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<p>This cula (tower house) is located in the southwestern Carpathian mountain range near the the town of Tirgu Jiu, in the county of Gorj within Oltenia. The cula is part of the open-air Folk Architecture Museum of Gorj, which contains a variety of buildings that have been relocated from the region. The stone cula was constructed in the early 18th century. During a period of instability, when the Ottoman Empire controlled the Danubian Provinces (historic Wallachia and Moldavia), numerous such fortified tower houses were built by the landowning boyars.</p>
<p>The uppermost level contains a cerdac (open gallery with special sitting platform); the same word exists in Bulgarian, Serbian, and Russian as čardak. This space, with protective walls, short columns, and arches, includes a raised platform for occupants to sit and enjoy the landscape beyond. The lighter wooden latticework gives a more delicate and open edge to the cerdac.</p>
<p>The uppermost level contains a cerdac (open gallery with special sitting platform); the same word exists in Bulgarian, Serbian, and Russian as čardak. This space, with protective walls, short columns, and arches, includes a raised platform for occupants to sit and enjoy the landscape beyond. The lighter wooden latticework gives a more delicate and open edge to the cerdac.</p>
<p>This house moved to the park from Tărgu Jiu, was constructed in the 19th century. The notched oak construction of the ground level supports the upper frame and infill structure with lath and plaster. The wood have been shaped and detailed to create interlocking patterns and decorative details for the railings. The walls of the upper floor are plastered and limewashed. An open gallery (prispă) opens on one side of the lower level, and projecting veranda (pridvor with cerdac) on two sides of the upper level, reached by an exterior stair. </p>
<p>This view within he upper level porch (pridvor) reveals the extended sitting area (cerdac or foişor) that overhangs the stairway. The simple framework, shaped to articulate the narrow gallery columns, and notched railing planks give this area an interesting visual fabric. The widely spaced balustrades along the walkway are in contrast to the patterned notching of the end rail panels and the different notching of rail panels and corner posts that define the sitting area. This porch space would typically overlook the yard of the gospodărie, or homestead.</p>
<p>The Casa Popii Udrişte was constructed at the end of the 18th century in the village Olari. The house is reputed to be the oldest building in the park. The house has a complex set of decorative woodwork on the ground level porch columns, lintel and doorway. The playful geometric shapes carved within the columns may have been inspiration for the early work of Brancuşi who was born and grew up in this region. On the main living level there are two rooms with a porch (pridvor) and exterior stair, above a ground level cellar with a porch (prispă).</p>
<p>This house with bridge and connected toilet space was constructed in the 19th century in the village of Cărbuneşti Sat. The simple interlocking timber plank construction of the ground level supports family living space above that appears to be contructed using interlocking log construction that has been plastered over to provide better resistance to the harsh winter weather. The elevated walkway, entered from the privdor/cerdac, leads to a remote toilet space.</p>
<p>This service structure from the village of Cârligei has a stone base and interlocking timber plank upper level. The building sits next to the 19th century dwelling within the same gospodărie, or homestead. The ground level is a storage cellar, and the upper serves for clothing storage, and has a porch (privdor) for outdoor activities. The wedge shaped wooden shingles appear to have been formed to take advantage of the natural splitting planes of the wood.</p>
<p>Măldăreşti is a small village in Vâlcea county on the southern slope of the Carpathian mountains. The cula is a fortress dwelling constructed in 1812 by Gheorghiță Măldărescu (whose father built the adjacent Cula Greceanu) during the period when the Ottomans had control of parts of Romania. The ground level had a single entrance and contained storage rooms within thick masonry walls. The first level above contained living and sleeping rooms and a hall. The uppermost level contained two additional rooms and a broad veranda (cerdac).&nbsp;</p>

Romania (Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive)

Romania, which has a long and rich history, was part of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Soviet block of countries. Romania's elections of 1996 dramatically changed its government. The principal ethnic group is Romanian, with a minority of Hungarians and Roma inhabitants; together they have a number of common cultural roots. The cultures of Romania have connections to ancient Dacian, Roman, Slavonic, and Ottoman cultures.


The country has pronounced landscapes (the Transylvanian Alps and Carpathian mountain ranges, the Danube River plain, and the Black Sea coast) that are important factors in the development of the different types of vernacular architecture still found.

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Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Keywords
vernacular architecture
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Romania (Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive)

Romania, which has a long and rich history, was part of the Roman Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Soviet block of countries. Romania's elections of 1996 dramatically changed its government. The principal ethnic group is Romanian, with a minority of Hungarians and Roma inhabitants; together they have a number of common cultural roots. The cultures of Romania have connections to ancient Dacian, Roman, Slavonic, and Ottoman cultures.


The country has pronounced landscapes (the Transylvanian Alps and Carpathian mountain ranges, the Danube River plain, and the Black Sea coast) that are important factors in the development of the different types of vernacular architecture still found.

Images & Videos
<p>This cula (tower house) is located in the southwestern Carpathian mountain range near the the town of Tirgu Jiu, in the county of Gorj within Oltenia. The cula is part of the open-air Folk Architecture Museum of Gorj, which contains a variety of buildings that have been relocated from the region. The stone cula was constructed in the early 18th century. During a period of instability, when the Ottoman Empire controlled the Danubian Provinces (historic Wallachia and Moldavia), numerous such fortified tower houses were built by the landowning boyars.</p>
Cula Cornoiu. Curtişoara, Romania
digital photograph
<p>The uppermost level contains a cerdac (open gallery with special sitting platform); the same word exists in Bulgarian, Serbian, and Russian as čardak. This space, with protective walls, short columns, and arches, includes a raised platform for occupants to sit and enjoy the landscape beyond. The lighter wooden latticework gives a more delicate and open edge to the cerdac.</p>
Cerdac of the Cula Cornoiu. Curtişoara, Romania
digital photograph
Screen Shot 2023-06-21 at 4.19.32 PM.jpg
digital graphic
<p>The uppermost level contains a cerdac (open gallery with special sitting platform); the same word exists in Bulgarian, Serbian, and Russian as čardak. This space, with protective walls, short columns, and arches, includes a raised platform for occupants to sit and enjoy the landscape beyond. The lighter wooden latticework gives a more delicate and open edge to the cerdac.</p>
Cerdac of the Cula Cornoiu Curtişoara, Romania
digital photograph
<p>This house moved to the park from Tărgu Jiu, was constructed in the 19th century. The notched oak construction of the ground level supports the upper frame and infill structure with lath and plaster. The wood have been shaped and detailed to create interlocking patterns and decorative details for the railings. The walls of the upper floor are plastered and limewashed. An open gallery (prispă) opens on one side of the lower level, and projecting veranda (pridvor with cerdac) on two sides of the upper level, reached by an exterior stair. </p>
Casa Smântânescu, Folk Architecture Museum of Gorj. Româneşti, Romania
digital photograph
<p>This view within he upper level porch (pridvor) reveals the extended sitting area (cerdac or foişor) that overhangs the stairway. The simple framework, shaped to articulate the narrow gallery columns, and notched railing planks give this area an interesting visual fabric. The widely spaced balustrades along the walkway are in contrast to the patterned notching of the end rail panels and the different notching of rail panels and corner posts that define the sitting area. This porch space would typically overlook the yard of the gospodărie, or homestead.</p>
Casa Smântânescu, porch with cerdac. Româneşti, Romania
digital photograph
<p>The Casa Popii Udrişte was constructed at the end of the 18th century in the village Olari. The house is reputed to be the oldest building in the park. The house has a complex set of decorative woodwork on the ground level porch columns, lintel and doorway. The playful geometric shapes carved within the columns may have been inspiration for the early work of Brancuşi who was born and grew up in this region. On the main living level there are two rooms with a porch (pridvor) and exterior stair, above a ground level cellar with a porch (prispă).</p>
Casa Popii Udrişte, Folk Architecture Museum of Gorj. Olari (Plopşor), Romania
digital photograph
<p>This house with bridge and connected toilet space was constructed in the 19th century in the village of Cărbuneşti Sat. The simple interlocking timber plank construction of the ground level supports family living space above that appears to be contructed using interlocking log construction that has been plastered over to provide better resistance to the harsh winter weather. The elevated walkway, entered from the privdor/cerdac, leads to a remote toilet space.</p>
Casa Colţescu, Folk Architecture Museum of Gorj. Cărbuneşti Sat, Romania
digital photograph
<p>This service structure from the village of Cârligei has a stone base and interlocking timber plank upper level. The building sits next to the 19th century dwelling within the same gospodărie, or homestead. The ground level is a storage cellar, and the upper serves for clothing storage, and has a porch (privdor) for outdoor activities. The wedge shaped wooden shingles appear to have been formed to take advantage of the natural splitting planes of the wood.</p>
Odaie de Haine pe Beci, Folk Architecture Museum of Gorj. Cârligei, Romania
digital photograph
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Parent Collections
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Bing and Harrington Balkan Archive (BHBA)
Keywords
vernacular architecture
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