Maglavit Monastery is located in the commune with the same name in Dolj County. It was built at the place where on 31 May 1935 the shepherd Petrache Lupu had a vision of „a white-bearded man […] seemingly two feet above ground.“ The old man appeared before the shepherd on each of the following Fridays, instructing him in the ways of the world, the Church and the righteous faith. Shortly, thousands of believers started to gather here each day. Crosses, votive stones and even a liturgical ambon were put at the site of the revelation. On 14 September 1935 the cornerstone of the future monastery was laid, and a number of monks arrived. The Second World War and the subsequent Communist rule led to the destruction of the monastery, and monasticism was not restored until 1990. As of 2010 Maglavit has been an all-female monastery.
Visit to the Madona Dudu Church, St. Demetrius Cathedral, Mantuleasa Church and the Church of the Holy Trinity, Craiova (optional)
Departure from Craiova
Visit to the Maglavit Monastery, Mlaglavit ot visit to the St. Nicholas Church, Calafat (optional)
Visit to the Museum of Art and Ethnography, Calafat (optional)
Departure to Belogradchik
Lunch in Vidin area
Departure to Belogradchik and visit to the Magura cave or Kaleto fortress in Belogradchik and The Belogradchik Rocks (optional)
Departure to Chiprovtsi, dinner and overnight accommodation
Visit to the Chiprovtsi Monastery of St. John of Rila, Chiprovtsi
Free time in Chiprovtsi and visit to the Museum in the town
Lunch in Chiprovtsi
Departure to the Monastery of St. Ivan Pusti
Dinner and overnight accommodation in the Monastery
Departure to Vratsa
Visit to the Cathedral of Holy 12 Apostles, Vratsa
Visit to the church of Saints Constantine and Helen, Vratsa
City tour and visit to the Ledenika cave
Lunch in Vratsa
Visit to the Cherepish Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos
Visit to the Ritlite rock formation, Skoklya waterfall, the Cherepish rocks (optional)
Dinner and overnight accommodation in the area
Departure to Vidin
Visit to the churches of St. Pantaleon and of the St. Paraskevi, the Cathedral of St. Demetrius and the church of St. Nicholas
Lunch in Vidin
Free time: visit to the Baba Vida Fortress, Krastata Kazarma museum and Historical Museum, Vidin (optional)
Dinner and overnight accommodation in Vidin
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
Museum of Art and Ethnography (Marincu Palace)
GPS Coordinates: 43.994571 / 43 ° 59’40 “N – 22.932424 / 22 ° 55’57” E
Address: Strada 22 Decembrie nr. 6, Calafat, Dolj county
The Art and Ethnography Museum in Calafat is housed in a remarkable building, located right in the centre of the town, also known as Marincu Palace. It was built according to the plans of the famous French architect Paul Gottereau in the beginning of the twentieth century. The builders were Italians, led by the engineer Pietro Adotti. The foundation stone was laid in the autumn of 1904, and the construction was completed three years later. It was inaugurated in 1908. The architecture was made in the neo-classical style of the French baroque, with influences of the Romanian architecture from the beginning of the 20th century. The three-floor building occupies an area of 8,330 square meters, with nearly 50 rooms. However, the building has a sad destiny, as it is linked to the daughter of the Marincu family, a child with a particular musical talent, who died at the age of 13 due to tuberculosis. Overwhelmed by this tremendous pain, his father Stephan Marincu decided to raise this wonderful palace in memory of his daughter Marioara. However, the tragedy of the family would not end here, because Ştefan Marincu himself died of tuberculosis a few years later. Therefore, before his death, he donated the palace to the local community, with the duty to run a girls’ school here. In 1926, the palace actually became a property of the Calafat City Hall and functioned as a girls’ school. It was turned into a Museum of Art and Ethnography in 1967. Currently, the museum has a rich collection of art objects exhibited in permanent exhibitions. There are also personal exhibitions of contemporary artists from the country and abroad. Thanks to it cultural and social events, the Museum is today one of the most important cultural centres of the entire Danube region.
The War of Independence Monument
GPS coordinates: 43.997231 / 43 ° 59’50 “N – 22.934442 / 22 ° 56’4” E
Address: 1, Baba Lupa Street, Calafat, Dolj county
The city of Calafat is marked in the Romanian history as the place where the war of independence began in 1877 against the Ottoman Empire. This monument was erected several years after the end of the war, reminding of this glorious episode of the birth of the modern Romanian state.
