Discover Vârtop: Church, Hallstatt Finds and Holiday Apartment

Culture and Architectural History

The Biserica Sf. Nicolae in Vârtop was built before 1800. It was built on the site of an earlier wooden church that had burned down. In 1881, the roof of the church in Vârtop was repaired. During this repair, the shingles were replaced with tiles. In 1894, the interior and exterior appearance of the church in Vârtop was altered. The church has two patron saints. One is Saint Hierarch Nicholas, the other the holy emperors Constantine and Helena. The two patron saints also give the church its religious designation.

Archaeology and Finds

The municipality of Vârtop contains a settlement and several burial mounds from the Hallstatt period. The sites date approximately to the period from 1200 to 450/300 BC. Finds from the Hallstatt settlement and the burial mounds in the municipality of Vârtop include large storage vessels. Their surfaces are highly polished. A silver hoard consisting of Dacian coins and fibulae is also documented for the municipality of Vârtop. A digitated fibula was found in Vârtop. It has a foot with a prosomorphic knob. The find dates from the 7th century AD. The archaeological inventory therefore includes ceramic and metal finds. The ceramic finds include the large, highly polished storage vessels, while the coins, fibulae and the silver hoard are made of metal. The finds also span a long period and connect the Hallstatt period with a find from the 7th century AD.

Local History and Customs

The village of Vârtop was founded in 1700. On March 1, the inhabitants of Vârtop pray. Their prayer is for the yield of their fields and the growth of their herds. Vârtop’s municipal day is assigned to the third week of May. For your scheduling, this means that a date within this week of May is specified. The founding of the village, the day of prayer and the municipal day represent different points of reference in the annual and local calendar of Vârtop. March 1 is associated with the wish for abundant yields in the fields and growth of the herds, while the municipal day falls in the third week of May.

Museum and Treasure Find

The Vârtop treasure was presented at the Muzeul Olteniei Craiova. It was part of the project “Aurul şi Argintul Antic al României”. The treasure comprises 45 coins. It also includes numerous other jewellery objects. The presentation in Craiova therefore brings together both the coins and the additional jewellery objects from the find. In this context, the treasure is documented as a separate part of Vârtop’s archaeological history.

Geographical Location

The municipality of Vârtop lies in the contact zone between the Câmpia Desnățuiului and the Piemontul Bălăciței, on the Baboia River. The municipality of Vârtop is located on the DJ-552 county road. Vârtop is 43 km from Craiova. The geographical location thus refers to two landscape areas, the Baboia River and the road connection via the DJ-552. In addition, the distance of 43 km indicates Vârtop’s location in relation to Craiova.

Other Places

Other places include Başcov, Podari, Pielești, Calafat, Călăraşi, Afumați, Coţofenii Din Faţă and Craiova.

For the higher-level travel overview: Dolj.