Built by Vlad the Impaler, during the second reign, initially for military purposes, the building serving as a watchtower, fire-arc, but also for storing the treasure, the Chindia Tower is part of the Royal Court Monument Complex Targoviste.
Between 1847 and 1851, the tower was completely restored by ruler Gheorghe Bibescu, the current form being attributed to him, including the elevation with 5 meters from the original construction.
The Chindia Tower, the most important tourist attraction in Targoviște, is considered the city’s symbol; the tower elements are present in the city’s emblem, at the top and also at the bottom. As a monument the tower now houses an exhibition of documents, weapons and objects which belonged to Vlad the Impaler. Today the tower is administered by the National Museum Curtea Domneasca.
There are two contrasting hypotheses on the origin of the name of the tower, neither of them fully recognized. The first argues that the area adjacent to the tower was the site of many large feasts and festivals, known in Romanian as chindia. It has also been suggested that the name originates from the word chindia, an archaism which means “sunset”, the period of the day in which the guard had an obligation to give the curfew signal, before closing the city’s five gates. After this time, he was prohibited from entering or leaving the city throughout the night, and residents were required not to pass through the streets and not to maintain outdoor fires that would have made the town visible from a distance.
The exhibition of photographs that brings to the forefront the famous ruler of Wallachia is called “Vlad Ţepeş-Dracula. Legend and Historical Truth “. In addition to the tower, all other monuments belonging to the old Royal Court of Târgovişte can also be visited.
On the way to Chindia Tower you can visit the ruins of the Mavros Cantacuzino Palace, the Magureni Church, the ruins of the Draghici Cantacuzino Palace, the Calinesti Church, the Pana Filipescu Mansion and the Postelnic Cantacuzino Palace and the Merchants Cross.
Read an article about The Old Princely Court, the residence of Vlad the Impaler in Bucharest.
