Curtea de Argeș
Curtea de Argeș | |
---|---|
"Olari" Dormition of the Theotokos Church The former Royal Hotel Train station | |
Coordinates: 45°08′21″N 24°40′45″E / 45.13917°N 24.67917°E | |
Country | Romania |
County | Argeș |
Government | |
• Mayor (2020–2024) | Constantin Panțurescu[1] (PSD) |
Area | 75 km2 (29 sq mi) |
Elevation | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
Population (2021-12-01)[2] | 25,977 |
• Density | 350/km2 (900/sq mi) |
Time zone | EET/EEST (UTC+2/+3) |
Postal code | 115300 |
Area code | (+40) 02 48 |
Vehicle reg. | AG |
Website | www |
Curtea de Argeș (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈkurte̯a de ˈardʒeʃ] ⓘ) is a municipality in Romania on the left bank of the river Argeș, where it flows through a valley of the Southern Carpathians (the Făgăraș Mountains), on the railway from Pitești to the Turnu Roșu Pass. It is part of Argeș County. The city also administers one village, Noapteș.
On July 7, 1947, the total rainfall in Curtea de Argeș was 205.7 mm (8.10 in) in 20 minutes, which is a world record.[3]
Etymology and names
The present name, literally The Court upon (river) Argeș, refers to the former status of the town as the capital of Wallachia. Some historians identify the
The original name was Argeș, which was then used for the name of the river as well.[4]
History
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1900 | 4,210 | — |
1912 | 6,279 | +49.1% |
1930 | 6,809 | +8.4% |
1948 | 9,180 | +34.8% |
1956 | 10,764 | +17.3% |
1966 | 16,423 | +52.6% |
1977 | 24,645 | +50.1% |
1992 | 35,824 | +45.4% |
2002 | 32,626 | −8.9% |
2011 | 27,359 | −16.1% |
Source: Census data |
Capital of Wallachia
One of the oldest towns in
The tradition of Wallachian chronicles[
While Câmpulung is sometimes credited as the first capital of Wallachia, the Wallachian chronicles mention only Curtea de Argeș as being the capital, this being supported by the fact that the Hungarian documents mention that Charles I attacked the Argeș stronghold and not the Câmpulung one.[5]
After 1340, a new royal court was built at Argeș, containing a palace and a church, the whole compound having an area of 0.76 hectares.
The town traded with Transylvania, focusing on the town of Sibiu, to which it had a direct road crossing the Olt Valley and Țara Loviștei . The commercial area of the town was around the court and the St. Nicholas in Târg Church, where the bazar was located.[6]
Decline
This Argeș court was the residence of the Wallachian hospodars until Mircea I of Wallachia, included.[5] The following rulers used both Argeș and Târgoviște as the seats of the court and traveler Johann Schiltberger mentioned that in 1396 both cities were capitals.[5]
From 1396 to 1460, Wallachia was tributary to the Sunni-Islamic Ottoman Empire, the hospodars being vassals of its Great Sultan.
During the 15th century, their court was used alternately with the one in Târgoviște, but in the 16th century, the capital was completely moved to Târgoviște and the Argeș court was rarely visited.[5]
Argeș was one of the most important towns in Wallachia in the 14th and 15th centuries, but starting with the 16th century, its importance began to fade. The Orthodox Metropolitan's seat was moved to Târgoviște in 1517, while the Catholic bishopric ended its activity in 1519. A fall in the trade with Sibiu and Brașov also led to a population decline.[7]
After the
Modern era
The united country's first modern king,
The Ștefănescu-Goangă brothers, Mihail and Florian, contributed to modernizing the city's infrastructure during 1920s and 1930s. As a mayor, Mihail Ștefănesu Goangă oversaw the building of the city's first paved roads, post office, and central market. Florian Ștefănescu-Goangă founded the summer school of the Babeș-Bolyai University in Curtea de Argeș, which later became the Vlaicu Vodă National College , one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania.[citation needed]
During the Communist regime, state-led industrialization led to the construction of several major factories in the city, which became a major producer of agricultural proteins, porcelain, and textiles. During the 1990s, most of the communist-era industries closed down, but Curtea de Argeș remains a manufacturing center for textiles and high-end fashion.[citation needed]
Ecclesiastical History
Latin Bishopric of Argeș
In the first decades of the 14th century, a group of German Catholics from
It was suppressed in 1519/20 (just after the Orthodox Metropolis), its territory being used in 1590 to establish the
In the 17th century the bishopric moved to Bacău due to the decrease in the number of local Catholics.[9]
Orthodox Archbishopric of Argeș
A Greek Orthodox archbishopric of Argeș was established in 1396, under authority of the
The Orthodox Metropolitan's seat was moved to Târgoviște in 1517, just before the Catholic bishopric ended its activity.[7]
However, at the close of the 18th century, it again became the seat of the modern
Landmark churches
The city is the site of couple medieval churches (among them the Curtea de Argeș Cathedral) having been an Orthodox bishopric again since the close of the 18th century.
The most important church is the
Natives
- Nicolae Pleșiță, head of the Securitate Foreign Intelligence Service
- Florian Ștefănescu-Goangă, psychologist, founder of the Romanian Institute of Experimental Psychology, and President of Babeș-Bolyai University
- Petre Ștefănescu-Goangă, baritone and actor
- Bogdan Suceavă, mathematician and writer
- Urmuz, avant-garde short-story writer
Gallery
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St. Nicholas Princely Church
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Curtea de Argeș Cathedral in an 1880 engraving
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Cathedral
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Goangă House
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Cioculeștilor House
See also
Notes
- ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
- ^ "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
- ^ "Ohio Weather Library Rainfall page 1". Archived from the original on 5 April 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d e Rădvan, p.243
- ^ a b c d e f g h Rădvan, p.244.
- ^ Rădvan, p.247.
- ^ a b c Rădvan, p.247-248
- ^ Grigorescu, Denis (April 9, 2017). "Povestea gării regale din Curtea de Argeș. De ce monumentul arhitectural este considerat de experți unic în România". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved June 8, 2021.
- ^ Rădvan, p.245
- ^ Westermann, Grosser Atlas zur Weltgeschichte, p. 89.
- ^ Curtea de Argeș, Mănăstirea Argeș, Biserica Episcopală Retrieved 22 March 2009.
Sources, external links and further reading
- GCatholic - Latin bishopric
- Laurențiu Rădvan, At Europe's Borders: Medieval Towns in the Romanian Principalities, Brill, 2010, ISBN 9789004180109
- Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. .