Piața Mihai Viteazul Craiova

Mihai Viteazul Square in Craiova is the town's historic central plaza, an open space dominated by the equestrian statue of Michael the Brave, the ruler who, ban of Craiova before ascending the throne of Wallachia, achieved in 1600 the first union of the Romanian lands. The monument, the work of the French sculptor Aimé-Napoléon Mercié and unveiled in the early 20th century, shows the voivode on horseback in a heroic posture, and became the symbol of the town's gratitude toward its most illustrious ban. Around the square stand representative buildings of Craiova, and the space has always been the setting of the town's great gatherings, ceremonies and demonstrations.

Redesigned over time, the square remains the symbolic heart of the Bănia. Practical note: set off from here on a walk toward the Bănia House, the oldest civil building in the town, and toward the Art Museum housed in the former Jean Mihail Palace.