The Stony ship from the top of Carpathian mountains

Near Vidraru barrage , the sight looks entirely different comparing with the ancient time. The large amphitheater is traversed by modern roads and the old fortification from Poienari seems very amazed by the new look of the land laying at her feet.

The Eagles' Nest

Many researchers were tempted by the extraordinary beauty of the castle and of its surrounding sight. Cezar Boliac and Alexandru Pelineanu visited and described it. In the spring of 1901, a group of students leaded by Grigore Tocilescu took part at a trip on Arges Valley. Near the Capataneni village they took the road which leaded to the places where the valley become more narrow and the water flu faster. To the left there was a narrow road going upwards, though the narrow pass, to the right a small path crossed a glade. They stopped and looked around, admiring the ruins of a fortress very highly situated. The professor told his pupils some things about the Poienari city. Among other things he said that the legends inspired by the citadels history mentioned Negru Voda, Vlad Tepes (the "Staker") and other rulers of Wallachia. A school teacher who was passing by, told the students a short story about a break in the wall, a story which came from far away in time. The history of this monument is not entirely clarified. We don't know who was its creator but we know that Vlad Tepes made some improvements to it. The last document regarding the presence of a chief magistrate of the district in the Castle is dated 1560.

The wonderful legends from Arges

King Tepes wanted to have an invincible citadel, so during a feisty day he forced the landowners from Targoviste to work for building the fortress. Some men were digging galleries in the rocks, meanwhile some others were building the towers. The women carried the necessary stones and sand. All of them worked hard and blamed the king for their efforts. But the legend says that the day when the enemies come, every one realized that Vlad did the right thing, because they were protected inside.Tepes and his army left the citadel by a secret tunnel and reached the forest. He cheated his followers by inversing the horseshoes, so that it seemed he didn't go upward but he descended into the valley . This is how Vlad Tepes escaped from the Turkish and manage to get in the land of Fagaras . Another legend says that once, when Tepes was threatened by his enemies, he ordered all the money and the jewels to be but in iron barrels, and to be thrown into a forest river; until today, nobody could find out which the river was, or if this story is real.

The ladder with 1480 steps

"When I reached the mountain's base I saw a ladder made of stone and steel. It was suppose to get me to the ancient citadel. At first sight, going upwards seemed very exhausting. Some of the tourists didn't dear to begin the climbing. I slowly begun to do it. Near the citadel's gate, the ladder duplicated. To the left I met a big Stony wall and then I reached a place from where I could see an amazing view, centered by the castle. There was a wooden bridge that crossed a deep ditch a long time ago filled with water. I got into the castle. Here there were more galleries and ladders going towards the towers. To the left there was a corridor which was closed with a crowbar. At the museum in Curtea de Arges I was impressed by a golden buckle belonging to one of the Voievodes from Arges It can be seen now at the National History Museum. On the buckle one can see a Gothic castle with two towers and two balconies in which there are a swan with a women head, a knit and a Lady . After visiting the Poienari Citadel , when I saw its twin image on a buckle of a Prince buried only 25 km away couldn't stop wondering myself about many things, especially that nobody was able to identify a similar monument in Romania. In the Lovistea Undercarpathian Valley , two eras met across the time. One is represented by a Middle Age castle and the other by a modern hydroelectric station. Yesterday's and today's technique stay together and give birth to a touristic point which worth being seen . The citadel of Vlad Tepes was also a good shelter for the outlaw warriors of Iancu Jianu [ ... ] This was the place where the (outlaws) hajduks decided which was their following good deed, what unhappy man will get some justice. We know all these things from the book of Bakery Dumbrava. The leaders of Bucharest were inspired by this book and ordered a miniatural copy of the castle. It is located in "Parcul Libertatii". The grandparents show this "Tower of Tepes" to their grandchildren. This monument was built in 1906 and it is the creation of the architect Scarlat Petculescu. One says that the stone was brought directly from the shores of Arges River...

English version by Nora Parvu