Dolj

Dolj County in southwestern Romania stretches from the hills of Lesser Wallachia to the Danube, which forms the border with Bulgaria here. A trip to Dolj leads above all to Craiova, the old capital of Oltenia, with spacious parks, boyar palaces, and early works by Constantin Brâncuși.

Craiova: City of the Bans

Craiova was the seat of the Bans of Oltenia, the governors of Wallachia. Today the city has about 235,000 residents and is an industrial center where cars are built, among other things. The Art Museum in the Jean Mihail Palace, a French-inspired building from 1907, displays sculptures by Brâncuși, who attended the arts and crafts school in Craiova. The Nicolae Romanescu Park, laid out around 1900, is one of the largest landscape parks in Europe, with a lake, a suspension bridge, and an artificial castle. The Băniei House from the 17th century is the oldest surviving building in the city. The pedestrian zone around Lipscani Street and Mihai Viteazul Square has been extensively renovated, and in December a large Christmas market draws visitors from all over the country. The university and the Oltenia Philharmonic keep the cultural scene lively, and the soccer club Universitatea has loyal fans across the country.

Sights in Dolj: The Danube and the Plain

To the south, the Danube plain opens up with sand dunes, acacia forests, and oxbow lakes. Near Calafat, a bridge has spanned the Danube to Vidin in Bulgaria since 2013. The Ciuperceni-Desa nature area and the sandy expanses near Dăbuleni, the "Sahara of Oltenia," are good destinations for birdwatchers. The Coșoveni manor house and Jitianu Monastery reflect the region's rural history. Around Segarcea grow wines that once supplied the court of the Romanian kings.

Cuisine, Getting There, and the Best Time to Visit

Oltenian cuisine is hearty and spicy: bean soup with smoked meat, vegetable stew (ghiveci), grilled mici, and lamb dishes at Easter. Craiova Airport is also served from Germany, and trains connect Craiova with Bucharest and Timișoara. Because summers on the plain are very hot, April through June and September through October are the best times to visit.