Zăvoi Park

Zăvoi Park is the most important and oldest green space in the city of Râmnicu Vâlcea, Vâlcea County, located in the south-western part of the city, on the bank of the Olănești River (formerly called "Râmnic"). The name "zăvoi" comes from the riverside woodland that once grew here, flooded during high water. The park came into being through a princely decree issued by the ruler Barbu Dimitrie Știrbei on 9 August 1850, during a visit to the town, laid out as a "garden for public promenade" and inaugurated in 1856 — making it one of the oldest public parks in Romania. The place carries a special historical significance: here, on 29 July 1848, around the "Turbatu Fountain", a popular assembly gathered to take the oath on the revolutionary Constitution, on which occasion a choir led by the composer Anton Pann sang for the first time "Deșteaptă-te, române!", the future national anthem of Romania. In memory of this moment, the city celebrates the "Days of the National Anthem" every July. Among the park's centuries-old trees stand many monuments: the statue of the ruler Barbu Știrbei (a 1920 work known as "The Rebirth/Liberation of Romania"), the bust of Nicolae Bălcescu, the Obelisk Fountain (1853) and the Turbatu Fountain (1844). Here too are Zăvoi Lake, with a restaurant set on an island, the seat of the "Ariel" Municipal Theatre (also known as the "Theatre in Zăvoi"), playgrounds, sports grounds and a monumental carved wooden gate in Oltenian style at the entrance. Zăvoi Park is worth visiting for its unique historical and symbolic value, for the beauty of its alleys shaded by old trees and for its role as the green heart of Râmnicu Vâlcea.