Călimăneşti

Calimanesti (Călimăneşti)
Location of Călimăneşti Location of Călimăneşti
Coordinates: 45°14′21″N 24°20′36″E
Country	Romania
County	Vâlcea County
Status	Town
Government
- Mayor	Ilie Amuzan (Social Democratic Party)
Area
- Total	104,5 km² (40,3 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- Total	8.923
Time zone	EET (UTC+2)
- Summer (DST)	EEST (UTC+3)

Călimăneşti is a town in Vâlcea County, southern Romania with a population of 8,598.

The town lies on the north part of the county, on the banks of the Olt River and close to the Cozia Mountains. It is situated on the main route between Transylvania and Oltenia at the southern end of the Olt River valley crossing the Southern Carpathians.

It is a well known Spa town famed for its thermal springs. A great number of hotels and treatment facilities were built in the 20th century in the north part of the town in Căciulata close to the Cozia Monastery.

The mineral water springs of the river OLT Valley are mentioned as early as the reports of the Roman legions. In the modern times, beginning with 1860, the place has already acquired fame in Europe as its waters, embottled and transported to PARIS, were regularly used by the Emperor Napoleon III of France, who compared them to the similar ones of the thermal spaces in France ( such as Chapelle, Eaux Bonnes and Chatelguyan ). The Valcea county is situated in the Central-Southern part of Romania. Its surface is 2,4 per cent of Romania, of which about a half is covered by forests and forestry flora. Bordered to the North by the Meridional Carpathians has all formations of relief: mountains up to 2,200 m above sea level, plateaux and hills, valley which are proper for agriculture. The hydrographic network is rich, the Olt River crosses the Valcea county on a length of 130 Km, gathering in its basin numerous other courses. The county has two municipalities: Ramnicu Valcea, the capital city and Dragasani; six towns: Calimanesti, Brezoi, Horezu, Ocnele Mari, Baile Olanesti, Baile Govora.

Calimanesti is dated since may 20, 1388 and it is mentioned in a document of Mircea cel Batran, Voivode of the Wallachia (1386 - 1418) by which the bee culture in the Valcea county is given to the Cozia Monastery. The territory of this county is well-organized administratively and inhabited since long time ago as the archaeological discoveries show. The picturesque regions and the curing waters contributed to the development of the tourism here. The table waters from Calimanesti-Caciulata, Baile Govora and Baile Olanesti are miraculous in the cure of a lot of diseases.

The tourist network of this county consists in cultural, historic and architectural monuments, much of them beig unique ones as the monasteries of Cozia, Horezu, Govora, Bistrita, Dintr-un Lemn, Surpatele, Arnota, Episcopal Palace of Ramnic, Frasinei most faimost monastery ( Romanian’s Athos ). Also there are Geto-Dacian and Dacian Roman camps and fortresses from Buridava, or Arutela and Table of Trajan from the Calea lui Traian on the Olt Valley. The locality we are going to present, Calimanesti, is situated in Valcea County, yet another Romanian land where the blessed green of nature sceneries there are a sight for the sore eyes of travelers.

In 1855 young doctor Carol Davila visited the localities of Calimanesti, Caciulata and Cozia, and was amazed at the breath-taking view, and especially at the richness of mineral sources spurting everywhere. This Frenchman, having a lasting love affair with Romania and being the founder, together with doctor N. Kretzulescu, of the Romanian medical school, began, together with a team of experts, to study the curative waters of the valley. He was the one who warmly recommended them to Napoleon III who had some kidney disorder. Thus, the Emperor became a keen user of the miraculous waters bottled at Caciulata and sent to him by coach. In good justice, these strongly sulfurous, bicarbonate springs, also containing chlorine, calcium and magnesium, aroused the interest of Europeans, garnering several golden medals at the international exhibitions of Vienna (1873) and Brussels (1893). Beginning with the Romans who had discovered, in the first century of this millennium, their healing powers, numerous pained people drank from or bathed in these sources in order to ease their suffering. To this day they have preserved intact all their fantastic qualities. Thus they are used to balance the stomach’s secretion and stimulate the contraction of the gall bladder, they have good results in gastritis, ulcers, liver and gall bladder maladies. Moreover, they can lower the cholesterol level, assure an optimum amount of calcium in the blood, help drain the kidneys, often favoring the dissolution or elimination of stones, and they allay chronic rheumatismal pains, and stiff joints. They also have beneficial effects in peripheral neurological disorders and post-trauma sequelae, as well as in gynecological and cardiovascular diseases. Worth mentioning is also the fact that some Calimanesti-Caciulata springs have outstanding anti-allergic qualities, the mineral water being used in the form of injections. With its 14 ordinary and thermal sources, the resort can be put down in a European book of records, as few spas may boast so many mineral sources gathered in such a small area. The treatment base features a tiny ‘mineral rivulet’. Daily, upwards of 400000 liters of mineral water are used for external cure! The present-day name puts together the denominations of two localities. Calimanesti is separated from Caciulata by a 3 km highway corridor. This is actually a promenade along the right bank of the Olt where the old bath pavilion of Calimanesti was first established. The place is at an altitude of 280 m. Here the river escapes the Cozia-Caineni straits, after having washed the craggy sides of the Lotru Mountains and the Fagaras Massif. In this excellent nest against winds, surrounded by superb woods that keep the air clean and ozonized, the resort is open all year long, and summers here, as everywhere else in the region, are a spectacle of colours. There are three big treatment hotels at Caciulata: Cozia, Oltul and Caciulata, each with its treatment facilities, outdoor swimming pool, electrical therapy installation. There is a magic triangle of spas, together with the neighbouring Olanesti and Govora resorts. It is not only the mineral sources that can be seen almost everywhere, while new ones keep on popping up, but especially the landscape that does wonders to one’s bill of heath. It cures you of insomnia, stress, anxiety.

Near the three treatment hotels, at Caciulata there stands the Cozia Monastery. Those who cherish stories of mediaeval knights will be interested to learn that the man who had the abode erected, Prince Mircea the Old (1386-1418) of Wallachia can be seen in an impressive fresco on the church narthex. The white monastery cells hang above the Olt River, delighting present-day visitors just like they once flabbergasted so many a romantic poet like as Octavian Goga...

External links

• Website for the old spa: Dan Zamfirache - 'CALIMANESTI'2038-Monografie ilustrata" : http://web.archive.org/20090902031600/www.geocities.com/calimanesti_valcea

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