Slatina Sights and Landmarks Guide, Romania

Slatina, Sights – Museums and Memorial Houses

The Olt County Museum is the only such institution in the city and houses an Archeology, History, Ethnography and Plastic Art Collection. The Archeology Collection was created as a result of several experts’ work on local archeological sites. The collection brings together ceramic, tools, zoomorphic statues which demonstrate the continuity of human dwelling in these places and an important number of Byzantine coins and rush lights which demonstrate the presence of the Romans on the banks of the Olt River. The history collection comprises weapons, documents, press, decorative art and more, the ethnography collections shows the traditional costumes throughout the time and the Plastic Art Collection houses a permanent exhibition of Romanian religious paintings and contemporary paintings, sculptures and graphics signed by Romanian artists as well.

Slatina, Sights –Natural Attractions

Due to its location on the banks of the Olt River and surrounded by sunny hills and lots of green spaces, Slatina sights offer a lot to see for foreign tourists visiting the city. One of the main tourist attractions in the city in summer is the beach, a very nice place on the shores of the river covered with white sand and offering, besides a relaxing place to lay in the sun, a swimming pool, volleyball course and numerous bars and terraces.

Another place of interest for tourists in Slatina is the Streharet Forest, which is a gorgeous park with a lake and a very old and beautiful church built between 1664 and 1668 and restored in 1844. The place is ideal for a relaxing afternoon hike when you can also enjoy the concert of the numerous birds living in the forest.

Slatina, Sights – Culture and Arts

Slatina is one of the few cities in Romania whose old cultural side of the town has been preserved until today. All the buildings that create together the old city centre were build between 1860 and 1938 in different styles like the neo gothic, modern, neo Romanian, art nouveau and art deco. These buildings include a commercial space on the first floor and a residential one on the second and third floor. Such beautiful buildings of historical and architectonic value are the Town Hall, Radu Greceanu High School, Caracostea House, Teachers House, a wing of the museum’s building and the old quarters of the National Bank.

Another architectonic attraction in the city is the bridge across the Olt River, built between 1888 and 1891 by a famous Romanian architect and using a revolutionary material for those times respectively iron in architecture.

Slatina, Sights – Monasteries and Churches

The city houses numerous churches, monasteries and small convents, most of them of historic significance and national value. Among the oldest such edifices are the Clocociov Monastery initially built in 1594 and then restored in 1645 and Strehareti Monastery built between 1665 and 1672. Of a unique beauty are also the numerous churches painted in a traditional orthodox style located all around the city. The most representative churches in Slatina as architecture and historic value are the Holy Trinity Church built in 1645, the Saint Nicholas Church built in 1700, the Saint John the Baptist Church built in 1796 and many other more such churches.

Slatina also houses an old cemetery dating form the 1820’s and which is also considered to have an historic importance for the city.

Slatina, Sights – Theatres

Even if the city is small and does not cultural venues like other cities like Bucharest or Satu Mare, people’s preoccupation for art and culture determined them to create Eugen Ionescu Theatre and to organize related events. Their entire activity takes place at the Slatina Culture House and Eugen Ionescu Culture Centre, being very appreciated by the local spectators. The theatrical season doesn’t miss a year, gathering both local and foreign actors, sometimes inviting professional touring companies from other theatres in the country.