Runcu is a commune in

Gorj County Gorj County () is a county ( județ) of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu. ''Gorj'' comes from the Slavic ''Gor(no)-'' Jiu (“upper Jiu”), in contrast with Dolj (“lower Jiu”). Demographics In 2011, the county had a ...

, Oltenia, Romania. It is situated on the foot of Vâlcan Mountains, 17 km West of Târgu Jiu. The commune is composed of seven villages: Bâlta, Bâltișoara, Dobrița, Răchiți, Runcu, Suseni and Valea Mare. The name Runcu derives from medio-Latin "runcari" which means to deforest. A village on the Jaleș river named Dăbăcești (now disappeared) mentioned in a document of Dan I dated 3 Octombrie 1385 was the precursor of Runcu. Runcu village was first mentioned in a document issued in 1486 by Vlad Călugărul. The dominant class of Wallachia maintained interests in the area during most of the Middle Ages. According to some sources, the local church was founded in the early 17th century by Domnița Florica, daughter of Michael the Brave, who sought refuge in Runcu after the death of her father. Stone and Bronze Age archaeological finds, as well as artifacts from before the Roman conquest, indicate that Runcu and the surrounding areas were inhabited much earlier. Runcu is the birthplace of folk music singers

Ioana Zlătaru Ioana or Oana is a female given name of Romanian origin. It is the equivalent of the English name Joan, and the male version John, all of which derive from the Hebrew name Yohanan. A common diminutive is Ionela. People with this name include: * I ...

and

Maria Apostol Maria may refer to: People * Mary, mother of Jesus * Maria (given name), a popular given name in many languages Place names Extraterrestrial *170 Maria, a Main belt S-type asteroid discovered in 1877 *Lunar maria (plural of ''mare''), large, da ...

(1954-1993). Scenes from the Romanian films ''Bătălia din umbră'' (1986), ''Iancu Jianu, haiducul'' (1981), ''Iancu Jianu, zapciul'' (1980) and ''Ecaterina Teodoroiu'' (1979) were shot in Runcu village and on the nearby

Sohodol Gorge Sohodol ( hu, Aranyosszohodol) is a commune located in Alba County, Transylvania, Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, ...

Photo gallery

File:Cantacuzino Wallachia.png, Runcu and the Jaleș river on a 1717 map File:Moldau und Walachey - Josephinische Landesaufnahme.jpg, Palta (Bâlta), now part of Runcu commune on a Josephine Map (1769-1772) File:Runcu Church 1897.jpg, Runcu old church right before its demolition in 1897. File:RuncuGJ01.jpg, Runcu Church built between 1897-1907. File:Runcu winter.gif, Winter time in Runcu. File:RuncuGJ03.jpg, Memorial to World War I local heroes. File:Above ground cellar.png, Wine cellar on a hillside near Runcu circa 1980. File:RuncuCornFiled.jpg, Cornfield near Runcu with the Tufoaia mountain in the background. File:Plesa Valcan Mts.jpg, Plesa peak as seen from atop of Cornetul mountain.

Photo gallery - Sohodol River Gorge

RuncuGJ02.jpg Cheile Sohodolului (2).jpg Cheile Sohodolului (1).jpg Runcu Sohodol 01.jpg Runcu Sohodol 02.jpg Runcu Sohodol 03.jpg Runcu Sohodol 04.jpg Runcu Sohodol 05.jpg Runcu Sohodol 06.jpg Runcu Sohodol 07.jpg Runcu Sohodol 08.jpg

References

External links

Runcu and Sohodol Valley
on Panoramio
Runcu and Sohodol Valley - photos and text in German

Map of the Vâlcan Mountain showing Runcu commune
{{Gorj County Communes in Gorj County Localities in Oltenia