Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților)
About Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților)
At the entrance to Costești from Râmnicu Vâlcea, right next to the DN 67, a former sand quarry has brought to light dozens of rounded grey stones, some the size of a fist, others several metres long. These are the trovants, which locals call the “living stones”, and the place has become a small open-air geological museum. A team from the Faculty of Geology and Geophysics in Bucharest set up the “Trovants Museum” here in 1996, and in 2005 the area was declared a geological nature reserve of 1.1 ha.
Trovants are sandstone concretions. A few million years ago, in the Upper Miocene, sands were being laid down here, and carbonate-rich water flowing through them cemented the grains only in certain places, often around a nucleus. This formed hard bodies, spherical, oval or quite bizarre, in the middle of sand that stayed loose. When the surrounding sand is dug away or washed off by rain, the trovants come to the surface.
Legend has it that the stones “grow” after rain. In reality, the rain simply washes away the soft sand and uncovers more trovants or more bulges of those already exposed; the concretions formed underground and do not grow before visitors' eyes.
What you can see
The reserve is a gently uneven meadow at the foot of the hill, below the white sand wall of the former quarry, about 30 m high. Among the grass and birches lie trovants of every shape: smooth boulders like giant eggs, long pieces like fallen tree trunks, blocks whose surface is covered in knobs and holes. In the quarry wall you can still see trovants held in the sand, half uncovered. Near the entrance a bilingual information panel explains the phenomenon.
Good to know
The reserve is small and quick to visit, so it is worth combining with Horezu Monastery, the cula houses at Măldărești and the caves at Polovragi, all on the same road. The trovants are protected by law: do not climb on them, break them or take pieces home.
Information verified on 21 October 2026.
- The large oval trovants grouped on the meadow in front of the quarry, some over a metre long.
- The long, recumbent trovants, like stone tree trunks, with surfaces covered in knobs.
- The white sand wall of the former quarry, with trovants still held in it, half uncovered.
- The panel at the entrance, which explains how the trovants formed and why they seem to “grow”.
Good to know before you go
- Getting there
By car: the reserve is right on the DN 67 (Râmnicu Vâlcea–Târgu Jiu), ~38 km from Râmnicu Vâlcea (~45 minutes) and ~6 km before Horezu, at the entrance to Costești. From Târgu Jiu it is ~78 km on the DN 67 (~1½ hours), from Bucharest ~220 km via Pitești and Râmnicu Vâlcea (~3½ hours). Horezu Monastery, the cula houses at Măldărești and Bistrița Monastery are a few kilometres away.
Public transport: the nearest railway station is in Râmnicu Vâlcea; from there, buses and minibuses to Horezu take the DN 67 and pass through Costești, in front of the reserve.
- Where to park
Costești town hall has laid out a car park opposite the reserve, on the other side of the DN 67. The road is busy, so cross with care, especially with children. There is no published parking fee.
- Fees & discounts
No visiting fee is published by an official source, and the reserve's management plan does not provide for entrance fees.
- Rules
The trovants are protected by law: do not climb on them, hit them or break them, and do not take pieces or small stones home. Do not dig in the sand and keep away from the foot of the quarry wall, where the sand can collapse. Stay on the paths and meadow within the reserve, leave no litter and do not light fires. Dogs must be kept on a lead.
- Facilities
Bilingual information panel · picnic spot with a table and benches · no toilets, shop or café in the reserve, you will find them in Costești and Horezu · little shade on most of the meadow
Frequently asked questions about Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților)
- How long does a visit to Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților) take?
- A visit to Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților) takes about 45 min (short walk among the trovants).
- Can you visit Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților) with kids?
- Yes, Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților) is suitable for children (flat ground, mind the road).
- Where can I park at Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților)?
- There is free parking at Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților) (opposite, across the DN 67). Costești town hall has laid out a car park opposite the reserve, on the other side of the DN 67. The road is busy, so cross with care, especially with children. There is no published parking fee.
- How do I get to Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților)?
- Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților) is located at DN 67 (Strada Trovanților), at the entrance to Costești from Râmnicu Vâlcea, Costești, Vâlcea County. By car: the reserve is right on the DN 67 (Râmnicu Vâlcea–Târgu Jiu), ~38 km from Râmnicu Vâlcea (~45 minutes) and ~6 km before Horezu, at the entrance to Costești. From Târgu Jiu it is ~78 km on the DN 67 (~1½ hours), from Bucharest ~220 km via Pitești and Râmnicu Vâlcea (~3½ hours). Horezu Monastery, the cula houses at Măldărești and Bistrița Monastery are a few kilometres away. Public transport: the nearest railway station is in Râmnicu Vâlcea; from there, buses and minibuses to Horezu take the DN 67 and pass through Costești, in front of the reserve.
- When is the best time to visit Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților)?
- The best season for Trovants Museum (Muzeul Trovanților): April – October (all year, best in spring).
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