The organizational chart of the Defielul Jiului National Park Administration is complete
Visina Monastery
In the 14th and 15th centuries, the monasteries, in addition to the fact that they owned large feudal properties, were also centers of culture, where Slavonic literature was taught, where church books were copied. The “Diecii” – secretaries for the royal chancelleries and the boyar courts – were recruited from here.
One of these monasteries built in this period is the Vişina monastery built next to a Dacian defense tower, which may have had a sanctuary next to it. About the Vişina Monastery, the documents show us that it was built by Mircea the Elder under the mountain. Located in the Jiului gorge, it can be considered among the oldest religious places in Gorj county built by Mircea the Elder.
Its ruins can be seen on the right side of Jiu. Originally built of stone by Mircea the Elder, it is documented in a charter from 1514, by which Neagoe Basarab confirmed to the monastery the control over half of the Baiului estate and over the Porceni settlement, from the mouth of the Pig.
For the locals, it was of great importance because it was the first “hotbed” of culture in these lands.
The document of December 14, 1514 certifies the erection of the monastery by Mircea the Elder. By this Neagoe Basarab confirms to those who live at the Vişina monastery, to Abbot Grigore with all the brothers, the monks” that it will be their home with the gardens and the entire border where it has been since ancient times since the days of Mircea Voivod”.
The elements of the Byzantine style were harmoniously combined in the construction of this monastery. This historical monument speaks over the centuries of the indestructible aspiration for freedom of the inhabitants. The reconstitution of the Vișina Monastery began on October 19, 1994, preserving the original patron saint. The holy monastery has the patron saint “Holy Trinity”.
Locurele Hermitage
On one of the peaks of the Gropu mountain, which drops steeply into Jiu, in a wide meadow called “Locuri Rele”, at an altitude of 750-800 m, there is the Locurele Hermitage. You can get there in an hour’s walk on the road set up by the forestry operations. It is located at a difference in level of 350 m and at a distance of 0.5 km on the serpentine road. It was built in 1850-1852 from wood and after 1855-1858 it was rebuilt from brick in the form in which it is found today.
The clearing in which it is built is guarded by Mount Sliva to the south and the peaks of Parâng to the northeast.
The architecture of the church with 1 m thick walls has a trilobed shape with a spire with polygonal faces, well proportioned to the walls. The church has no tent.
Every year, numerous visitors/believers gather here to participate in the patron saint’s service, while also enjoying an extraordinary landscape. The hermitage is also an intermediate point in the hike on the thematic route “Defileul Jiului and its treasures”.
Nature Reserve Sfinxul Lainicilor
The Sphinx of the Lainici is a natural reserve that aims to preserve the natural element with landscape value represented in this case by the geological formation with the appearance of a sphinx, formed by the modeling of a rock by environmental climatic factors (freeze/thaw/precipitation/wind).
Considering the significance of this formation, visible from different points of the park, but especially from the area of the access roads that pass through National Park, the park administration created a thematic route from three directions to the highest point of the formation. This route is most used by hiking enthusiasts. More information can be found in the specific route menu.
Nature Reserve Stancile Rafaila
Stancile Rafaila are a nature reserve that aims to preserve the natural geological elements, represented by the two large blocks of chloritoid shale, made up of a wide range of weakly metamorphosed rocks, pyriphyllite, serucite and muscovite microconglomerate sandstones.
The monument of General Dragalina
General Ion Dragalina is among the large number of heroes who gave their lives for the unity of the nation during the 1916-1918 war. While inspecting the troops, he was seriously wounded on October 12, 1916 near Lainici and despite all the care of the doctors, the wound he received would cause his death on November 6, 1918 in a hospital in Bucharest.
The monument was erected in 1927, inaugurated on October 12, in memory of the general who fell near Lainici, on the left bank of the Jiu, in the place where he was wounded.
The monument reminds the traveler of the battle fought by the Romanian troops in 1916 under the command of General Dragalina to defend the gorge against the attack of the German armies. It consists of a white marble cross placed on a cement plinth.
Museum of popular architecture from Gorj
In the village of Curtişoara in the town of Bumbeşti-Jiu, there is the most beautiful tower in Gorj County, which, according to materials, solidity and architecture, belongs to the 17th century or even the end of the 15th century.
The museum houses houses and houses representative of this region. The buildings are old, over 100 years old, with original architecture, specific to this folklore area. From 1968, it was established as a Folk Art Section, and in the following years, peasant houses and nobleman’s mansions were brought here, which naturally present us with the image of the life of the Gorje village from the last 2-3 centuries. The inauguration of this museum took place on August 17, 1975.
The village museum opened here with exposed houses existing on the territory of Gorj county is not inferior to the village museum in Bucharest, only it is smaller.
Thus it can be seen that the area of the national park has been inhabited since ancient times, the historical events leaving their mark on the lifestyle of the local population, on the architecture and traditions.
Sfinxul Lainicilor
Thematic trail "Sfinxul Lainicilor"
Location: Jiului Gorge National Park, north of the Lainici Monastery.
Route description: Duration: 2 hours; Degree of difficulty of the route: medium; Equipment level: medium, mandatory boots, raincoat.
The route in KMZ format can be downloaded by accessing the link below.
Defileul Jiului and its treasures
Thematic trail "Defileul Jiului and its treasures"
Route description: Duration: 5 hours; Degree of difficulty of the route: medium; Seasonality: summer-winter; Equipment level: medium, mandatory boots, raincoat, thicker clothes, water and food; The length of the return route is 15 km, of which 9 km can be done by car.
The route in KMZ format can be downloaded by accessing the link below.
Forest stories
Thematic trail "Forest stories"
Location: Jiului Gorge National Park, 5 km north of Bumbesti Jiu.
This route is designed for children in grades IV-VI, but the beauty of the area satisfies visitors of any age.
The route is 5.8 km long with a medium degree of difficulty and can be completed in 4-5 hours. We recommend appropriate footwear, water and something to nibble on.
Along it, the squirrel Alunița will tell you little secrets about: the life of animals in the beech forest, the meadow and its inhabitants, life in a mountain forest, the formation of “dead wood” and trees with strange shapes, the orchard and the pollination of trees , the traditional household of the locals, the formation of a gorge or how we distinguish trees.
The route in KMZ format can be downloaded by accessing the link below.
