The Șuici Village, nr. 400, Șuici commune, Argeș county
On the 73C road Curtea de Argeș - Râmnicu Vâlcea, at about 14 km distance from Curtea de Argeș, on the right hand site from Șuici.
It is not in public circulation
The first mention, in a document, of the Șuici kula, dates back to the visit of the Metropolitan Neofit the I-st, who travelled in the Muscel area, in 1746, and upon arriving to the house of captain Balotă describes the house as a great house of stone, with thick fortified walls keeping thieves at bay. This first construction became the property of the Brătianu family, after the matrimony of Ene Brătianu with the granddaughter of captain Ştefan Balotă.
Towards the end of the XVIII-th century (1792), on the Șuici estate, Ene Brătianu builds a church, dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
Towards the end of the XVIII-th century and at the start of the XIX-th century, Ene Brătianu builds a manor with fortifications, later called the Sultănica kula, (named after Sultana Tigveanu, his daughter), integrating an older central core, constructed during the first half of the XVIII-th century, coming from the kula building of captain Ştefan Balotă.
The Sultănica manor is constructed out of an older wing, the central core coming from an older kula, and in time, during distinct stages, additions were carried out on the North East, South East, and South West sides, added towards the end of the XVIII-th century. It has two levels. The distinct building stages are visible in the construction system. The central core, in a compact rectangular plan, contains cylindrical vaulted rooms on the ground floor and upper floor. On the upper floor there are ramparts. The second stage of construction is represented by the constructions on the North East and South East sides, pierced by three arcades on the ground floor. The third stage of construction is represented by the construction of the South West side. The kula-house had a middle band, all around the building, except for the South West side.
The kula was safeguarded through the National Rural Development Program, by the Local Action Group “Castra Traiana” Association, in a partnership made within the LEADER Axis. The project beneficiary was the local authority, the Șuici Mayor’s Office.
The project consisted of underpinning and consolidation works, and the roof, woodwork, and inner staircases were remade.
Creţeanu Radu, Creţeanu Sarmiza, Culele din România, Ed. Meridiane, Bucureşti, 1969
Janecke Wilhelm von, Das Rumanische Bauern - und Bojarenhaus, Ed. Konig Carol - Verlag, Bukarest, 1918
Luiza Zamora, Şerban Bonciocat: Cule. Case boiereşti fortificate din România, Editura Institutul European, 2006
Şerban Bonciocat, Bruno Andreşoiu, Bogdan Gheorghiţă: Cule. Case boiereşti fortificate din România. Ediţie bilingvă, Editura Igloo Patrimoniu, Bucureşti, 2007
The National Institute of Heritage Archives