Dolj County

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Dolj County - roots and wings -
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Dolj is a county of Romania,
in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova
(population 314,437). The
entire area is flat, a plain with the Danube on
the South forming a wide valley, and crossed by
the Jiu River in the middle. Also other small
rivers flow, each one forming ints small valley.
There are some lakes across the county and many
ponds and channel on the Danube valley. 6 of the
county's area is a desert.
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History
  Craiova , the fifth
largest Romanian city and capital of Dolj County,
is situated near the east bank of the river Jiu
in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding
political center, and is located at approximately
equal distances from the Southern Carpathians
(north) and the Danube (south). Craiova is the
chief commercial city west of Bucharest and the
most important city of Oltenia. The city
prospered as a regional trading centre despite an
earthquake in 1790, a plague in 1795, and a
Turkish assault in 1802 during which it was
burned.
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Craiova, which occupied the site of the Dacian
and Roman city Pelendava, was formerly the
capital of Oltenia. Its ancient bans, the highest
ranking boyars of the Wallachian state, initially
those of the Craiovesti family. The bans had the
right of minting coins stamped with their own
effigies - the origin of the Romanian word ban as
used for coins.   In 1395 Craiova was
probably the scene of a victory won by the
Wallachian Prince Mircea I of Wallachia over
BayezidI, Sultan of the Ottomans (Battle of
Rovine).
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Frequently referred to as "a city" after
the first half of the 16th century, the Craiova
area was always regarded as an important economic
region of Wallachia and Romania at large. During
the 1718-1737 Habsburg occupation of Oltenia,
Craiova's status declined due to economic
pressures and increased centralism, partly
leading to an increase in hajduk actions, in
parallel with protests of Craiovan boyars. In
1761, under Prince Constantine Mavrocordatos, the
bans relocated to Bucharest, leaving behind
kaymakams to represent them in Craiova.
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Under Prince Emanuel Giani Ruset, Wallachia's
seat was moved to Craiova (1770-1771), viewed as
a place of refuge during the Russo-Turkish War of
1768-1774. A large part of the city was burned
down by the rebel pasha Osman Pazvantoglu in
1800. During the Wallachian uprising of 1821,
inhabitants of the present-day Dolj County joined
Tudor Vladimirescu's Pandurs in great numbers,
contributing to the expedition on Bucharest.
During the first two decades of the 19th century,
Craiova witnessed economic prosperity, centered
on handicraft trades and public services.
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During Imperial Russian occupation and the
early stages of Organic Statute rules
(1828-1834), the city increased its economic
output in 1832 there were 595 shops, 197 made of
which were barracks and 398 were houses built of
brick. At the time, Craiova exported wheat, furs,
leather, live animals and other products into the
Austrian and Ottoman Empires.   Costache
Romanescu, a citizen of Craiova, was among the
leaders of the Provisional Government during the
1848 Wallachian revolution. Wallachia's last two
rulers, Gheorghe Bibescu and Barbu Dimitrie
Stirbei, came from an important boyar family
residing in Craiova the Bibescu family.
Around 1860, there were 4,633
buildings in Craiova, which were comprised of
3,220 houses, 26 churches, 11 schools, and 60
factories and workshops. In all, the city also
housed about 90 industrial establishments, of
which 12 were mills, 3 beer factories, 2 gas and
oil factories, 4 tanning yards and 2 printing
presses 57 of the total number of craftsmen of
Dolj County lived in Craiova (1,088 craftsmen,
687 journeymen and 485 apprentices).
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The period following the Independence War was
a time of economic and cultural progress. As a
result, at the end of the 19th century, the city
of Craiova, with its 40,000 inhabitants, had
developed small factories (producing chemicals,
farming utilities, and construction materials)
and textile factories. On October 26, 1896, the
Craiova power station entered service (with AEG
equipments working at 310 CP, supplying 365
streetlights on 39 streets, forming a 30 km-long
network) Craiova was the first city in the
country to be supplied with electric power by
internal combustion engines. In 1900, Craiova
had 43.1 of the industrial units of Oltenia
these numbered 924 industrial companies
(including 20 large industrial establishments,
employing 1,078 workers). The number of large
industrial establishments rose to 40 by 1925.
Banking also developed at the beginning of the
20th century (when 6 banks and 2 exchange offices
were already operating). In the interwar
period, Craiova, as the center of an agricultural
region, experienced little further
industrialization the number of industrial
workers remained comparatively small. In 1939,
Craiova had 7 industrial units with over 100
workers the cloth industry companies Oltenia and
Scrisul Românesc were well-known all over the
country and abroad.
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After ca. 1960, under
the Communist regime, the city become a noted
center for the automotive and engine building
industries, as well as for aerospace
manufacturing, chemical industry, food industry,
construction, electrical engineering, mining
industry, and the electrical power
industry. After the 1989 Revolution brought the
reestablishment of a free market and
decentralization in overall management, several
industries became subject to privatization,while
the market opened itself to private initiatives.
Industry, although affected by economic changes,
remains an important branch, representing ca. 70
of Craiova's output.
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REALIZATORI
COLEGIUL NATIONAL FRATII BUZESTI CRAIOVA
PROFESOR INDRUMATOR
ALINA GAE
C.N. Fratii Buzesti Craiova, Dolj