The Mayor of Horezu invites you to discover the City with its traditions and oldest crafts
The ceramics, through which the Horezu is internationally known, is included in the list of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2012.
Horezu ceramics is a unique traditional craft, practiced by both, men and women.
The manufacturing process is divided: men are the ones who deal with the extraction of clay, which is then cleaned, portioned and watered, kneaded, pounded and mixed, thus becoming the raw material from which the famous Horezu vessels are made, and women are those who decorate objects using specific techniques and tools, with which they draws traditional patterns. The traditional central motifs painted on the ceramics from Horezu are the rooster (Horezu rooster), the star, the sun, the spiral, the ear of wheat, the tree of life, fish, the choir with human figures. To these are added leaves, trees, twigs, flower buds, oak leaves, acorns and a whole plant world that plays a secondary role, being generally placed on the edges.
All the drawings have a story behind them and each one has a legend.
And all this you can find out from the skilled craftsmen, who tell by word of mouth, from generation to generation, the history of ceramics and of the special place Horezu.
The heritage of the Horezu ethnofolkloric area reflects a strong popular culture that combines the characteristic elements of:
– the clay civilization – pottery, with brand representatives of Romanian ceramics, keepers of the craft tradition evolved beyond the border of functionality and art;
– wood civilization – with carvers from father to son, who reveal traditional forms and motifs both in local architecture and in household furniture, household utensils, traditional tools;
– pastoral civilization – traditional sheep and cow breeders who continue to lead their flocks on the alpine pastures of the Căpățânii Mountains.
Horezu products- Horezu glazed ceramics – unique in Romania for its decorative motifs – is the most representative product for Horezu.
Bee honey and other bee products (propolis, wax and pollen). The Horezu Depression is a place with a milder climate sheltered from the winds. The lack of pollution, the rich flora and the fruit tree plantations favored the increase of the number of beekeepers, the development of the apiaries, reaching, even, the creation of a new breed.
“Horezu” cheese fermented from pasteurized sheep’s milk (better known as “Horezu Cheese”) has become a international brand beyond Romania’s borders, especially in Spain and the United States of America.
Horezu cheese is produced according to a traditional recipe.
Other products like plain water, carbonated water, soft drinks and energy drinks; alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages: brandy, blueberries, sour cherries and fruit syrups (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, shock, cherries, cones and fir vegetation, mountain peony, cranberry, etc.), other products: berries, apples , plums, pears, grapes, quinces, strawberries, chestnuts, wild and cultivated mushrooms, vegetables, jam (raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, strawberries, sour cherries, currants, cherries, etc.), homemade preserves (vegetables), products bakery, cow’s milk, goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, cow’s cheese, goat’s cheese, sheep’s cheese, homemade cream, homemade butter, chicken and quail eggs, meat from animals and poultry yard (chickens, pigs, calves, sheep, goats), fish; non-food products: hand-made textile fabrics (carpets, rugs, rugs with Oltenian motifs), and traditional, braided twine, icons painted on glass and wood and other decorations, wooden tools and accessories, wicker baskets, hazelnut baskets birch twigs, the latter produced in private workshops in the village of Romanii de Sus – Săliștea.
