A private villa from the turn of the last century, set back behind its original wrought-iron railings on Strada Frații Buzești, a few minutes south of the square. French in manner — a slate mansard roof with round oeil-de-boeuf windows in the slope, a columned loggia over the entrance, a balustraded balcony and stucco garlands across the front. It is a listed building that has housed various institutions over the years. Not open to visitors: it is seen from the pavement, which is enough, because the whole of it faces the street.
Photographed 24 August 2026 with a tarpaulin lashed over the roof lantern, render coming away in patches and a hole open in the mansard slope. Worth knowing before you walk down: this is a handsome building being held together rather than a restored one, and that is a large part of what makes it worth the look.
The house is said to be haunted — and whatever you make of that, this much is on the record: buyers have come and gone for twenty years, and it stands empty behind its railings still. The rest is told after dark: that girls who linger too long by the fence come home with two small marks at the neck. This is Romania; we pass the story on as we heard it. You have been warned.
Strada Frații Buzești 21, Craiova