Horezu Ceramics – Olari Village and the Potters' Workshops

About Horezu Ceramics – Olari Village and the Potters' Workshops

Olari is the old potters' village of Horezu, today a district of the town strung along a single road, Olari Street, which climbs north up a stream valley to the edge of the forest. For almost two kilometres the potters' houses are both workshops and shops: painted plates hang on the facades and fences, and in the yards you can see the kilns and the pots set out to dry. This is where Horezu ceramics are made, the best-known folk pottery in Romania, and the "Craftsmanship of Horezu ceramics" was inscribed in 2012 on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a different programme from World Heritage: what is protected is not a place but the potters' know-how.

For centuries the work has been divided between men and women. The men dig the earth on Ulmet Hill near the town, clean it, wet it, knead it and tread it underfoot until it becomes clay, then shape the pots on the wheel with a finger technique that demands strength and precision. The women decorate them while the clay is still raw, drawing the motifs with the "gaița", a tool made from a hollowed horn fitted with a quill or a fine tip. The colours are those of the place: brick red, "Horezu yellow", blue, green and dark brown. The pots are fired once at about 850 °C, then a second time after glazing. The craft is handed down within families, from parents to children; names such as Ogrezeanu, Vicșoreanu, Iorga, Frigură, Mischiu and Popa have appeared on workshop gates for generations.

Information verified on 21 October 2026.

Good to know before you go

Getting there

By car: Horezu lies on the DN67 between Râmnicu Vâlcea and Târgu Jiu. It is ~46 km from Râmnicu Vâlcea (~1 hour), ~70 km from Târgu Jiu (~1h25), ~115 km from Pitești (A1 and DN73C to Râmnicu Vâlcea, then DN67, ~2h15), ~150 km from Sibiu (A1/DN7 through the Olt Valley, then DN67, ~3 hours), ~225 km from Bucharest (~3h30) and ~115 km from Craiova (DN65C, ~2h30). From the town centre, Olari Street heads north and climbs ~2 km to the end with the gallery; the workshops are mostly on the upper half. Horezu Monastery is ~4 km away.

Public transport: Horezu has no railway station; buses and minibuses link the town with Râmnicu Vâlcea and other towns in the area. From the town centre to the workshops in Olari it is ~2 km on foot.

Fees & discounts

Walking along Olari Street and entering the workshops is free; pottery is bought directly from the potters, at prices set by each workshop. The ceramics gallery's admission fee is not published.

Rules

The workshops are lived-in homes: only go in where the door is open, say hello and ask before photographing the potters at work or touching unfired pieces. Pottery is bought directly from the potters. Drones are not flown over people's yards without their consent.

Facilities

Workshop-shops all along the street · guesthouses on Olari Street and in town · shops and restaurants in the town centre · tarmac street, pushchair-accessible, but the yards and workshops have steps