
Departure to Pleven
Dinner and overnight accommodation in Pleven
Visit to the Metropolitan Church of St. Nicholas, Church of St. Paraskevi and the Church of Holy Trinity, Pleven
Visit to the Chapel Mausoleum of Saint George the Conqueror, Pleven
Lunch in Pleven
Walk to the Skobelev Park and Ossuary Memorial or visit to the Kaylaka Park and the Wine Museum
Departure to Veliko Tarnovo
Dinner and overnight accommodation in Veliko Tarnovo
Visit to the Tsarevets Fortress and Trapezithsa Hill, Veliko Tarnovo
Visit to the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Theotokos, the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs and the Church of St. Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Veliko Tarnovo
Lunch in Veliko Tarnovo
Free time: visit to the old part of the Veliko Tarnovo
“Light and sound” show – Tsarevets Fortress
Dinner and overnight accommodation in Veliko Tarnovo
Visit to the Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos and the Monastery St. Nicholas of Myra, Arbanasi
Visit to the Church of the Nativity of Christ, Arbanasi
Lunch in Arbanasi
Visit to the Church “St. Athanasius”, Arbanasi
Overnight accommodation in Veliko Tarnovo
Departure to Ivanovo
Visit to the Rock-Hewn Churches of Ivanovo and Medieval Fortress of Cherven
Departure to Ruse and lunch on the Danube river
Visit to the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity and the Church of St. George in Ruse
Dinner and overnight accommodation in Ruse
Visit to the Regional Historical Museum and the ancient Roman fortress of Sexaginta Prista (optional)
Departure to Balș and visit to the Monastery of Măineşt
Departure to Călui and visit to the Monastery of Călui
Departure
Hotel-restaurant RAMADA
GPS coordinates: 44.321184 / 44°19’16” N – 23.795993 / 23°47’45” E
Address: 1 Calea București Str., Craiova
Hotel Helin Central
GPS coordinates: 44.318489 / 44°19’6” N – 23.800482 / 23°48’2” E
Address: 14, Alexandru Ioan Cuza Str., Craiova
Restaurant Iberico
GPS координати: 44.317182 / 44°19’21” N – 23.798969 / 23°47’56” E
Address: 13, Romen Rolan Street, Pedestrian Area of the Old Town, Craiova
Hotel – restaurant Tata și Fii (Fathers and sons), Becket
GPS coordinates: 43.786058 / 43°47’10” N – 23.954573 / 23°57’16” E
Address: 51 Alexandru Ioan Cuza Str., Becket
Hotel – restaurant Casa Verde(Green House), Becket
GPS coordinates: 43.779065 / 43°46’45” N – 23.961584 / 23°57’42” E
Address: 7 Calea Dunării Str., Becket
Hotel – restaurant Coliseum, Calafat
GPS coordinates: 43.993466 / 43°59’36” N – 22.931091 / 22°55’52” E
Address: Gheorghe Doja Str., Calafat
Craiova Art Museum
GPS Coordinates: 44.319323 / 44 ° 19’9 “N – 23.794477 / 23 ° 47’40” E
Address: 15 Calea Unirii str., Craiova, Dolj county
Craiova Art Museum is located right in the centre of the city and is housed in the splendid palace of the Mihail family. This beautiful site was built between 1900 and 1907, according to the plans of the French architect Paul Gottereau, at the request of the family of Constantin Mihail, one of the richest families in Romania at that time. The best quality materials were used for the construction of the palace by foreign builders, generally Italians, who had lived in the Oltenia region. Its chief architect was the Italian Constantino Cichi. The Palace has 29 rooms, plus facilities. This building is a true masterpiece of the architecture. The Museum has been operating in this building since 1954. It rich cultural heritage consist of about 12,000 artistic works.
Băniei House, Craiova
GPS coordinates: 44.314705 / 44 ° 18’53 “N – 23.792139 / 23 ° 47’31” E
Address: 16 Matei Basarab str., Craiova, Dolj county
The House of Băniei is an emblematic building for the whole region of Oltenia. Whoever visits this historic and cultural building has the opportunity to step into the world of the folklore traditions through its thematic exhibitions. The House of Băniei is the oldest civilian building in Craiova, erected in 1699 at the initiative of Prince Constantin Brâncoveanu, on the site of a former edifice from the fifteenth century, which originally belonged to the great families of the boyars Craioveşti. The House of Băniei is located in the centre of the city, close to St. Mark’s Square. Since 1966, this old Brancovenian architectural monument houses the Ethnography Section of the Oltenia Museum, and hosts collections that currently include over 9,000 pieces, grouped as folklore art collections, such as traditional peasant tools, traditional musical instruments, pottery, carved wood, carpets , leather goods, popular costumes and clothes, icons and other religious objects, etc.
Museum of Oltenia – Department of History and Archeology
GPS Coordinates: 44.316970 / 44 ° 19’1 “N – 23.789637 / 23 ° 47’22” E
Address: 4 Madona Dudu street, Craiova, Dolj County
Short presentation: The Oltenia Museum comprises of 3 main sections, located in different buildings in the city of Craiova. The most important and interesting of them is the Department of History and Archeology, which is in a building that originally belonged to the Madona Dudu Church. At the beginning of the 20th century, the construction of the current headquarters started with public funds provided by the Ministry of Education and the City of Craiova, because the first school of boys and girls was inaugurated in 1906 on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the reign of King Carol I. In the 1940 earthquake the building was severely damaged and the communist regime abolished the school in 1948, the building being the destination of the museum.
Nicolae Romanescu Park
GPS Coordinates: 44.302102 / 44 ° 18’7 “N – 23.798774 / 23 ° 47’55” E
Address: 1A Bulevardul Nicolae Romanescu, Craiova, Dolj County
Nicolae Romanescu Park in Craiova is the third largest park in Europe, being one of the favorite places both for the locals and the tourists. Nicolae Romanescu, who was chosen as a mayor of Craiova in 1898 and who ordered to modernize and give a European image of the city, has put into practice a project of landscaping and public gardens. The official inauguration of the park was on September 29, 1903, in the presence of King Carol I of Romania. Currently, Nicolae Romanescu Park has an area of about 96 hectares, a central lake with an area of 4 hectares and long alleys. Nicolae Romanescu Park also hosts one of the oldest zoos in Romania, inaugurated in 1906. Craiova has the privilege to host one of the largest and most beautiful parks in Europe, an exceptional monument of landscape architecture.
Craiova Botanical Garden
GPS Coordinates: 44.323441 / 44 ° 189’24 “N – 23.790325 / 23 ° 47’25” E
Address: 26 Constantin Lecca street, Craiova, Dolj county
The Botanical Garden in Craiova is named after the initiator of its foundation in 1952, the university professor Alexandru Buia, and is based on 50 years old original plans of the French landscape architect Emile Redont. Alexandru Buia, an university professor, who turned these plans into reality, so the current Botanical Garden is organized as a botanical garden of Craiova University. It has plant specimens, collected from different regions of the country and preserved as reference material. There are also 3 artificial lakes. The garden occupies a large area in the city centre of Craiova. Its visitors can see plants and trees from all corners of the world, some of which are easily recognizable, and others are totally unknown in our country. The Botanical Garden “Alexandru Buia” is well known both nationally and internationally and has been included in the International Association of Botanical Gardens. It has recently become a promenade and relaxing place for the citizens of Craiova.
