Târgoviște Royal Court

<p>The Princely Court of Târgoviște was the residence of Wallachia's voivodes between 1418 and 1659 — over two centuries as the capital. Mircea the Elder, Vlad the Impaler, Michael the Brave, Matei Basarab, Constantin Brâncoveanu — all held council here, signed treaties here, were crowned here. Today it's a museum complex: ruins, the Chindia Tower, the princely church, the Petru Cercel Palace.</p><p>The Chindia Tower is the best-known element — a 27 m tower built around 1460, probably by Vlad the Impaler, as a watch tower and bell tower. You climb 122 steps and get a 360° view over Târgoviște. Inside is a small exhibit about Vlad — armor, period engravings, a campaign map. Honest, no kitsch.</p><p>Tip: the visit takes 1.5-2 hours. Combine with the Old Book and Printing Museum (in the same courtyard) — Târgoviște was Wallachia's medieval printing center. English-speaking guides available, ask at the ticket office. Closed Mondays.</p><p>Târgoviște also has lovely parks, an Orthodox church with Brâncovenesc-style paintings ("Stelea"), and old markets. 35 km away is Dealu Monastery, where Michael the Brave's head is buried.</p>