Fundeni, Bucharest
Fundeni is a district in
Etymology
Its name is derived from the Romanian word fund ("bottom") and the toponym refers to the people who came from or lived on the bottom of a valley.[1]
History
Medieval history
The village of Fundeni was built in a place isolated from Bucharest by the Colentina River and its lakes. Without a direct road towards Bucharest, the only way to reach the city was through the road that led to Afumați, Ilfov. Another crossing was found in the place where now the railway bridge between the Obor railway station and the Bucharest-Constanța railway.[2] Fundeni was surrounded of forests, one of which, Grădiștea, is mentioned in a June 13, 1634 document which tells about the priest of the village who became a monk and built his own small church and hermitage in the middle of the forest.[2]
The village was first mentioned in 1559, when Prince
In Fundeni, on 25 October/4 November 1632,
Early modern era
In the 18th century, the village was divided into two parts: the Fundenii-Doamnei, owned by the
Late modern and contemporary
In 1864, the village, together with Colentina formed the Colentina-Fundeni rural commune. The 1864 land reform did distribute property to some peasants, without disbanding large properties. Towards the end of the 19th century, out of the 653 hectares of the arrable land administered by the village, 500 hectares were owned by the landlord Ștefan Capșa, while the rest 153 hectares were owned by the peasants. Total population of the village was 279.[4]
In 1939, Fundeni was included in Bucharest, together with other villages in the area. After World War II, Colentina was rebuilt as an urban neighbourhood, but Fundeni remained more rural for decades after its inclusion in the city.[5]
Institutul Clinic Fundeni, one of the largest hospitals in Romania, is located in Fundeni, being built in 1959.[6]
Notes
References
- Nicolae Ghinea, "Așezări sătești din sec. XV-XIX pe teritoriul orașului București", in București - Materiale de istorie și muzeografie, VII, 1969.