With a history spanning over a century, the blue houses of Vaideeni, once inhabited by shepherds, are significant landmarks of the vernacular architecture of the pre-mountain region of Oltenia. A few young people with roots in this area are working to save them from extinction so that future generations can enjoy them as part of their cultural identity.

An ancient settlement of shepherds from Transylvania, Vaideeni has always been a distinct area in Valcea, with traditions and customs different from the rest of the county. These have been preserved and passed down by the descendants of those who crossed the mountains from Transylvania to Wallachia and Moldavia hundreds of years ago. With this thought and out of love for the places where they grew up, in the summer of 2015, a few sons of the village, scattered across the country and the world, started a project to safeguard the local cultural heritage, which had begun to fade into the mists of time. The project focused on these old houses, built from wooden beams and with walls painted blue, which writer Dinu Sararu described as 'the last remnants of Vaideeni's shepherd rural architecture.'

'It is our first project, which we started even before founding the association. I, together with a friend, Raluca Popa, maybe out of the love we had for our native places, for the village streets we used to walk when we were little, had the idea to photograph the old disappearing houses and launch a project in the village for the preservation and restoration of those that still existed. The houses we photographed for the project back in 2015 are not all standing today. Unfortunately, some were damaged, and others couldn't withstand the passage of time,' said Simona Dumitrescu, a founding member of the 'Mostenitorii' Cultural Association.

Although it was initially an exhibition of photographs taken of the blue houses to draw attention to them, the 'Mostenitorii' initiative from Vaideeni turned into a larger project in the following years to promote local traditions and customs. It is well known that the people of Vaideeni, proud mountain folk, stubbornly held on to their customs, from their clothing and behaviour to the architecture of their homes, making them stand out as Transylvanians among the Oltenians.

Over the years, locals have joined the 'Blue Houses of Vaideeni' project, not wanting to let the past fade away.

Currently, there are only a few blue houses left in Vaideeni, a maximum of 15, according to both local authorities and members of the 'Mostenitorii' Association. Many are uninhabited or in ruin, making their recovery a difficult mission, not so much due to their poor condition, but especially because of modern times, which require different living conditions and, therefore, high costs to make them habitable. Many have also given up painting them blue, preferring white instead, so every old house saved from disappearance is a cause for celebration for those involved in this effort.

The authorities in Vaideeni commune, which has been a local tourist resort for two years, also intend to preserve these houses, however many are left, and even include them in a tourist circuit, so they can at least be visited, if not transformed into guesthouses.

The village of Vaideeni dates back to the 16th century, with the first documentary mention being over 520 years ago, when several families of shepherds from Transylvania, especially from the Marginimea Sibiului area, are said to have come to these lands to avoid giving up their Orthodox faith. The community of these shepherds is mentioned in the documents of the time under the name 'Vai de ei' [Poor them], but there are also researchers who believe the village's name might have initially been a derivative of the proper name Vaida, and through deformation, it evolved into its current form, Vaideeni. The main activity in the area has always been shepherding, so now the village is known for its traditional cuisine and culture, with songs, costumes, and shepherd dances. More recently, the Vaideeni pouches, black-and-white bags that are part of the Hungarian costume, have become a symbol of the village after being carried around the world by the initiative of the 'Mostenitorii' Cultural Association. The association periodically organises gatherings in the village, where the village elders teach children to sew, spin, or weave on the loom, as well as the old 'doina' songs that accompanied their ancestors on their journeys with the sheep in the mountains. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Ramona Dinca; EN - writing by: Adina Panaitescu)