Zimnicea
Encyclopedia
Zimnicea (ˈzimnit͡ʃe̯a) is a town in Teleorman county, Romania
(in the historic region of Wallachia
), a port on the Danube
opposite the Bulgaria
n city of Svishtov
.
situated on the left bank of the Danube
river. This is the most southern place on the banks of the Danube river and the most southern harbour on the Danube in Romania. The distance between the Zimnicea and Bucharest
is 122 kilometres (75.8 mi), and the distance to Alexandria
(capital of Teleorman County) is about 39 kilometres (24.2 mi).
Zimnicea is served around the clock by the Svishtov-Zimnich ferry — a regular operation Ro-ro ferryboat across the Danube between Zimnicea and Svishtov
, Bulgaria. The ferry shortens the road path to and from Turkey to Central and Western Europe by 140 km when compared to the traditional route over the Danube Bridge at Ruse-Giurgiu and allows a time gain of nearly 4 hours thus avoiding the traffic in and around the city of Bucharest.
Traditional agriculture, fishing, iron processing, carpentry, pottery, tissue exchange of products were the occupations of the people throughout the town's existence.
The natives of Zimnicea sell grain, cattle, sheep, fish, butter, salt, honey, wax, timber and bought cloth, oriental fabric, carpets and spices.
In 1838, the settlement Zimnicea was passed in the fairs, with the general population census of that year 551 families and 3046 inhabitants. In the years 1837-1839 Zimnicea became the capital of Teleorman county.
Near Zimnicea there are ruins of several ancient fortresses and fortifications from the 4th to the 1st century BC. The oldest are believed by some scholars to have been built to defend the town from Alexander the Great's general, Lisimachos.
The name of the town was first mentioned in 1385 in the travel logs of Christian pilgrims on their way home from their trip to Jerusalem. The Byzantines
called it Demnitzikos and later on Dzimnikes or Dzimnikos. The town flourished as a trade post on the trade routes that linked Central Europe to the Balkans
.
In 1835, it had 531 household
s, being the twelfth largest market town in Wallachia. For a short time in 1837 to 1838, it was the capital of Teleorman county, but due to internal dissent between the landowners and merchant
s, it was replaced by Alexandria
.
During the Romanian War of Independence
(1877–1878), it was the headquarters of the Russians troops fighting in Bulgaria against the Ottoman Empire
. During World War I
, German Empire
troops crossed the Danube in the Zimnicea sector, effectively bringing down the Romanian front in Muntenia
.
About 80% of the town was destroyed during the 1977 Romanian Earthquake, and had to be rebuilt. Most of the destruction was actually done after the natural disaster by bulldozer, being ordered by communist authorities
, as a means to create a town from scratch on a new design. Ten years later, the newly-built infrastructure was falling apart due mainly to poor workmanship;
Local industry has declined since the fall of the communist regime, as did the population.
, PD-L, PC
and PSD
.
School No.1, Miron Radu Paraschivescu has 15 classrooms, including 3 laboratories (physics, chemistry, biology), 5 cabinets teachers (mathematics, geography, design, religion, Romanian), a gym, a workshop school and a library.
The three elementary schools are: Miron Radu Paraschivescu Primary and Secondary School, School no. 2 and School no. 3
Cultural institutions operating in Zimnicea are: the cultural center and the town library.
The city library was founded in 1952 and after December 1989 received the name of local poet Miron Radu Paraschivescu.
"Zimtub SA" Zimnicea Hotel has a capacity of 48 rooms, a restaurant with 100 seats and a night club with 80 seats.
The amusement and recreation base "Disko - Hope" is situated on the Danube riverside and has a beach with, as well as an outdoor dancing club with a capacity of 1,200 places; There is also an amusement base at the beach from Cheson.
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...
(in the historic region of 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...
), a port on the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
opposite the Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
n city of Svishtov
Svishtov
Svishtov is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svishtov Municipality...
.
Geography
Zimnicea is the southernmost point of RomaniaRomania
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...
situated on the left bank of the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
river. This is the most southern place on the banks of the Danube river and the most southern harbour on the Danube in Romania. The distance between the Zimnicea and 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....
is 122 kilometres (75.8 mi), and the distance to Alexandria
Alexandria, Romania
Alexandria is the capital city of the Teleorman County, Romania. It is located south-west of Bucharest, towards the Bulgarian border. The city is situated on the Vedea River. The city has 58,651 inhabitants.-Alexandria in 1900:...
(capital of Teleorman County) is about 39 kilometres (24.2 mi).
Zimnicea is served around the clock by the Svishtov-Zimnich ferry — a regular operation Ro-ro ferryboat across the Danube between Zimnicea and Svishtov
Svishtov
Svishtov is a town in northern Bulgaria, located in Veliko Tarnovo Province on the right bank of the Danube river opposite the Romanian town of Zimnicea. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Svishtov Municipality...
, Bulgaria. The ferry shortens the road path to and from Turkey to Central and Western Europe by 140 km when compared to the traditional route over the Danube Bridge at Ruse-Giurgiu and allows a time gain of nearly 4 hours thus avoiding the traffic in and around the city of Bucharest.
History
Zimnicea developed near a Geto-Dacian fortress (about 1,200 m west of downtown).Traditional agriculture, fishing, iron processing, carpentry, pottery, tissue exchange of products were the occupations of the people throughout the town's existence.
The natives of Zimnicea sell grain, cattle, sheep, fish, butter, salt, honey, wax, timber and bought cloth, oriental fabric, carpets and spices.
In 1838, the settlement Zimnicea was passed in the fairs, with the general population census of that year 551 families and 3046 inhabitants. In the years 1837-1839 Zimnicea became the capital of Teleorman county.
Near Zimnicea there are ruins of several ancient fortresses and fortifications from the 4th to the 1st century BC. The oldest are believed by some scholars to have been built to defend the town from Alexander the Great's general, Lisimachos.
The name of the town was first mentioned in 1385 in the travel logs of Christian pilgrims on their way home from their trip to Jerusalem. The Byzantines
Byzantine Empire
The Byzantine Empire was the Eastern Roman Empire during the periods of Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, centred on the capital of Constantinople. Known simply as the Roman Empire or Romania to its inhabitants and neighbours, the Empire was the direct continuation of the Ancient Roman State...
called it Demnitzikos and later on Dzimnikes or Dzimnikos. The town flourished as a trade post on the trade routes that linked Central Europe to the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
.
In 1835, it had 531 household
Household
The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....
s, being the twelfth largest market town in Wallachia. For a short time in 1837 to 1838, it was the capital of Teleorman county, but due to internal dissent between the landowners and merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
s, it was replaced by Alexandria
Alexandria, Romania
Alexandria is the capital city of the Teleorman County, Romania. It is located south-west of Bucharest, towards the Bulgarian border. The city is situated on the Vedea River. The city has 58,651 inhabitants.-Alexandria in 1900:...
.
During the Romanian War of Independence
Romanian War of Independence
The Romanian War of Independence is the name used in Romanian historiography to refer to the 1877-1878 Russo-Turkish war, following which Romania, fighting on the Russian side, gained independence from the Ottoman Empire...
(1877–1878), it was the headquarters of the Russians troops fighting in Bulgaria against the Ottoman Empire
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...
. During 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...
, German Empire
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...
troops crossed the Danube in the Zimnicea sector, effectively bringing down the Romanian front in 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...
.
About 80% of the town was destroyed during the 1977 Romanian Earthquake, and had to be rebuilt. Most of the destruction was actually done after the natural disaster by bulldozer, being ordered by 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...
, as a means to create a town from scratch on a new design. Ten years later, the newly-built infrastructure was falling apart due mainly to poor workmanship;
Local industry has declined since the fall of the communist regime, as did the population.
Politics
The mayor of Zimnicea Municipality is Petre Pârvu, he is in his second mandate and is chosen from the list of the coalition For Zimnicea that includes PNLNational 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...
, PD-L, PC
Conservative Party (Romania)
The Conservative Party of Romania is a political party formed in 1991, after the fall of Communism, under the name of the Romanian Humanist Party . From 2005 until December 3, 2006, the party was a junior member of the ruling coalition...
and PSD
Social Democratic Party (Romania)
The Social Democratic Party is the major social-democratic political party in Romania. It was formed in 1992, after the post-communist National Salvation Front broke apart. It adopted its present name after a merger with a minor social-democratic party in 2001. Since its formation, it has always...
.
Economics
In the communist era Zimnicea has undergone forced industrialization, and the new industres suffered a strong decline after the fall of the communist regime.Education and culture
In Zimnicea there are 5 kindergartens, 3 elementary schools with primary and secondary education and one high school. The high school has 15 classrooms, a gym and a school workshop. Classes are attended by 511 students, with two shifts and evening school hours. Zimnicea High School has a library with 20,578 volumes and a science laboratory equipped with 30 computers.School No.1, Miron Radu Paraschivescu has 15 classrooms, including 3 laboratories (physics, chemistry, biology), 5 cabinets teachers (mathematics, geography, design, religion, Romanian), a gym, a workshop school and a library.
The three elementary schools are: Miron Radu Paraschivescu Primary and Secondary School, School no. 2 and School no. 3
Culture
Zimnicea does not have any artistic events held occasionally or permanently. The budget allocated for cultural activities are insufficient for a cultural life.Cultural institutions operating in Zimnicea are: the cultural center and the town library.
The city library was founded in 1952 and after December 1989 received the name of local poet Miron Radu Paraschivescu.
Tourism
The „Dunărica” children camp has a capacity of 200 accommodation places, with a football field and a tennis court, a kayak-canoe base and a cafeteria with 250 places."Zimtub SA" Zimnicea Hotel has a capacity of 48 rooms, a restaurant with 100 seats and a night club with 80 seats.
The amusement and recreation base "Disko - Hope" is situated on the Danube riverside and has a beach with, as well as an outdoor dancing club with a capacity of 1,200 places; There is also an amusement base at the beach from Cheson.
Population
- 1834: 3,000
- 1977: 14,000
- 2000: 16,800