Arcani: Culture, Craft and Landscape

Three themes stand out for a trip to Arcani: the commune’s cultural history and crafts, the landscape of the nearby Sohodol area, and activities at Aprilia Park in Sănătești. Together, they offer everything from collections and wooden buildings to karst formations and skiing without snow.

Culture and crafts in Arcani

The “Professor Grigore Pupăză” Jaleș Valley Cultural Centre is dedicated to preserving and promoting local heritage. Its four exhibition rooms feature written documents, inscriptions, icons and schoolbooks, as well as tools used in the residents’ traditional activities. They also house ceramics, traditional costumes, a mill, a fulling mill and a collection of carved posts. Together, the exhibits bring together different aspects of local heritage: writing and religion, work, clothing and crafts.

Liliana Arapu’s weaving workshop is in Stroiești, in the commune of Arcani. It adds a tangible connection to weaving to the traditional activities represented at the cultural centre.

Wooden buildings and historical traces

The wooden church in the village of Stroești is an Orthodox place of worship dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God. It was built around 1710; a crucifix attests to its 18th-century date. The church is representative of the region’s traditional architecture and reflects local craftsmanship in woodworking.

The Brădiceanu wooden house in Stroești, by contrast, dates from the 19th century, providing a later reference point in local building history. The church of “Sf. Voievozi” in Stroești still had its wooden-shingle roof in 1871, after the villagers rejected replacing it with sheet metal. This historical episode adds a specific decision to preserve the roofing to the area’s building history.

Landscape in the Sohodol area

The nearby Sohodol Valley is a floristic protected area with a wide variety of plant species, including some rare in Romania’s flora. Its limestone formations include Nările, Cuptorul, Peștera Gârla Vacii and Inelul; they were shaped by water or wind. The valley thus brings together botanical highlights and limestone landscape features.

The Sohodol Gorge is a karst landscape about 12 kilometres long in the Vâlcan Mountains, between Runcu and Poiana Contului.

Arcani on a tourist route

The tourist route from Târgu Jiu to Băile Herculane passes through Stănești, Lelești, Runcu, Arcani, Peștișani, Godinești, Tismana, Padeș and Glogova, or Băile Herculane. Along this route, Arcani lies between Runcu and Peștișani.

Activities at Aprilia Park

At Aprilia Park in Sănătești, in the commune of Arcani, the dry ski slope is designed for skiing at any time of year without snow. Two straight Tubby slides add to the attractions: designed for children, they also offer adults a safe and fun activity. Check the park’s current access information before planning a visit.

Discover more destinations: Polovragi, Aninişu din Deal, Rânca, Baia De Fier, Runcu, Novaci, Săcelu, Muşeteşti

For the broader travel overview: Gorj.