Pitesti
Encyclopedia
Pitești is a city in Romania
, located on the Argeș River
. The capital and largest city of Argeș County
, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway
connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest
, being an important railway junction, with a classification yard
in nearby Bălilești
. The city houses the Arpechim oil refinery
, and is a marketing center for the automotive industry
, in particular Automobile Dacia.
Inhabited since prehistoric times
but first mentioned in the 14th century, it developed as a trading town in northern Wallachia
, serving as an informal residence for various Wallachian Princes until the 18th century. From the 19th century and until the interwar period
, it was an important political center for the National Liberal Party
and the main residence of the Brătianu family of politicians. During the early stages of the communist regime
, it was one of the main sites of political repression, with the Pitești prison
becoming home to an experiment in brainwashing techniques.
of Wallachia, being situated in its north and the westernmost part of its Muntenia
n subregion. It lies on the right bank of the Argeș, where the river meets its tributary, Râul Doamnei
.
Pitești is situated 280 m (918.64 ft) above sea level
, on terraces formed by the Argeș, and belongs to the southernmost section of the Getic Plateau (an area of foothills leading up to the Southern Carpathians
). The Plateau is at its narrowest in the Pitești area, where it only reaches 30 km in width, as opposed to the 70–80 km average. The city has access to a piedmont plain, known as Câmpia Piteștilor ("Pitești Plain") and characterized by water-meadow
s. To the west, it abuts the Trivale Forest, which has been partly set up as a leisure park
.
Pitești is adjacent to two reservoir
s on the Argeș, in its Prundu area and in nearby Bascov
(the Budeasa Dam). It is situated downstream from Lake Vidraru
and upstream from the reservoir in Băilești.
. Coins minted by the Dacians
during the 3rd century BC, copying the design of Thracian
tetradrachmon
issued by Lysimachus
, have been discovered here. A small Roman
castrum was built sometime in the 3rd century AD in the vicinity of present-day Pitești (part of a protection system for Roman Dacia
and Moesia
). During the Age of Migrations, the Pitești 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.
Pitești itself was first mentioned on May 20, 1386, when Wallachian Prince Mircea I
granted a gristmill
in the area to Cozia Monastery
. Pitești 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. By the late 14th century, it became home to a sizable Armenian
community.
At the time, the locality was only extending on the left bank of the Argeș, and gradually expanded over the river, reaching the hill slopes to the west (in the 19th century, it completely absorbed Târgul din Deal). While Pitești was commonly designated as a high-ranking town, a village of Pitești was still mentioned as late as 1528, which led some historians to conclude that the village and urban area coexisted within the same boundaries.
(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 Șerban
(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 Pitești 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 Pitești during their expedition against Michael the Brave (see Moldavian Magnate Wars
). Around that time, fighting occurred in and around the town as the new prince Radu Șerban clashed with the Ottomans and their Crimean Khanate
allies.
Constantin Șerban 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).
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 Pitești, 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; Pitești was again the scene of battles during the Austro-Turkish War of 1737–1739.
In 1780, the Tuscan
numismatist
Domenico Sestini passed through the Argeș 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
. During the 1790s, Pitești was visited by Luigi Mayer
, a German
pupil of Giovanni Battista Piranesi
, who left etchings of the region (including the very first one of Pitești); they were published in London
in 1810, with legends authored by T. Bowyer, whose caption for Pitești read "nothing more wild or romantic can be conceived".
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 locality of Băilești
and executed soon after, on orders from Eteria leader Alexander Ypsilantis
).
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 Ștefănești
. Their manor, Florica, housed most major reunions of the National Liberal leaders. For a short period in 1882, Pitești 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.
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
. Overseen by Imperial German
financier Bethel Henry Strousberg
, this was the second project of its kind in Romania (after the Bucharest-Giurgiu
rail link of 1869). 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 fresco
es 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).
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. During the post-war existence of Greater Romania
, Piteşti was a regional cultural center, notably hosting the 1928-1929 series of the magazine Kalende (published in cooperation by literary critics Vladimir Streinu, Şerban Cioculescu
, Pompiliu Constantinescu
and Tudor Şoimaru).
and the successive regimes
. After the fascist
National Legionary State
was proclaimed by the Iron Guard
in late 1940, a bronze bust of former Premier Armand Călinescu
(whom the Guard had assassinated in September 1939), was chained and dragged through the city streets. In December 1943, under the dictatorship of Conducător
and Piteşti native Ion Antonescu
, it saw the last deportation of Romani people
into Romanian-occupied Transnistria
(see Holocaust in Romania). 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
).
In the 1950s, when it served as capital of the newly-created Regiunea Argeş
, 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
secret police 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. 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. In 1957, a new trial convicted certain members of the prison staff, who received light sentences; they were later pardoned.
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.
, and several other automobile parts manufacturers are located within its urban area (Dräxlmaier Group
, Lear Corporation
and Valeo
). The city also houses the Arpechim oil refinery, part of the Petrom
group. The plant, established as a state-owned company during the communist regime, has traditionally been the center of controversy over its air pollution
records. In 2007, the Ministry of the Environment withdrew Arpechim's permit, but Petrom contested the decision in court. The plant is scheduled to gradually reduce its activity over a period of several years, pending eventual closure.
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 ţuica
s: ţuica de Piteşti. The Ştefăneşti
winery, situated on the opposite bank of the Argeş River, is one of the best known in Romania.
. Its branches include a puppet theater (created in 1949), the Estrada section for open-air performances (1958), and a folklore
section (1970). 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.
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 National College (founded 1866) and the Zinca Golescu National College. There are also 20 primary schools, 23 kindergartens and 10 nursery schools.
Each year during springtime, Piteşti is host to a festival and fair known as Simfonia lalelelor (the "Tulip Symphony"). Tulips were introduced locally in 1972-1973, when around 3,000 bulbs brought from Arad
and Oradea
were planted in its central area, along with other flowers. Piteşti consequently acquired a reputation as a tulip-growing area, and the flower-themed festival was first organized by the local authorities in 1978.
club in the city is FC Argeş Piteşti
, which plays in Liga I
, and has the Nicolae Dobrin Stadium
as its home ground. In addition, the city was home to a Liga II
football club, Internaţional Piteşti
(located on Stadionul Ştrand
), and has a school which doubles as a junior team, Sporting Piteşti. 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 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, on grounds adjacent to the Budeasa Dam. The national canoe racing
also trains at the Budeasa Dam sports base, and the location is also used for recreational fishing. A tennis
challenger tournament (Turneul challenger feminin Piteşti) takes place each year, on grounds in Bascov.
with: Borlänge
Bydgoszcz Caserta
Kragujevac
Muntinlupa Springfield, Ohio
Sumgait Tynaarlo
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, located on the Argeș River
Arges River
Argeș is a river of Southern Romania. It starts at the junction of headwaters Buda and Capra in the Făgăraș Mountains, in the Southern Carpathians and flows into the Danube at Oltenița.The main city on the Argeş is Piteşti...
. The capital and largest city of Argeș County
Arges County
Argeș is a county of Romania, in Wallachia, with the capital city at Pitești.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 652,625 and the population density was 95/km².*Romanians – 96%*Roma , and other.-Geography:...
, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated on the A1 freeway
A1 freeway (Romania)
The A1 is currently a 111 kilometre motorway linking Bucharest, the capital of Romania, with Piteşti, a city in Argeş County. The Sibiu motorway bypass is also designated as part of the A1...
connecting it directly to the national capital Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, being an important railway junction, with a classification yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
in nearby Bălilești
Balilesti
Bălileşti is a commune in Argeş County, in southern central Romania. It is composed of seven villages: Băjeşti, Bălileşti, Goleşti, Poieniţa, Priboaia, Ulita and Valea Mare-Bratia....
. The city houses the Arpechim oil refinery
Arpechim Refinery
Arpechim Refinery is one of the largest Romanian refineries and one of the largest in Eastern Europe, located in Piteşti, Argeş County, and has both refining and petrochemical capacities. The refinery has two processing modules with a nominal capacity of 6.5 million tonnes/year. Now only one of...
, and is a marketing center for the automotive industry
Automotive industry
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
, in particular Automobile Dacia.
Inhabited since prehistoric times
Prehistory
Prehistory is the span of time before recorded history. Prehistory can refer to the period of human existence before the availability of those written records with which recorded history begins. More broadly, it refers to all the time preceding human existence and the invention of writing...
but first mentioned in the 14th century, it developed as a trading town in northern Wallachia
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians...
, serving as an informal residence for various Wallachian Princes until the 18th century. From the 19th century and until the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
, it was an important political center for the National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Romania)
The National Liberal Party , abbreviated to PNL, is a centre-right liberal party in Romania. It is the third-largest party in the Romanian Parliament, with 53 seats in the Chamber of Deputies and 22 in the Senate: behind the centre-right Democratic Liberal Party and the centre-left Social...
and the main residence of the Brătianu family of politicians. During the early stages of the communist regime
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
, it was one of the main sites of political repression, with the Pitești prison
Pitesti prison
The Pitești prison was a penal facility in Pitești, Romania, best remembered for the brainwashing experiment carried out by Communist authorities in 1949-1952...
becoming home to an experiment in brainwashing techniques.
Geography
The city is part of the historical regionHistorical regions of Romania
At various times during the late 19th and 20th centuries, Romania extended over the following historical regions:Wallachia:*Muntenia or Greater Wallachia: as part of Wallachia, joined Moldavia in 1859 to create modern Romania;...
of Wallachia, being situated in its north and the westernmost part of its Muntenia
Muntenia
Muntenia is a historical province of Romania, usually considered Wallachia-proper . It is situated between the Danube , the Carpathian Mountains and Moldavia , and the Olt River to the west...
n subregion. It lies on the right bank of the Argeș, where the river meets its tributary, Râul Doamnei
Râul Doamnei
Râul Doamnei is a left tributary of the Argeş River . It is formed at the junction of headwaters Valea Rea and Zârna River...
.
Pitești is situated 280 m (918.64 ft) above sea level
Above mean sea level
The term above mean sea level refers to the elevation or altitude of any object, relative to the average sea level datum. AMSL is used extensively in radio by engineers to determine the coverage area a station will be able to reach...
, on terraces formed by the Argeș, and belongs to the southernmost section of the Getic Plateau (an area of foothills leading up to the Southern Carpathians
Southern Carpathians
The Southern Carpathians or the Transylvanian Alps are a group of mountain ranges which divide central and southern Romania, on one side, and Serbia, on the other side. They cover part of the Carpathian Mountains that is located between the Prahova River in the east and the Timiș and Cerna Rivers...
). The Plateau is at its narrowest in the Pitești area, where it only reaches 30 km in width, as opposed to the 70–80 km average. The city has access to a piedmont plain, known as Câmpia Piteștilor ("Pitești Plain") and characterized by water-meadow
Water-meadow
A water-meadow is an area of grassland subject to controlled irrigation to increase agricultural productivity. Water-meadows were mainly used in Europe from the 16th to the early 20th centuries...
s. To the west, it abuts the Trivale Forest, which has been partly set up as a leisure park
Park
A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...
.
Pitești is adjacent to two reservoir
Reservoir
A reservoir , artificial lake or dam is used to store water.Reservoirs may be created in river valleys by the construction of a dam or may be built by excavation in the ground or by conventional construction techniques such as brickwork or cast concrete.The term reservoir may also be used to...
s on the Argeș, in its Prundu area and in nearby Bascov
Bascov
Bascov is a commune in Argeş County, in southern central Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bascov, Brăileni, Glâmbocu, Mica, Prislopu Mic, Schiau, Uiasca and Valea Ursului....
(the Budeasa Dam). It is situated downstream from Lake Vidraru
Lake Vidraru
Lake Vidraru is an artificial lake in Romania. It was created in 1965 by the construction of the Vidraru Dam on the Argeş River.It lies in the shadow of the Făgăraş Mountains...
and upstream from the reservoir in Băilești.
Early history
The earliest traces of human settlements in this area relate to the PaleolithicPaleolithic
The Paleolithic Age, Era or Period, is a prehistoric period of human history distinguished by the development of the most primitive stone tools discovered , and covers roughly 99% of human technological prehistory...
. Coins minted by the Dacians
Dacians
The Dacians were an Indo-European people, very close or part of the Thracians. Dacians were the ancient inhabitants of Dacia...
during the 3rd century BC, copying the design of Thracian
Thrace
Thrace is a historical and geographic area in southeast Europe. As a geographical concept, Thrace designates a region bounded by the Balkan Mountains on the north, Rhodope Mountains and the Aegean Sea on the south, and by the Black Sea and the Sea of Marmara on the east...
tetradrachmon
Greek drachma
Drachma, pl. drachmas or drachmae was the currency used in Greece during several periods in its history:...
issued by Lysimachus
Lysimachus
Lysimachus was a Macedonian officer and diadochus of Alexander the Great, who became a basileus in 306 BC, ruling Thrace, Asia Minor and Macedon.-Early Life & Career:...
, have been discovered here. A small Roman
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
castrum was built sometime in the 3rd century AD in the vicinity of present-day Pitești (part of a protection system for Roman Dacia
Roman Dacia
The Roman province of Dacia on the Balkans included the modern Romanian regions of Transylvania, Banat and Oltenia, and temporarily Muntenia and southern Moldova, but not the nearby regions of Moesia...
and Moesia
Moesia
Moesia was an ancient region and later Roman province situated in the Balkans, along the south bank of the Danube River. It included territories of modern-day Southern Serbia , Northern Republic of Macedonia, Northern Bulgaria, Romanian Dobrudja, Southern Moldova, and Budjak .-History:In ancient...
). During the Age of Migrations, the Pitești area was, according to historian Constantin C. Giurescu
Constantin C. Giurescu
Constantin C . Giurescu was a Romanian historian, member of Romanian Academy and professor at the University of Bucharest.Born in Focşani, son of historian Constantin Giurescu, he completed his primary and secondary studies in Bucharest...
, the site of trading between Vlachs
Vlachs
Vlach is a blanket term covering several modern Latin peoples descending from the Latinised population in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. English variations on the name include: Walla, Wlachs, Wallachs, Vlahs, Olahs or Ulahs...
and Slavs
Slavic peoples
The Slavic people are an Indo-European panethnicity living in Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, North Asia and Central Asia. The term Slavic represents a broad ethno-linguistic group of people, who speak languages belonging to the Slavic language family and share, to varying degrees, certain...
, which, in his opinion, was the origin of Târgul din Deal ("The Market on the Hill"), a separate locality.
Pitești itself was first mentioned on May 20, 1386, when Wallachian Prince Mircea I
Mircea I of Wallachia
Mircea the Elder was ruler of Wallachia from 1386 until his death. The byname "elder" was given to him after his death in order to distinguish him from his grandson Mircea II...
granted a gristmill
Gristmill
The terms gristmill or grist mill can refer either to a building in which grain is ground into flour, or to the grinding mechanism itself.- Early history :...
in the area to Cozia Monastery
Cozia Monastery
Cozia Monastery, erected close to Călimănești by Mircea cel Bătrân in 1388 and housing his tomb, is one of the most valuable monuments of national medieval art and architecture in Romania....
. Pitești 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
Transylvanian Saxons
The Transylvanian Saxons are a people of German ethnicity who settled in Transylvania from the 12th century onwards.The colonization of Transylvania by Germans was begun by King Géza II of Hungary . For decades, the main task of the German settlers was to defend the southeastern border of the...
markets in Hermannstadt
Sibiu
Sibiu is a city in Transylvania, Romania with a population of 154,548. Located some 282 km north-west of Bucharest, the city straddles the Cibin River, a tributary of the river Olt...
, Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
), the city originally developed as an important commercial center. By the late 14th century, it became home to a sizable Armenian
Armenians in Romania
Armenians have been present in what is now Romania and Moldova for over a millennium, and have been an important presence as traders since the 14th century...
community.
At the time, the locality was only extending on the left bank of the Argeș, and gradually expanded over the river, reaching the hill slopes to the west (in the 19th century, it completely absorbed Târgul din Deal). While Pitești was commonly designated as a high-ranking town, a village of Pitești 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
Although princely quarters have not been uncovered, among the rulers to issue documents from Pitești were Basarab Țepeluș cel TânărBasarab Tepelus cel Tânar
Basarab IV cel Tânăr , also known as Ţepeluş , son of Basarab II, was domnitor of the principality of Wallachia, between the years 1477–1481, and again from 1481 to 1482...
(1477–1481), Neagoe Basarab
Neagoe Basarab
Neagoe Basarab was the Voivode of Wallachia between 1512 and 1521. Born into the boyar family of the Craioveşti as the son of Pârvu Craiovescu or Basarab Ţepeluş cel Tânăr, Neagoe Basarab, who replaced Vlad cel Tânăr after the latter rejected Craioveşti tutelage, was noted for his abilities and...
(1512–1521), Vlad Înecatul
Vlad Înecatul
Vlad VI of Wallachia was the voivode [prince] who ruled Wallachia between June 1530 and September 1532. He has been historically referenced as Vlad Înecatul ["Vlad the Drowned"], as a description of the manner of his death....
(1530–1532), Vlad Vintilă de la Slatina (1532–1535), Michael the Brave (1593–1601), Simion Movilă
Simion Movila
Simion Movilă, a boyar of the Movileşti family, was twice Prince of Wallachia and Prince of Moldavia on one occasion ....
(1601–1602), Matei Basarab
Matei Basarab
Matei Basarab was a Wallachian Voivode between 1632 and 1654.-Reign:Much of Matei's reign was spent fighting off incursions from Moldavia, which he successfully accomplished in 1637, 1639, and 1653 - see Battle of Finta...
(1632–1654) and Constantin Șerban
Constantin Serban
Constantin Şerban was Prince of Wallachia between 1654 and 1658, illegitimate son to Radu Şerban .-Reign:...
(1654–1658). In addition, Constantin Brâncoveanu
Constantin Brâncoveanu
Constantin Brâncoveanu was Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714.-Ascension:A descendant of the Craioveşti boyar family and related to Matei Basarab, Brâncoveanu was born at the estate of Brâncoveni and raised in the house of his uncle, stolnic Constantin Cantacuzino...
(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
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
against his Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
overlords, Aloisio Gritti (governor of Ottoman Hungary
Ottoman Hungary
History of Ottoman Hungary refers to the history of parts of the Ottoman Empire situated in what today is Hungary, in the period from 1541 to 1699.-History:...
) and his Wallachian boyar
Boyar
A boyar, or bolyar , was a member of the highest rank of the feudal Moscovian, Kievan Rus'ian, Bulgarian, Wallachian, and Moldavian aristocracies, second only to the ruling princes , from the 10th century through the 17th century....
partisans camped in the Pitești neighborhood of Războieni, where they were attacked and defeated by the Prince. In 1600-1601, troops of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth
The Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth was a dualistic state of Poland and Lithuania ruled by a common monarch. It was the largest and one of the most populous countries of 16th- and 17th‑century Europe with some and a multi-ethnic population of 11 million at its peak in the early 17th century...
, led by Jan Zamoyski
Jan Zamoyski
Jan Zamoyski , was a Polish-Lithuanian nobleman, magnate, 1st duke/ordynat of Zamość. Royal Secretary since 1566, Lesser Kanclerz ) of the Crown since 1576, Lord Grand-Chancellor of the Crown since 1578, and Grand Hetman of the Crown since 1581...
, were stationed in Pitești during their expedition against Michael the Brave (see Moldavian Magnate Wars
Moldavian Magnate Wars
The Moldavian Magnate Wars refer to the period at the end of the 16th century and the beginning of the 17th century when the magnates of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth intervened in the affairs of Moldavia, clashing with the Habsburgs and the Ottoman Empire for domination and influence over the...
). Around that time, fighting occurred in and around the town as the new prince Radu Șerban clashed with the Ottomans and their Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate
Crimean Khanate, or Khanate of Crimea , was a state ruled by Crimean Tatars from 1441 to 1783. Its native name was . Its khans were the patrilineal descendants of Toqa Temür, the thirteenth son of Jochi and grandson of Genghis Khan...
allies.
Constantin Șerban financed the building of the Orthodox
Romanian Orthodox Church
The Romanian Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church. It is in full communion with other Eastern Orthodox churches, and is ranked seventh in order of precedence. The Primate of the church has the title of Patriarch...
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
Paul of Aleppo
Paul Zaim, known sometime also as Paul of Aleppo was a Syrian Melkite clergyman and chronicler...
and by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
politician Claes Rålamb
Claes Rålamb (1622-1698)
Claes Rålamb was a Swedish statesman. In 1660 he was appointed Governor of Uppland County and in 1664 he served in the Privy Council...
. It was during Brâncoveanu's rule that the city was home to Stolnic
Stolnic
Stolnic was a boier rank and the position at the court in the history of Romania: in Moldavia and Wallachia. The title approximately corresponds to seneschal and is borrowed from the Slavic title stolnik a person in charge of the royal table.The title mare stolnic means "great stolnic", or...
Constantin Cantacuzino, coinciding with the letters he exchanged with the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
statesman William, Baron Paget
William Paget, 6th Baron Paget
William Paget, 6th Baron Paget was an English peer and Ambassador.Paget was English ambassador to Vienna between 1689 and 1692 and Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in Constantinople between 1692 and 1702, during which time he was central to the negotiation of the Treaty of Carlowitz between the...
. 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
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
troops led by Louis William of Baden
Louis William, Margrave of Baden-Baden
Louis William, Margrave of Baden was the ruler of Baden in Germany and chief commander of the Imperial army. He was also known as Türkenlouis...
occupied the city as part of the Great Turkish War
Great Turkish War
The Great Turkish War refers to a series of conflicts between the Ottoman Empire and contemporary European powers, then joined into a Holy League, during the second half of the 17th century.-1667–1683:...
(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 WarGreat Northern War
The Great Northern War was a conflict in which a coalition led by the Tsardom of Russia successfully contested the supremacy of the Swedish Empire in northern Central Europe and Eastern Europe. The initial leaders of the anti-Swedish alliance were Peter I the Great of Russia, Frederick IV of...
against Imperial Russia, Swedish King Charles XII
Charles XII of Sweden
Charles XII also Carl of Sweden, , Latinized to Carolus Rex, Turkish: Demirbaş Şarl, also known as Charles the Habitué was the King of the Swedish Empire from 1697 to 1718...
unsuccessfully sought an alliance with Sultan
Ottoman Dynasty
The Ottoman Dynasty ruled the Ottoman Empire from 1299 to 1922, beginning with Osman I , though the dynasty was not proclaimed until Orhan Bey declared himself sultan...
Ahmed III
Ahmed III
Ahmed III was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and a son of Sultan Mehmed IV . His mother was Mâh-Pâre Ummatullah Râbi'a Gül-Nûş Valide Sultan, originally named Evmania Voria, who was an ethnic Greek. He was born at Hajioglupazari, in Dobruja...
; on his way back from Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
, the monarch, met by troops under the command of Axel Sparre, passed through Pitești, and, after a three-week stay, made his way to Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania
Swedish Pomerania was a Dominion under the Swedish Crown from 1630 to 1815, situated on what is now the Baltic coast of Germany and Poland. Following the Polish War and the Thirty Years' War, Sweden held extensive control over the lands on the southern Baltic coast, including Pomerania and parts...
through Habsburg-ruled regions. During the Austro-Turkish War of 1716–1718
Austro-Turkish War of 1716-18
The Austro-Turkish War was fought between Austria and the Ottoman Empire.The Treaty of Karlowitz was not an acceptable long-standing agreement for the Ottoman Empire...
, Habsburg troops attacked and captured the town; Pitești was again the scene of battles during the Austro-Turkish War of 1737–1739.
In 1780, the Tuscan
Grand Duchy of Tuscany
The Grand Duchy of Tuscany was a central Italian monarchy that existed, with interruptions, from 1569 to 1859, replacing the Duchy of Florence. The grand duchy's capital was Florence...
numismatist
Numismatics
Numismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
Domenico Sestini passed through the Argeș 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
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, the educational language of the time); their request was denied by Prince Constantine Ypsilantis
Constantine Ypsilantis
Constantine Ypsilantis , was the son of Alexander Ypsilanti, a key member of an important Phanariote family, Grand dragoman of the Porte , hospodar of Moldavia and Walachia , and a Prince through marriage to the daughter of Alexandru Callimachi.-The Liberation of Greece from the Ottoman...
. During the 1790s, Pitești was visited by Luigi Mayer
Luigi Mayer
Luigi Mayer was an Italian-German artist and one of the earliest and most important late 18th century European painters of the Ottoman Empire. He was a close friend of Sir Robert Ainslie, 1st Baronet, a British ambassador to Turkey between 1776 and 1792, and the bulk of his paintings and drawings...
, a German
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
pupil of Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Giovanni Battista Piranesi
Giovanni Battista Piranesi was an Italian artist famous for his etchings of Rome and of fictitious and atmospheric "prisons" .-His Life:...
, who left etchings of the region (including the very first one of Pitești); they were published in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1810, with legends authored by T. Bowyer, whose caption for Pitești read "nothing more wild or romantic can be conceived".
The town was an important location for events relating to the last stage of the Wallachian uprising of 1821
Wallachian uprising of 1821
The Wallachian uprising of 1821 was an uprising in Wallachia against Ottoman rule which took place during 1821.-Background:...
and the first stages of the Greek War of Independence
Greek War of Independence
The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution was a successful war of independence waged by the Greek revolutionaries between...
: it was here that, in late spring 1821, the Wallachian rebel leader Tudor Vladimirescu
Tudor Vladimirescu
Tudor Vladimirescu was a Wallachian Romanian revolutionary hero, the leader of the Wallachian uprising of 1821 and of the Pandur militia. He is also known as Tudor din Vladimiri or — occasionally — as Domnul Tudor .-Background:Tudor was born in Vladimiri, Gorj County in a family of landed peasants...
settled after retreating from Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, raising suspicion from his Eterist
Filiki Eteria
thumb|right|200px|The flag of the Filiki Eteria.Filiki Eteria or Society of Friends was a secret 19th century organization, whose purpose was to overthrow Ottoman rule over Greece and to establish an independent Greek state. Society members were mainly young Phanariot Greeks from Russia and local...
allies that he was planning to abandon the common cause (he was captured in the nearby locality of Băilești
Bailesti
Băileşti is a city in Dolj County, Oltenia, Romania, with a population of 22,231. One village, Balasan, is administered by the city.The Romanian actor and comedian Amza Pellea and Romanian actor and theatre actor Marcel Iureş were born here and also Adriana Nechita-Olteanu.-External links:*The...
and executed soon after, on orders from Eteria leader Alexander Ypsilantis
Alexander Ypsilantis (1792-1828)
Alexander Ypsilantis, Ypsilanti, or Alexandros Ypsilantis was a member of a prominent Phanariot Greek family, a prince of the Danubian Principalities, a senior officer of the Imperial Russian cavalry during the Napoleonic Wars, and a leader of the Filiki Eteria, a secret organization that...
).
Late 19th and early 20th century
The city was developed further after the 1859 unificationUnited Principalities
The United Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, also known as the Romanian Principalities, was the official name of Romania following the 1859 election of Alexandru Ioan Cuza as prince or domnitor of both territories...
of the Danubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities
Danubian Principalities was a conventional name given to the Principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia, which emerged in the early 14th century. The term was coined in the Habsburg Monarchy after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca in order to designate an area on the lower Danube with a common...
and the creation of the Romanian Kingdom
Kingdom of Romania
The Kingdom of Romania was the Romanian state based on a form of parliamentary monarchy between 13 March 1881 and 30 December 1947, specified by the first three Constitutions of Romania...
. Around that time, and lasting until the interwar period
Interwar period
Interwar period can refer to any period between two wars. The Interbellum is understood to be the period between the end of the Great War or First World War and the beginning of the Second World War in Europe....
, the city became a National Liberal
National Liberal Party
National Liberal Party may mean:Active parties:*National Liberal Party *National Liberal Party *National Liberal Party *National Liberal Party *National Liberal Party **National Liberal Youth...
center, largely due to the Brătianu family of politicians residing in the nearby locality of Ștefănești
Stefanesti, Arges
Ștefănești is a town in Argeș County, Romania. The town administers seven villages: Enculești, Golești, Izvorani, Ștefăneștii Noi, Valea Mare-Podgoria, Viișoara and Zăvoi....
. Their manor, Florica, housed most major reunions of the National Liberal leaders. For a short period in 1882, Pitești was home to dramatist Ion Luca Caragiale
Ion Luca Caragiale
Ion Luca Caragiale was a Wallachian-born Romanian playwright, short story writer, poet, theater manager, political commentator and journalist...
, which has led some to propose that it was the unnamed National Liberal-dominated city depicted in Caragiale's famous play O scrisoare pierdută.
By 1872, a national railway
Caile Ferate Române
Căile Ferate Române is the official designation of the state railway carrier of Romania. Romania has a railway network of of which are electrified and the total track length is . The network is significantly interconnected with other European railway networks, providing pan-European passenger...
connection with the capital Bucharest and Târgovişte
Târgoviste
Târgoviște is a city in the Dâmbovița county of Romania. It is situated on the right bank of the Ialomiţa River. , it had an estimated population of 89,000. One village, Priseaca, is administered by the city.-Name:...
was built, at the same time as one linking Bucharest with Ploieşti
Ploiesti
Ploiești is the county seat of Prahova County and lies in the historical region of Wallachia in Romania. The city is located north of Bucharest....
through Chitila
Chitila
Chitila is a town in the west of Ilfov county, Romania, situated 9 km to the north west of Bucharest. It is often seen as a satellite town of Bucharest. One village, Rudeni, is administered by the town.-Transport:...
. Overseen by Imperial German
German Empire
The German Empire refers to Germany during the "Second Reich" period from the unification of Germany and proclamation of Wilhelm I as German Emperor on 18 January 1871, to 1918, when it became a federal republic after defeat in World War I and the abdication of the Emperor, Wilhelm II.The German...
financier Bethel Henry Strousberg
Bethel Henry Strousberg
Bethel Henry Strousberg was a Jewish industrialist and railway entrepreneur in Germany during its rapid industrial expansion in the 19th century...
, this was the second project of its kind in Romania (after the Bucharest-Giurgiu
Giurgiu
Giurgiu is the capital city of Giurgiu County, Romania, in the Greater Wallachia. It is situated amid mud-flats and marshes on the left bank of the Danube facing the Bulgarian city of Rousse on the opposite bank. Three small islands face the city, and a larger one shelters its port, Smarda...
rail link of 1869). The Piteşti Town Hall was completed in 1886, and currently houses an art gallery. The Argeş County
Arges County
Argeș is a county of Romania, in Wallachia, with the capital city at Pitești.-Demographics:In 2002, it had a population of 652,625 and the population density was 95/km².*Romanians – 96%*Roma , and other.-Geography:...
Prefecture, designed by Dimitrie Maimarolu, was erected in 1898–1899 on the site previously occupied by an Orthodox hermitage
Hermitage (religious retreat)
Although today's meaning is usually a place where a hermit lives in seclusion from the world, hermitage was more commonly used to mean a settlement where a person or a group of people lived religiously, in seclusion.-Western Christian Tradition:...
; it is the present-day site of the County Museum of History and Natural Sciences. Both buildings are eclectic
Eclecticism
Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases.It can sometimes seem inelegant or...
in style, and feature fresco
Fresco
Fresco is any of several related mural painting types, executed on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Greek word affresca which derives from the Latin word for "fresh". Frescoes first developed in the ancient world and continued to be popular through the Renaissance...
es painted by Iosif Materna.
In 1868-1869, Piteşti was also the first city in Romania to have a recorded Seventh-day Adventist
Seventh-day Adventist Church
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...
community, formed around Michał Belina-Czechowski, a Polish
Poles
thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...
preacher and former Roman Catholic
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
priest who had returned from the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
(the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Romania was established only after 1918).
From late autumn 1916 to 1918, during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
battles on the Romanian front
Romanian Campaign (World War I)
The Romanian Campaign was part of the Balkan theatre of World War I, with Romania and Russia allied against the armies of the Central Powers. Fighting took place from August 1916 to December 1917, across most of present-day Romania, including Transylvania, which was part of the Austro-Hungarian...
, Piteşti was occupied by the troops of the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
. The city was originally abandoned by the Romanian Army and taken by the German commander August von Mackensen
August von Mackensen
Anton Ludwig August von Mackensen , born August Mackensen, was a German soldier and field marshal. He commanded with success during the First World War and became one of the German Empire's most prominent military leaders. After the Armistice, Mackensen was interned for a year...
as the front stabilized on the Olt River
Olt River
The Olt River is a river in Romania. It is the longest river flowing exclusively through Romania. Its source is in the Hăşmaş Mountains of the eastern Carpathian Mountains, near the village Bălan. It flows through the Romanian counties Harghita, Covasna, Braşov, Sibiu, Vâlcea and Olt...
, before Mackensen was able to occupy Bucharest and the entire southern Romania. During the post-war existence of Greater Romania
Greater Romania
The Greater Romania generally refers to the territory of Romania in the years between the First World War and the Second World War, the largest geographical extent of Romania up to that time and its largest peacetime extent ever ; more precisely, it refers to the territory of the Kingdom of...
, Piteşti was a regional cultural center, notably hosting the 1928-1929 series of the magazine Kalende (published in cooperation by literary critics Vladimir Streinu, Şerban Cioculescu
Şerban Cioculescu
Şerban Cioculescu was a Romanian literary critic, literary historian and columnist, who held teaching positions in Romanian literature at the University of Iaşi and the University of Bucharest, as well as membership of the Romanian Academy and chairmanship of its Library...
, Pompiliu Constantinescu
Pompiliu Constantinescu
Pompiliu Constantinescu was a Romanian literary critic.-Biography:He was born on 17 May 1901, "in a place where he saw the light of day for the first time, on Sabines Street no...
and Tudor Şoimaru).
World War II and communism
The city was affected in various ways by World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and the successive regimes
Romania during World War II
Following the outbreak of World War II on 1 September 1939, the Kingdom of Romania officially adopted a position of neutrality. However, the rapidly changing situation in Europe during 1940, as well as domestic political upheaval, undermined this stance. Fascist political forces such as the Iron...
. After the fascist
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
National Legionary State
National Legionary State
The National Legionary State was the Romanian government from September 6, 1940 to January 23, 1941. It was a single-party regime dictatorship dominated by the overtly fascist Iron Guard in uneasy conjunction with the head of government and Conducător Ion Antonescu, the leader of the Romanian...
was proclaimed by the Iron Guard
Iron Guard
The Iron Guard is the name most commonly given to a far-right movement and political party in Romania in the period from 1927 into the early part of World War II. The Iron Guard was ultra-nationalist, fascist, anti-communist, and promoted the Orthodox Christian faith...
in late 1940, a bronze bust of former Premier Armand Călinescu
Armand Calinescu
Armand Călinescu was a Romanian economist and politician, who served as Prime Minister between March 1939 and the time of his death.-Early life:...
(whom the Guard had assassinated in September 1939), was chained and dragged through the city streets. In December 1943, under the dictatorship of Conducător
Conducator
Conducător was the title used officially in two instances by Romanian politicians, and earlier by Carol II.-History:...
and Piteşti native Ion Antonescu
Ion Antonescu
Ion Victor Antonescu was a Romanian soldier, authoritarian politician and convicted war criminal. The Prime Minister and Conducător during most of World War II, he presided over two successive wartime dictatorships...
, it saw the last deportation of Romani people
Roma minority in Romania
The Roma constitute one of the major minorities in Romania. According to the 2002 census, they number 535,140 people or 2.5% of the total population, being the second-largest ethnic minority in Romania after Hungarians...
into Romanian-occupied Transnistria
Transnistria (World War II)
Transnistria Governorate was a Romanian administered territory, conquered by the Axis Powers from the Soviet Union during Operation Barbarossa, and occupied from 19 August 1941 to 29 January 1944...
(see Holocaust in Romania). The city was sporadically bombed by the Allies
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
: on July 4, 1944, it was struck by a section of the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Fifteenth Air Force
Fifteenth Air Force
The Fifteenth Expeditionary Mobility Task Force is one of two EMTFs assigned to the United States Air Force Air Mobility Command . It is headquartered at Travis Air Force Base, California....
(see Bombing of Romania in World War II
Bombing of Romania in World War II
The bombing of Romania in World War II comprised two series of events: until August 1944, Allied operations, and, following the overthrow of Ion Antonescu's Fascist dictatorship, operations by Nazi Germany....
).
In the 1950s, when it served as capital of the newly-created Regiunea Argeş
Regiunea Arges
Regiunea Argeş was one of the newly established administrative divisions of the People's Republic of Romania, copied after the Soviet style of territorial organisation. It existed until 1952, when its territory merged with Vâlcea region to form Piteşti region...
, the city gained an ill notoriety, when the communist authorities
Communist Romania
Communist Romania was the period in Romanian history when that country was a Soviet-aligned communist state in the Eastern Bloc, with the dominant role of Romanian Communist Party enshrined in its successive constitutions...
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
Pitesti prison
The Pitești prison was a penal facility in Pitești, Romania, best remembered for the brainwashing experiment carried out by Communist authorities in 1949-1952...
). The experiment was carried out by the Securitate
Securitate
The Securitate was the secret police agency of Communist Romania. Previously, the Romanian secret police was called Siguranţa Statului. Founded on August 30, 1948, with help from the Soviet NKVD, the Securitate was abolished in December 1989, shortly after President Nicolae Ceaușescu was...
secret police and overseen by Alexandru Nicolschi
Alexandru Nicolschi
Alexandru Nicolschi was a Romanian communist activist, Soviet agent and officer, and Securitate chief under the Communist regime...
; 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
Leninism
In Marxist philosophy, Leninism is the body of political theory for the democratic organisation of a revolutionary vanguard party, and the achievement of a direct-democracy dictatorship of the proletariat, as political prelude to the establishment of socialism...
society. 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. In 1957, a new trial convicted certain members of the prison staff, who received light sentences; they were later pardoned.
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
Chemical industry
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into more than 70,000 different products.-Products:...
and automotive industries
Automaker
The automotive industry designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and sells motor vehicles, and is one of the world's most important economic sectors by revenue....
. Around 1950, the Piteşti area accommodated Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
refugees who supported ELAS during the Civil War
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War was fought from 1946 to 1949 between the Greek governmental army, backed by the United Kingdom and United States, and the Democratic Army of Greece , the military branch of the Greek Communist Party , backed by Bulgaria, Yugoslavia and Albania...
(part of the buildings raised for this purpose were later used to house resettled peasants). Florica was nationalized
Nationalization
Nationalisation, also spelled nationalization, is the process of taking an industry or assets into government ownership by a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to private assets, but may also mean assets owned by lower levels of government, such as municipalities, being...
in 1948, and was later partly devastated by Romanian Communist Party
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party was a communist political party in Romania. Successor to the Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave ideological endorsement to communist revolution and the disestablishment of Greater Romania. The PCR was a minor and illegal grouping for much of the...
activists (for a while during the 1970s, it served as the residence of Communist politician Ion Dincă
Ion Dinca
Ion Dincă was a Romanian communist politician and Army general who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Mayor of Bucharest under the Communist regime....
). The bust of Ion Brătianu
Ion Bratianu
Ion C. Brătianu was one of the major political figures of 19th century Romania. He was the younger brother of Dimitrie, as well as the father of Ionel, Dinu, and Vintilă 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 MioveniMioveni
Mioveni is a town in Argeş County, Romania, near the city of Piteşti. , it had a population of 35,849. The town administers four villages: Clucereasa, Colibaşi, Făgetu and Racoviţa....
, and several other automobile parts manufacturers are located within its urban area (Dräxlmaier Group
Dräxlmaier Group
Dräxlmaier Group based in Vilsbiburg, Germany, is an automotive corporation, one of the biggest in Germany.The company has 51 production sites in 20 countries on 4 different continents:-Germany:*Vilsbiburg *Achim*Böblingen*Bruchsal*Emden...
, Lear Corporation
Lear (company)
Lear Corporation , headquartered in Southfield, Michigan, USA is a Fortune 500 company, engaged in the business of manufacturing and distribution of automotive interiors systems...
and Valeo
Valeo
Valeo is a French automotive components manufacturer.-History:The Société Anonyme Française du Ferodo was founded in 1923 in Saint-Ouen, a suburb of Paris...
). The city also houses the Arpechim oil refinery, part of the Petrom
Petrom
Petrom is a Romanian oil company, the largest corporation in Romania and the largest gas and oil producer in Eastern Europe operating in several countries:*Romania - largest company;*Moldova - 2nd largest company, 31% market share;...
group. The plant, established as a state-owned company during the communist regime, has traditionally been the center of controversy over its air pollution
Air pollution
Air pollution is the introduction of chemicals, particulate matter, or biological materials that cause harm or discomfort to humans or other living organisms, or cause damage to the natural environment or built environment, into the atmosphere....
records. In 2007, the Ministry of the Environment withdrew Arpechim's permit, but Petrom contested the decision in court. The plant is scheduled to gradually reduce its activity over a period of several years, pending eventual closure.
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 ţuica
Tuica
Ţuică is a traditional Romanian spirit of somewhere in between 45%-60% alcohol by volume. It is usually made from plums.Ţuică is the official name for the drink when it is prepared only from plums...
s: ţuica de Piteşti. The Ştefăneşti
Stefanesti, Arges
Ștefănești is a town in Argeș County, Romania. The town administers seven villages: Enculești, Golești, Izvorani, Ștefăneștii Noi, Valea Mare-Podgoria, Viișoara and Zăvoi....
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 DavilaAlexandru Davila
Alexandru Davila was a Romanian dramatist, diplomat, public administrator, and memoirist.-Biography:The son of Carol Davila, a distinguished military physician of French origin, and Ana Racoviţă , he studied in his native Goleşti and at V. A...
. Its branches include a puppet theater (created in 1949), the Estrada section for open-air performances (1958), and a folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
section (1970). The Theater's Studio 125 was established in May 1975 by director Liviu Ciulei
Liviu Ciulei
Liviu Ciulei was a Romanian theater and film director, film writer, actor, architect, educator, costume and set designer. During a career spanning over 50 years, he was described by Newsweek as "one of the boldest and most challenging figures on the international scene".-Biography:Born in...
. A public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
, named after intellectual figure Dinicu Golescu
Dinicu Golescu
Dinicu Golescu , a member of the Golescu family of boyars, was a Wallachian Romanian man of letters, mostly noted for his travel writings and journalism....
, 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.
The city houses two universities: the state-run University of Piteşti
University of Piteşti
The University of Piteşti is a public university in Piteşti, Romania, founded in 1991. The University of Pitești has over 700 people as teaching staff and administrative personnel, and around of 12000 students....
and the private
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
Constantin Brâncoveanu University (founded 1991, with branches in Brăila
Braila
Brăila is a city in Muntenia, eastern Romania, a port on the Danube and the capital of Brăila County, in the close vicinity of Galaţi.According to the 2002 Romanian census there were 216,292 people living within the city of Brăila, making it the 10th most populous city in Romania.-History:A...
and Râmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea is the capital city of Vâlcea County, Romania .-Geography and climate:Râmnicu Vâlcea is situated in the central-south area of Romania...
). There are 17 secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
institutions, including two main high schools—the Ion Brătianu National College (founded 1866) and the Zinca Golescu National College. There are also 20 primary schools, 23 kindergartens and 10 nursery schools.
Each year during springtime, Piteşti is host to a festival and fair known as Simfonia lalelelor (the "Tulip Symphony"). Tulips were introduced locally in 1972-1973, when around 3,000 bulbs brought from Arad
Arad, Romania
Arad is the capital city of Arad County, in western Romania, in the Crişana region, on the river Mureş.An important industrial center and transportation hub, Arad is also the seat of a Romanian Orthodox archbishop and features two universities, a Romanian Orthodox theological seminary, a training...
and Oradea
Oradea
Oradea is the capital city of Bihor County, in the Crișana region of north-western Romania. The city has a population of 204,477, according to the 2009 estimates. The wider Oradea metropolitan area has a total population of 245,832.-Geography:...
were planted in its central area, along with other flowers. Piteşti consequently acquired a reputation as a tulip-growing area, and the flower-themed festival was first organized by the local authorities in 1978.
Sport
The major footballFootball (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
club in the city is FC Argeş Piteşti
FC Arges Pitesti
FC Argeş Piteşti is a Romanian professional football club from Piteşti, Argeş county.FC Argeş was one of the most successful Romanian clubs in the 1970s, when it won the national championship twice: in 1972 and 1979, and finished twice as runner-up...
, which plays in Liga I
Liga I
Liga I, or in full, due to sponsorship reasons, Liga I Bergenbier, is the top division of the Romanian football league system. Before the 2006/2007 season, it was called Divizia A, but the name had to be changed following the discovery that someone else had registered the trademark "Divizia A"...
, and has the Nicolae Dobrin Stadium
Nicolae Dobrin Stadium
Nicolae Dobrin Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Piteşti, Romania, named after football player Nicolae Dobrin. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home ground of FC Argeş Piteşti....
as its home ground. In addition, the city was home to a Liga II
Liga II
Liga II is the second tier league of the Romanian football league system. The league acquired this name in the 2006-07, being previously called Divizia B....
football club, Internaţional Piteşti
FC International Curtea de Arges
Internaţional Curtea de Argeş was a Romanian professional football club from Curtea de Argeş, Argeş County, founded in 2010 and dissolved in 2011.- History :...
(located on Stadionul Ştrand
Stadionul Strand
Ştrand Stadium is a multi-use stadium in Piteşti, Romania. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is currently the home ground of a number of teams from the Argeş County. The stadium holds 1,500 people....
), and has a school which doubles as a junior team, Sporting Piteşti. Piteşti hosts two basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
teams, BCA Piteşti and BCMUS Piteşti, as well as a women's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
team, Argeş Volei Piteşti.
The city is home to an Olympic size swimming pool
Olympic size swimming pool
An Olympic-size swimming pool is the type of swimming pool used in the Olympic Games, where the race course is 50 meters in length. This is typically referred to as "long course", delineating it from "short course" which applies to competitions in pools that are either 25 meters or 25 yards in...
, the home ground for CSM Piteşti, and a public outdoor swimming pool in the Tudor Vladimirescu area. Nearby Bascov
Bascov
Bascov is a commune in Argeş County, in southern central Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Bascov, Brăileni, Glâmbocu, Mica, Prislopu Mic, Schiau, Uiasca and Valea Ursului....
also has a public swimming place, on grounds adjacent to the Budeasa Dam. The national canoe racing
Canoe racing
This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....
also trains at the Budeasa Dam sports base, and the location is also used for recreational fishing. A tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
challenger tournament (Turneul challenger feminin Piteşti) takes place each year, on grounds in Bascov.
Twin towns
Piteşti is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with: Borlänge
Borlänge Municipality
Borlänge Municipality is a municipality in Dalarna County in central Sweden, with an area of 586.4 km². The municipality has a population of 47,640...
Bydgoszcz Caserta
Caserta
Caserta is the capital of the province of Caserta in the Campania region of Italy. It is an important agricultural, commercial and industrial comune and city. Caserta is located on the edge of the Campanian plain at the foot of the Campanian Subapennine mountain range...
Kragujevac
Kragujevac
Kragujevac is the fourth largest city in Serbia, the main city of the Šumadija region and the administrative centre of Šumadija District. It is situated on the banks of the Lepenica River...
Muntinlupa Springfield, Ohio
Springfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
Sumgait Tynaarlo
Tynaarlo
Tynaarlo is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands. Though located in the province of Drenthe, many of its communities serve as suburbs of the neighbouring city of Groningen, capital of the province of the same name.- Population centres :...