If you cross the hilly region of Oltenia and come across some massive constructions, with thick walls and floors, know that these are the famous kulas, fortified residences of the Olteni boyars, built in the 18th-19th centuries.
Poenaru Kula in the village of Almaj, Dolj county, also preserves the imprint of past centuries. The school has been operating here since 1904, when it was given to the village by Gheorghe Poenaru.
Its story begins in 1764, when the boyar Barbu Poenaru built it. The tower suffered two devastating fires and, following the earthquake of 1838, lost its upper floors.
Today, the school building includes all that is left of Kula Poenaru: a vestibule from where the stairs to the floors started and a large room, with sides of 8 meters, height of 5 meters, covered with a sumptuous vault, with four lunettes on each side.
The uniqueness of this tower lies in its remarkable frescoes. Two main rooms were part of the historical core of the old kula: the vault, richly decorated with stucco with plant motifs and medallions inspired by Aesop's fables, and the vestibule, also covered with a cylindrical vault.
It is a suitable place to offer students, every day, as well as visitors, a model of resistance through the craftsmanship of the builders.
Outstanding personalities
Much has been written about the Poenaru family. The name Poenaru derives from the domain they had in the boundaries of Poiana village, Gorj county.
In the 16th century, the boyars from Poiana constituted the family known as Poenaru. Barbu from Poiana became a point of reference for his descendants, who dispersed to numerous localities in the Romanian countries throughout the past three centuries.
Barbu from Poiana, seneschal, clucer, captain of dorobanti between 1624-1638, became one of the country's great governors. He was a wanderer, alongside Matei Basarab, whom he supported throughout his reign.
Unique experiences
If you arrive in this area, you can also visit the St. Voievozi Church - a place of religious worship also built by Barbu Poenaru in 1878, which once delighted Nicolae Iorga.
Three other historical monuments are located in the perimeter where Kula Poenaru is built, respectively the archaeological site of Almaj, 200 meters from the school, as well as the Neolithic and Roman settlements, but these cannot be visited.
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