# Tudor Vladimirescu Cula [Romania](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/attractions) › [Oltenia](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/region/oltenia) › [Mehedinți County](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/county/mehedinti) › [Cerneți](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/locality/cerneti) > The cula on Gârdanul Hill near Drobeta-Turnu Severin, linked to the name of Tudor Vladimirescu: a fortified boyar house with a brick-columned gallery and a watchtower, currently being restored. **At a glance:** Fortresses and fortifications in Cerneți, Mehedinți County. The visit takes 30 min. Information verified on 13 October 2026. ## Key facts - **Opening hours:** The cula has no visiting hours: the interior is closed and the building is under restoration (PNRR project 2025–2026, completion not publicly confirmed). Visiting the interior, if possible, is arranged with the Șimian commune hall. - **Visit duration:** 30 min — exterior only, estimate - **With kids:** Yes — open ground, decaying ruin - **Parking:** Yes, free — on the access road, next to the cula - **Best season:** April – October — easier in dry weather - **Address:** DC 15A, dealul Gârdanului, Cerneți, Mehedinți County - **Coordinates:** 44.66162, 22.72266 - **Phone:** +40 252 338 693 - **Website:** https://www.primaria-simian.ro/ - **Wikipedia:** https://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cula_Tudor_Vladimirescu - **Wikidata:** https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q20432311 - **Categories:** [Fortresses and fortifications](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetati-si-fortificatii), [Monuments and historic sites](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/monumente-si-situri-istorice) ## About Tudor Vladimirescu Cula The Tudor Vladimirescu Cula stands on Gârdanul Hill, on the edge of the village of Cerneți, a few kilometres from Drobeta-Turnu Severin. Tradition says it was built around 1800 by Tudor Vladimirescu, who owned a vineyard and a cellar here, and that he kept part of the weapons prepared for the 1821 Revolution in it; an inscription on the wall recalls that his last passage here was on 29 January 1821. Some historians dispute the link, however: in 1838 the vineyard and cellar were bought by the sardar Ion Gărdăreanu, who is said to have turned a simple watch gallery into a grander boyar house, the one seen today. It is a two-storey building of brick and timber, of the Oltenian cula type: on the ground floor a large cellar and vaulted rooms, and above an open gallery with ten massive brick columns, three rooms and a long, narrow corridor. A watchtower with narrow windows, joined to the house by a covered passage, completes the ensemble; firing loopholes survive in the walls, and the windows were enlarged once the building lost its defensive purpose. Between 1967 and 1977 a memorial museum with documents and objects belonging to Tudor Vladimirescu operated here, after which the cula fell out of use, and a restitution dispute prevented any work for years. ### What you can see For now the cula can only be visited from outside: you can walk around the building and see the upper gallery, the tower with its narrow windows and the passage joining them, in a hillside setting of wild vegetation. The interior is not open to the public. A short distance away is the Nistor Cula, another fortified boyar house in the same place. ### Good to know The Șimian commune hall, the building's administrator, announced in 2025 the project "Promovare și restaurare Cula Tudor Vladimirescu", funded by the PNRR (~6.1 million lei) with an implementation period from 31 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. No public confirmation of the completion of the works or of a reopening was found, so the current state and access to the interior should be checked with the commune hall before you go. The photos on this site show the cula before the restoration. ## Don't miss - The upper gallery, with ten massive brick columns joined by arches. - The watchtower with narrow windows, joined to the house by a covered passage. - The inscription on the wall about Tudor Vladimirescu's last passage here, on 29 January 1821. - The Nistor Cula, a few steps away, a second fortified boyar house in Cerneți. ## Good to know before you go ### Getting there **By car:** Cerneți is a few kilometres from Drobeta-Turnu Severin, on DJ 607A, the road linking the city with Târgu Jiu. From the Severin bypass follow DJ 607A to Cerneți; on leaving the village towards Puținei, turn right onto DC 15A, which climbs to the cula on Gârdanul Hill. **Public transport:** there is no verified public transport to the cula; the simplest way is to come by car or taxi from Drobeta-Turnu Severin. ### Where to park There is no laid-out car park; cars are left on the access road next to the cula, where there is open space. Check the state of the hill road after rain. ### Rules The cula is a decayed historic monument and may now be a building site: do not enter the building or climb on the walls or the gallery. Respect any fences and warning signs and take your litter home. ## Details - **Construction period:** early 19th century - **State of preservation:** deteriorated, being restored - **Historical period:** early 19th century ## Frequently asked questions about Tudor Vladimirescu Cula **How long does a visit to Tudor Vladimirescu Cula take?** A visit to Tudor Vladimirescu Cula takes about 30 min (exterior only, estimate). **Can you visit Tudor Vladimirescu Cula with kids?** Yes, Tudor Vladimirescu Cula is suitable for children (open ground, decaying ruin). **Where can I park at Tudor Vladimirescu Cula?** There is free parking at Tudor Vladimirescu Cula (on the access road, next to the cula). There is no laid-out car park; cars are left on the access road next to the cula, where there is open space. Check the state of the hill road after rain. **How do I get to Tudor Vladimirescu Cula?** Tudor Vladimirescu Cula is located at DC 15A, dealul Gârdanului, Cerneți, Mehedinți County. By car: Cerneți is a few kilometres from Drobeta-Turnu Severin, on DJ 607A, the road linking the city with Târgu Jiu. From the Severin bypass follow DJ 607A to Cerneți; on leaving the village towards Puținei, turn right onto DC 15A, which climbs to the cula on Gârdanul Hill. Public transport: there is no verified public transport to the cula; the simplest way is to come by car or taxi from Drobeta-Turnu Severin. **When is the best time to visit Tudor Vladimirescu Cula?** The best season for Tudor Vladimirescu Cula: April – October (easier in dry weather). ## Nearby attractions - [Nistor Kula](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cula-nistor) — Fortresses and fortifications · Cerneți, MH · 30 min · 0 km A fortified manor house in Cerneți, near Drobeta Turnu Severin, built around 1812 and rebuilt after 1821 by the pandur captain Nistor, with a veranda on carved posts. - [Roman Fort of Drobeta](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castrul-roman-drobeta) — Monuments and historic sites · Drobeta-Turnu Severin, MH · 45 min · 8 km The fort that guarded the northern end of Trajan's Bridge over the Danube: restored walls and foundations in the courtyard of the Iron Gates Region Museum in Drobeta-Turnu Severin. - [Severin Medieval Fortress](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cetatea-severinului) — Fortresses and fortifications · Drobeta-Turnu Severin, MH · 45 min · 9 km The ruins of the fortress on the Danube bank, centre of the Banate of Severin in the 13th century: consolidated walls and moat, the surviving north-east tower and a medieval festival each autumn. - [Roman Fort of Hinova](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/castrul-roman-hinova) — Monuments and historic sites · Hinova, MH · 30 min · 17 km A late Roman fort on the first terrace of the Danube, north of Hinova village, with low stone walls and seven towers; the largest prehistoric gold hoard in Romania was found here. - [Glogoveanu Kula](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cula-glogovenilor) — Fortresses and fortifications · Glogova, GJ · 45 min · 44 km A fortified manor house in Glogova (Gorj), with a massive 17th-century cellar and an upper floor with a wooden veranda built after 1764, in the middle of a park beside St Nicholas church. - [Danube Gorge Road](https://peplaiuri.ro/en/drumul-clisurii-dunarii) — Scenic roads · Mehedinți County · Free · 3½ – 4 hours · Top 100 · 44 km The DN57 runs about 100 km along the Danube from Orșova to Moldova Nouă, through the Great and Small Cauldrons, past the rock face of Decebalus, with Serbia on the far bank. --- Full page: https://peplaiuri.ro/en/cula-tudor-vladimirescu Other languages: Română: https://peplaiuri.ro/cula-tudor-vladimirescu.md · Deutsch: https://peplaiuri.ro/de/cula-tudor-vladimirescu.md · Italiano: https://peplaiuri.ro/it/cula-tudor-vladimirescu.md Last updated: 13 October 2026 Source: Pe Plaiuri (https://peplaiuri.ro/en) — Guide to tourist attractions in Romania