Kula-type houses

Măciuceni village, Măciuca district, Vâlcea county

Not in the public circuit.

During the 19th century, kula-type fortified dwellings began to appear, built by yeomen, by small land owners that had recently acquired their land by their productive activities or by trading or by positions they had acquired. This type of dwelling was kept in isolated valleys among the Vâlcea hills, inhabited by moşneni, at Măciuceni, on what used to be the estate of the Măciuceanu aristocratic clan. Ştefan Măciuceanu, along with his son Manu, erected there, in 1844, a church consecrated to Saint Nicholas. Alexandru Măciuceanu consecrated another church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, erected between 1848 and 1851.

The kula-type dwellings of the moşneni from Măciuceni are massive buildings, with a compact plan on two floors. The ground floor, originally destined to be the cellar, has few openings. In times of yore, people only dwelt on the upper floor, which is accessible via an inner staircase. The upper floor is also where the turret appears. At present, rooms for living were created on the cellar level as well. Other important monuments in the neighbourhood are the churches consecrated by the Măciuceanu aristocrats, in the first half of the 19th century. The roadside crosses mark crossroads and guard wells.