'Piteşti' () is the capital city of
Argeş County,
Romania (in the informal region of
Wallachia), situated on the
Argeş River. Situated on the
A1 freeway connecting it directly to
Bucharest (the national capital), it is an important commercial and industrial center.
Geography
The city lies on the right bank of the Argeş, where the river meets its tributary,
Râul Doamnei, and is an important railway junction, with a
classification yard in nearby
Bălileşti. It is situated 280 m above sea level, on terraces formed by the Argeş, and belongs to the
Getic Plateau (an area of foothills leading up to the
Southern Carpathians). To the west, it abuts the
Trivale Forest, which has been partly set up as a leisure
park.
Piteşti is adjacent to two
reservoirs on the Argeş, in its Prundu area and in nearby
Bascov.
[2] It is situated downstream from
Lake Vidraru and upstream from the reservoir in Bălileşti.
History
Early history
The earliest traces of human settlements in this area relate to the
Paleolithic.
[3] Coins minted by the
Dacian during the
3rd century BC, copying the design of
Thracian ''
tetradrachmon'' issued by
Lysimachus, have been discovered here.
[4] A small
Roman ''
castrum'' was built sometime in the
3rd century CE in the vicinity of present-day Piteşti (part of a protection system for
Roman Dacia and
Moesia).
[5] During the
Age of Migrations, the Piteşti area was, according to historian
Constantin C. Giurescu, the site of trading between
Vlachs and
Slavs, which, in his opinion, was the origin of ''Târgul din Deal'' ("The Market on the Hill"), a separate locality.
[6]
Piteşti itself was first mentioned on
May 20,
1386, when
Wallachian Prince Mircea I granted a
mill in the area to
Cozia Monastery.
Piteşti was subsequently one of the temporary residences of Wallachian Princes.
Due to its positioning on the junction of major European routes (and its proximity to the
Saxon markets in
Hermannstadt,
Transylvania), the city originally developed as an important commercial center.
[8] By the late 14th century, it became home to a sizable
Armenian community.
[9]
At the time, the locality was only extending on the left bank of the Argeş, and gradually expanded over the river, reaching the hill slopes to the west
(in the 19th century, it completely absorbed ''Târgul din Deal'').
[6] While Piteşti was commonly designated as a high-ranking town, a village of Piteşti was still mentioned as late as 1528, which led some historians to conclude that the village and urban area coexisted within the same boundaries.
Early Modern period
Church of Saint George
Although princely quarters have not been uncovered, among the rulers to issue documents from Piteşti were
Basarab Ţepeluş cel Tânăr (1477-1481),
Neagoe Basarab (1512-1521),
Vlad Înecatul (1530-1532),
Vlad Vintilă de la Slatina (1532-1535),
Michael the Brave (1593-1601),
Simion Movilă (1601-1602),
Matei Basarab (1632-1654) and
Constantin Şerban (1654-1658).
In addition,
Constantin Brâncoveanu (1688-1714), who owned large sections of vineyard in the area, is reported to have spent several seasons in the town.
Under Vlad Vintilă, who allied himself with the
Holy Roman Empire against his
Ottoman overlords,
Aloisio Gritti (governor of
Ottoman Hungary) and his Wallachian
boyar partisans camped in the Piteşti neighborhood of Războieni, where they were attacked and defeated by the Prince.
In 1600-1601, troops of the
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, led by
Jan Zamoyski, were stationed in Piteşti during their expedition against Michael the Brave (''see
Moldavian Magnate Wars'').
around that time, as the new ruler
Radu Şerban clashed with the Ottomans and their
Crimean Khanate allies, fighting occurred in and around the town.
Constantin Şerban financed the building of the
Orthodox Saint George Church, completed in 1656;
it was accompanied by a since-lost palace and adjacent gardens.
Around that time, the city was visited by the
Arab chronicler
Paul of Aleppo and by the
Swedish politician
Claes Rålamb.
It was during Brâncoveanu's rule that the city was home to ''
Stolnic''
Constantin Cantacuzino, coinciding with the letters he exchanged with the
English statesman
William, Baron Paget.
A tower and other princely houses, built by Brâncoveanu outside the town, gradually deteriorated over the 18th and 19th century (the last standing structure was lost in the 20th century).
In 1689,
Habsburg troops led by
Louis William of Baden occupied the city as part of the
Great Turkish War (they were repelled later that year).
18th and early 19th centuries
In November 1714, as a direct result of Swedish defeats in the
Great Northern War against
Imperial Russia,
Swedish King Charles XII unsuccessfully sought an alliance with
Sultan Ahmed III; on his way back from
Istanbul, the monarch, met by troops under the command of
Axel Sparre, passed through Piteşti, and, after a three-week stay, made his way to
Swedish Pomerania through Habsburg-ruled regions.
During the
Austro-Turkish War of 1716-1718, Habsburg troops attacked and captured the town; Piteşti was again the scene of battles during the
Austro-Turkish War of 1737-1739.
In 1780, the
Tuscan numismatist Domenico Sestini passed through the Argeş region, and described the town as having 250 houses and 7 churches.
In 1804, the citizens requested to have an upper school opened (to offer lectures in
Greek, the educational language of the time); their request was denied by Prince
Constantine Ypsilantis.
[12] During the 1790s, Piteşti was visited by
Luigi Mayer, a
German pupil of
Giovanni Battista Piranesi, who left etchings of the region (including the very first one of Piteşti);
they were published in
London in 1810, with legends authored by T. Bowyer, whose caption for Piteşti read "nothing more wild or romantic can be conceived".
[13]
The town was an important location for events relating to the last stage of the
Wallachian uprising of 1821 and the first stages of the
Greek War of Independence: it was here that, in late spring 1821, the Wallachian rebel leader
Tudor Vladimirescu settled after retreating from
Bucharest, raising suspicion from his
Eterist allies that he was planning to abandon the common cause (he was captured in the nearby
Bălileşti and executed soon after, on orders from Eteria leader
Alexander Ypsilantis).
[14]
Late 19th century
The city was developed further after the unification of the
Danubian Principalities and the creation of the
Romanian Kingdom. Around that time, and lasting until the
interwar period, the city became a
National Liberal center, largely due to the
Brătianu family of politicians residing in the nearby locality of
Ştefăneşti.
[15] Their manor, ''Florica'', housed most major reunions of the National Liberal Party leaders.
For a short period in 1882, Piteşti was home to dramatist
Ion Luca Caragiale, which has led some to propose that it was the unnamed National Liberal-dominated city depicted in Caragiale's famous play ''
O scrisoare pierdută''.
[16]
By 1872, a
national railway connection with the capital Bucharest and
Târgovişte was built, at the same time as one linking Bucharest with
Ploieşti through
Chitila.
[17] Overseen by
Imperial German financier
Bethel Henry Stroussberg, this was the second project of its kind in Romania (after the Bucharest-
Giurgiu rail link of 1869).
[17] The Piteşti Town Hall was completed in 1886, and currently houses an art gallery.
The
Argeş County Prefecture, designed by
Dimitrie Maimarolu, was erected in 1898-1899 on the site previously occupied by an Orthodox
hermitage; it is the present-day site of the County Museum of History and Natural Sciences.
Both buildings are
eclectic in style, and feature
frescoes painted by
Iosif Materna.
In 1868-1869, Piteşti was also the first city in Romania to have a recorded
Seventh-day Adventist community, formed around
Michał Belina-Czechowski, a
Polish preacher and former
Roman Catholic priest who had returned from the
United States (the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania was established only after 1918).
[19]
20th century
From late autumn 1916 to 1918, during the
World War I battles on the Romanian front, Piteşti was occupied by the troops of the
Central Powers. The city was originally abandoned by the
Romanian Army and taken by the German commander
August von Mackensen as the front stabilized on the
Olt River, before Mackensen was able to occupy Bucharest and the entire southern Romania.
[20]
During
World War II, when the
fascist National Legionary State was proclaimed by the
Iron Guard, a bronze bust of former
Premier Armand Călinescu (whom the Guard had assassinated in September 1939), was chained and dragged through the streets of Piteşti.
[21] The city was sporadically bombed by the
Allies: on
July 4,
1944, it was struck by a section of the
U.S. Fifteenth Air Force (''see
Bombing of Romania in World War II'').
[22]
In the 1950s, the city gained an ill notoriety, when the
communist authorities used the local detention facility to subject political detainees to the infamous ''Reeducation'', in which violence between inmates was encouraged to the point of being mandatory (''see
Piteşti prison''). The experiment was carried out by the
Securitate and overseen by
Alexandru Nicolschi; its goal was to psychologically destroy the capacity for outside attachment and outside loyalty, thus creating the
brainwashed ''New Man'' meant to suit a
Leninist society.
[23] It was canceled after five years. At a trial held in 1953-1954, twenty-two inmate/participants were sentenced, with sixteen being condemned to death for their role in the experiment.
[24] In 1957, a new trial convicted certain members of the prison staff, who received light sentences; they were later pardoned.
[25]
In parallel, the city underwent numerous changes in landscape, including the completion of the
A1 freeway, the first road of its kind, during the 1960s, and the acceleration of
industrialization with a focus on the
chemical and
automotive industries. Around 1950, the Piteşti area accommodated
Greek refugees who supported
ELAS during the
Civil War (part of the buildings raised for this purpose were later used to house resettled peasants).
''Florica'' was
nationalized in 1948, and was later partly devastated by
Romanian Communist Party activists (for a while during the 1970s, it served as the residence of Communist politician
Ion Dincă).
The bust of
Ion Brătianu, standing in front of the Saint Nicholas Church, was removed and melted, and the church itself was demolished in 1962.
Economy
Piteşti is one of the most industrialized cities in Romania. It is the center of the automotive industry in the country (the
Automobile Dacia automaker is situated in the nearby town of
Mioveni); several other automobile parts manufacturers are located here (
Dräxlmaier,
Lear Corporation and
Valeo). The city also houses an oil refinery (
Arpechim), part of the
Petrom group.
The city is surrounded by hills, being the center of an area rich in wineries and plum orchards. The latter give one of the finest Romanian
ţuicas: ''ţuica de Piteşti''. The
Ştefăneşti winery, situated on the opposite bank of the Argeş River, is one of the best known in Romania.
Culture
The city is home to a County Theater, named in honor of playwright
Alexandru Davila. Its branches include a
puppet theater (created in 1949), the ''Estrada'' section for open-air performances (1958), and a
folklore section (1970).
[26] The Theater's Studio 125 was established in May 1975 by director
Liviu Ciulei.
A
public library, named after intellectual figure
Dinicu Golescu, was created in 1869 through a donation made by Paraschiva Stephu, a female member of the upper class; a large part of its volumes were donated by historian
George Ionescu-Gion in 1904.
[27]
The city houses two universities: the state-run
University of Piteşti and the
private Constantin Brâncoveanu University (founded 1991, with branches in
Brăila and
Râmnicu Vâlcea). There are 17
secondary education institutions, including two main high schools — the
Ion Brătianu High School (founded 1866) and the
Zinca Golescu High School.
Each year during springtime, Piteşti is host to ''Simfonia lalelelor'' (the Tulip Festival), an event inaugurated in 1978.
Sport
The major
football club in the city is
FC Argeş Piteşti, which plays in
Liga II, and has the
Nicolae Dobrin Stadium as its home ground. In addition, the city has a football club in
Liga III, Internaţional Piteşti, and a school which doubles as a junior team, Sporting Piteşti.
[28] Piteşti hosts two
basketball teams,
BCA Piteşti and
BCMUS Piteşti, as well as a women's
volleyball team, Argeş Volei Piteşti.
The city is home to an an
Olympic size swimming pool, the home ground for
CSM Piteşti, and a public outdoor swimming pool in the Tudor Vladimirescu area; nearby
Bascov also has a public swimming place. A
tennis challenger tournament (''Turneul challenger feminin Piteşti'') takes place each year, on grounds in Bascov and
Budeasa.
Natives
★
Ion Antonescu
★
Mauriciu Blank
★
Alexandru Bogdan-Piteşti
★
Ion Brătianu
★
Armand Călinescu
★
Nicolae Comănescu
★
Nicolae Dică
★
Nicolae Dobrin
★
Ruxandra Dragomir
★
Al. Gherghel
★
George Ionescu-Gion
★
Alexandru Kiriţescu
★
Cristian Minculescu
★
Marian Oprea
★
Sebastian Papaiani
★
Mircea Parligras
★
Costin Petrescu
★
Rudolf Schweitzer-Cumpăna
★
Lavinia Stan
★
Tudor Teodorescu-Branişte
★
Teo Trandafir
★
Ion Trivale
★
Lucian Turcescu
★
Robert Turcescu
★
Zavaidoc
Sister cities
★
Borlänge
★
Caserta
★
Kragujevac
★
Muntinlupa
★
Springfield, Ohio
Notes
1. National Institute of Statistics, Population of counties, municipalities and towns, July 1, 2004
2. ''Ghid metodologic pentru identificarea şi desemnarea corpurilor de apă puternic modificate şi artificiale'', at the Ministry of the Environment and Sustainable Development, p.64/105-65/105; retrieved July 19, 2007
3. "Istoria Oraşului", at ''Muzee din regiunile Romaniei''; retrieved July 17, 2007
4. Giurescu, p.33
5. Dragoş Măndescu, ''Castrul roman de la Albota - un monument ignorat la marginea Piteştilor'', at the Piteşti Cultural Center; retrieved July 17, 2007
6. Giurescu, p.47
7. Gerard Călin, ''Reşedinţa domnească temporară de la Piteşti'', at the Piteşti Cultural Center; retrieved July 17, 2007
8. Andrei Oţetea, ''The History of the Romanian People'', Editura Ştiinţifică, 1970, p.446
9. "Armeni - Scurt istoric", at ''Divers''; retrieved July 17, 2007
10. Giurescu, p.47
11. Mariu Păduraru, ''Oraşul Piteşti văzut de călători străini'', at the Piteşti Cultural Center; retrieved July 17, 2007
12. Alex Drace-Francis, ''The Making of Modern Romanian Culture: Literacy and the Development of National Identity'', I. B. Tauris, London, 2006, p.50. ISBN 1845110668
13. Lou Taylor, ''Establishing Dress History'', Manchester University Press, Manchester, 2004, p.20. ISBN 0719066395
14. William Harrison Ainsworth, "The Russians in Wallachia", in ''The New Monthly Magazine and Humorist'', Vol.91, 1851, p.33 D2
15. Mircea Crăciun, "Relicve din perioada dictaturii comuniste în judeţul Argeş", in ''Memoria''; retrieved July 17, 2007
16. Şerban Cioculescu, ''Caragialiana'', Editura Eminescu, Bucharest, 1974, p.202-203.
17. Giurescu, p.155
18. Giurescu, p.155
19. Earl A. Pope, "Protestantism in Romania", in Sabrina Petra Ramet (ed), ''Protestantism and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia: The Communist and Postcommunist Eras'', Duke University Press, Durham, 1992, p.186. ISBN 0822312417
20. Pamfil Şeicaru, ''La Roumanie dans la Grande guerre'', Éditions Minard, Paris, 1968, p.332-334
21. Nicolae Ciobanu, "Armand Călinescu: Jertfă pentru liniştea şi independenţa ţării. «Omul de oţel» împotriva Gărzii de Fier", in ''Dosarele Istoriei'', 6/IV (1999), p.60
22. Charles E. Francis, Adolph Caso, ''The Tuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation'', Branden Books, Wellesley, 1997, p.149. ISBN 0828320292
23. Cioroianu, p.317
24. Cioroianu, p.318
25. Teodor Wexler, "Procesul sioniştilor", in ''Memoria''; retrieved July 17, 2007
26. ''Teatrul Alexandru Davila'' at the Argeş County Council; retrieved July 17, 2007
27. ''Biblioteca Judeţeană'' at the Argeş County Council; retrieved July 17, 2007
28. Sporting Piteşti (official site)
References
★
Adrian Cioroianu, ''Pe umerii lui Marx. O introducere în istoria comunismului românesc'',
Editura Curtea Veche, Bucharest, 2005. ISBN: 973-669-175-6
★
Constantin C. Giurescu, ''Istoria Bucureştilor. Din cele mai vechi timpuri pînă în zilele noastre'',
Editura Pentru Literatură, Bucharest, 1966.
External links
★
Piteşti University
★
Piteşti prison at the Sighet Memorial
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