Valcea County
A two-million-year old fossil deposit discovered at Bugiulesti village
(Tetoiu commune) is the testimony of the oldest trace of habitation
on the Continent – Australanthropus oltenienis being the first link
of anthropogenesis in Europe. Archaeological findings attest to the
existence of large areas of habitation and advanced prehistoric civilisations.
The discoveries of the Dacian fortresses at Ocnita, Gradistea, Roesti
and Tetoiu, which formed a genuine defence system of the south-eastern
side of the Dacian kings’ residence in Orastie Mountains, are of special
importance. Nearby the salt massif at Ocnele Mari the ancient Dacian
stronghold Buridava, mentioned by Ptolemy, was unearthed. Here, they
found shards bearing the inscriptions REB and BUR, as well as a fragment
of a vase on which the words Basileos Thiamarcos Epoiei preserve the
memory of a local king, contemporary with Emperor Octavian Augustus.
Widely-reputed historian Vasile Parvan supposed, and later discoveries
confirmed his supposition, that there existed a number of fortifications
along the river Olt (Limes Alutanus) built during the Roman rule (106-271),
namely Pons Vetus (Caineni), Praetorium (Racovita), Arutela (Bivolari),
Castra Traiana (Sambotin), Buridava (Stolniceni), Pons Aluti (Ionesti),
Rusidava (Dragasani). After the withdrawal of the Roman administration,
the local people had to face the invasions of the migratory populations.
Traces of strong village communities were found at Costesti, Goranu,
Inatesti, Ionestii Govorei, Lacusteni, etc. The Diploma of the Johannite
Knights, issued in 1247 mentions the existence of Farcas’s Land in
this area. On November 9-12, 1330 in Lovistea Depression the army
of Basarab I defeated the powerful army of Charles Robert of Anjou;
the victory consecrated the independence of Wallachia. The Middle
Ages were the time when the priceless historic sites and works of
art were created. Valcea was the first county to be mentioned in a
document; on January 8, 1392, the register of Cozia Monastery mentions
a gift made by Prince Mircea the Old, ruler of Wallachia (1386-1418)
– the monastery had the right over bee-keeping in Valcea county. The
first books in Romanian were printed in this county, worth mentioning
being Pravila de la Govora, printed in 1640, during the reign of Prince
Matei Basarab. Valcea county was a centre of learning, as well as
an acknowledged centre of folk art and civilisation. During the time
of Constantin Brancoveanu (1688-1714), whose name is linked to a specific
style in architecture, the Hurezi Monastery, a jewel of the Romanian
feudal art was built. Valcea county is the preserver of other important
moments in the history of the Romanians. It was here that the song
Awaken, Thee Romanian, with music by Anton Pann and text written by
Andrei Muresianu, was sung for the first time, on July 29, 1848. After
World War Two, the mountains, forests and monasteries in this county
sheltered armed groups of anti-communist fighters who kept alive the
hope for freedom and democracy, a hope that was reborn almost half
a century later, in December 1989.
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Geographical
Outline
Lying in the central-southern part of Romania, on the middle course
of the Olt river, in the former province of Oltenia, Valcea county
has an area of 5,765 sqkm (2.42 per cent of the country’s area).
The county seat is Ramnicu Valcea, a town mentioned in a written document
in 1388, during the reign of Prince Mircea the Old, who called it
“our town”. The city is located in the hilly area of the county, 283
m high, and is crossed from north to south, in its eastern part, by
the Olt river; this is a busy commercial area, at the crossroads of
important routes that connect it with the entire country; it has 120,000
inhabitants. Ramnicu Valcea is the most important economic town of
Valcea county, sheltering 80 per cent of the economic activities.
There are three industrial platforms – one in the north and two in
the south, each with a distinct profile. Ramnicu Valcea is also a
cultural centre of standing tradition. The town – seat of the first
printings in the Romanian language – boasts educational establishments
and cultural institutions with a rich activity. During the last few
decades of communist dictatorship the old look of the town was destroyed,
and very few testimonies of the past remained: the Episcopal Church
of Ramnic, churches, most of them historic sites and art monuments,
a few houses of traditional architectural style – Velea, Lahovari,
Balotescu, Anton Pann’s house, the present Mihai Viteazul street,
“Zavoi” Park, where “Awaken, Thee, Romanian”, our national anthem
today, was sung for the first time, on July 29, 1848. There are eight
urban localities – Ramnicu Valcea, Dragasani, Baile Olanesti, Baile
Govora, Brezoi, Calimanesti-Caciulata, Ocnele Mari, Horezu, 77 communes
and 568 villages. The county’s population is 440,000 inhabitants,
of which 40.6 per cent in towns and 59.4 per cent in villages. Active
population at all-county level: 47.2 per cent; of it 40.73 per cent
in agriculture and forestry, 32.85 per cent in industry and 26.32
per cent in services. Climate is temperate-continental. The relief
runs in steps, from north to south, with heights over 2,300 m in the
Fagaras massif descending to hills, in the centre, and plains and
the Olt meadow in the south. The main river is the Olt, with its tributaries.
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Touristic
Information
The Valcea
county is situated in the central-Southern part of Romania.
Its surface is 2.4 percent of Romania, of which about a half
is covered by forests and forestry flora. The Valcea county,
bordered to the North by the Meridional Carpathians has all
formations of relief: mountains up to 2,200 m above sea level,
plateaus and hills, valleys which are proper for agriculture.
The hydrographic network is rich, the Olt River crosses the
Valcea county on a length of 130 km, gathering in its basin
numerous other courses. The county has two municipalities: Ramnicu
Valcea, the capital city and Dragasani; six towns: Calimanesti,
Brezoi, Horezu, Ocnele Mari, Baile Olanesti, Baile Govora. The
Valcea county is dated from back to January, 8th, 1392 and it
is mentioned in a document of Mircea cel Batran, Voivode of
the Wallachia (1386-1418) by which the bee culture in the Valcea
county is given to the Cozia Monastery. The territory of this
county is well-organized administratively and inhabited since
long time ago as the archaeological discoveries show. The picturesque
regions and the curing waters contributed to the development
of the tourism here. The table waters from Calimanesti-Caciulata,
Baile Govora and Baile Olanesti are miraculous in the cure of
a lot of diseases. The tourist network of this county consists
in cultural, historic and architectural monuments, much of them
being unique ones as the monasteries of Cozia, Horezu, Govora,
Bistrita, Dintr-un Lemn, Surpatele, Arnota as well as the Episcopal
Palace of Ramnic. Also there are Geto-Dacian and Dacian Roman
camps and fortresses from Buridava or Calea lui Traian on the
Olt Valley. In the natural reservations situated in the Cozia,
Buila, Vanturita and Capatana Mountains are protected, as monuments
of nature, some species of Romania's flora and fauna. In the
Valcea county there are sixteen museums. The main one is the
History Museum in Ramnicu Valcea with its 50,000 exhibits which
depicts the history of the Romanian people on this land. The
other museums are also interesting: "Nicolae Balcescu"
Memorial in his native village; Art Museum in Ramnicu Valcea;
"Gheorghe Maghern" Museum in Troianu, Ramnicu Valcea;
"Anton Pann" Memorial House in Ramnicu Valcea; the
Collection of archaeology, old books and Mediaeval art in Govora;
The Museum of vine and wine in Dragasani; the Collection of
ethnography and folk art in Bujoreni, Ramnicu Valcea; the "Inatesti"
Collection in Ramnicu Valcea; the Maldaresti Museum Complex;
"Gh. D. Anghel" Collection in Costesti; "Gib
I. Mihaescu" exhibition in Dragasani; the archaeological
Exhibition in Ocnele Mari; the "Teodor Balasel" Collection
in Stefanesti; the Rearmouse Cave in Bistrita; the ethnographic
Collection in Irimesti.
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Economy
Profile
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