Băile Govora

 city, spa resort, interesting place

Town in S central Romania (Vâlcea county), situated in the Govora Sub-Carpathians depression, surrounded by hills covered with beech, oak and fir woods, elevation 360-380 m, 20 km SW of the municipality of Râmnicu Vâlcea (seat of Vâlcea county); population 3,025 (July 1, 1991).
Moderate continental hillside climate with slight Mediterranean influence: cool summers (July average temperature 19°C) and mild winters (January average -3°C). Moderate precipitation (800 mm annually) and infrequent winds.
All-season resort of national importance renowened for the variety and therapeutical properties of the chlorided-sodic, iodinated, brominated, sulfurous waters (used for external cures) and of the magnesian, calcic, slightly sulphurous, hypotonic waters (for internal cures) known and used since 1866. Mineral mud extracted in the locality and fossil sapropelic mud brought over from Ocnele Mari.

The resort is recommended for the treatment of respiratory diseases (bronchial asthama, chronic bronchitis, lung emphysema, microbial or viral pneumopathies, rhinitis, sinusitis, pharyngitis, etc.), degenerative (spondylosis, arthrosis, polyarthrosis) and abarticular rheumatic diseases (tendonitis, tendomyositis, scapulohumeral periarthritis), as well as for the treatment of peripheral and central neurological disorders (light pareses, sequels after poliomyelitis, etc.), of certain post-traumatic disorders and certain associated diseases (gynecological, endocrinological, cardiovascular, digestive, urinary, etc.). The modern balneological establishments are endowed with facilities for baths of warm iodinated and sulphuruos mineral water, applications of worm mud, pneumotherapy, electrotherapy, kinetotherapy, treatmens with apiarian products, etc. Children's sanatorium for rheumatic and respiratory diseases.

Many recreation facilities and opportunities.
Nearby, in the village of Govora there is the Govora Monastery, founded in the early 15th century, rebuilt by rulers Vlad the Monk and Radu the Great sometime at the end of the 15th century, restored under Constantion Brâncoveanu, in 1710-1711 when the monastic buildings were enlarged with valuable murals by painters Iosif, Hranite, Teodosie, Ştefan, s.o. At the Govora Monastery ruler Matei Basarab had a printing press installed and in 1640 the Pravila de la Govora - the oldest collection of laws printed in Wallachia - came off that press.
In the village of Frâncesti, south of Govora Bath, there is the church called "Biserica dintr-un lemn" founded by ruler Matei Basarab in 1635-1636.