The commune of Câineni is located on the site of Pons Vetus, a Roman fort built along both banks of the Olt river. Although the Roman fort was built later, the settlement itself is much older and existed before the Romans came to Dacia. This fact is confirmed by the name given by the Romans to their camp, Pons Vetus, translated as "Old Bridge".
In its history, Câineni was the place where the gate of the Romans was located, surrounded by walls and an imposing castle. Here also ended the route of the Romans that bypassed the Cozia mountain.
In the 13th century, Câineni had become the center of Seneslau's voivodeship, one of the first state entities on Romanian territory.
Later, in 1720, during the reign of Emperor Charles VI, the Austrians built a guard fortress at Câineni called Arxavia (Strassburg). Placed on steep cliffs, the fortress was demolished in 1739. [
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Currently, in Câineni, near the railway station, there are the imposing Caroline rocks, where traces of the famous Via Carolina road are visible. On a rock wall, a stone cross with a Latin inscription, which mentions "Carolinus Sixtus", was excavated. [
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During the First World War, Câineni was a key point of opposition for the Romanian troops; a monument placed on the side of the road, near the bridge, recalls the death of General Praporgescu. [
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The Romanian general Praporgescu David (1865-1916) was a commander in the First World War, leading a division and later an army corps, falling in the defensive battles of the Olt Valley (September 30-October 13), during the counteroffensive of the German armies.
From Câineni, there is a road (DJ 703) to Curtea de Argeș (65 km), representing the old commercial route that connected the former capitals of Wallachia with Sibiu. This route crosses the Titesti and Aref depressions, then enters the Argeș valley.
In the commune on the left side of Olt (Câinenii Mari), two churches from the 18th century can be seen, considered architectural monuments.
After Câineni, we enter the northern part of the Olt gorge, known as the Câineni Gorge - Red Turnu. Located between the main peak of the Făgăraş Mountains and the Lotrului Mountains, this gorge does not impress as much as the southern part, but the landscape becomes more picturesque due to the diversity of the relief.
Source: Bucharest-Sibiu (Ministry of Tourism, 1977)
