Caracal () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

in Olt county,

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

, situated in the historic region of

Oltenia Oltenia (, also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions, with the alternative Latin names ''Wallachia Minor'', ''Wallachia Alutana'', ''Wallachia Caesarea'' between 1718 and 1739) is a historical province and geographical region of Romania ...

, on the plains between the lower reaches of the Jiu and

Olt Olt or OLT may refer to: People: * Károly Olt (1904–1985), Hungarian politician * Mike Olt (born 1988), American baseball player Places: * Olt County, a county (județ) of Romania * Olt (river), a river in Romania ** Olt Defile, a defile that ...

rivers. The region's plains are well known for their agricultural specialty in cultivating grains and over the centuries, Caracal has been the trading center for the region's agricultural output. Caracal has a population of approximately 31,000 and is the second largest city in the region.

Etymology

While 19th century historians thought that the name of Caracal is linked to Roman Emperor

Caracalla Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (born Lucius Septimius Bassianus, 4 April 188 – 8 April 217), better known by his nickname "Caracalla" () was Roman emperor from 198 to 217. He was a member of the Severan dynasty, the elder son of Emperor S ...

, the current accepted etymology is that city's name is derived from the Cuman language ''kara kale'' meaning "Black fortress" (''kara'', meaning "black", and ''kal'', either from the

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

''kale'', or the

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic languages, Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C ...

''qal'at'', both meaning fortress).

History

The end of the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century saw Caracal experience significant growth and the region become one of the most important agricultural regions in Romania. Caracal was this region's capital and seat of

Romanați County Romanați County was a county (Romanian: '' județ'') in the Kingdom of Romania, in southeastern part of the historical region of Oltenia. The county seat was Caracal. The county was located in the southwestern part of Romania, in the southeaster ...

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and the communist regime brought changes to this region and to the city of Caracal. During

Nazi Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...

concentration camp was located near the city. The communist government, which disestablished Romanați County, instituted

industrialization Industrialisation ( alternatively spelled industrialization) is the period of social and economic change that transforms a human group from an agrarian society into an industrial society. This involves an extensive re-organisation of an econo ...

plans and Caracal experienced continued economic growth through the establishment of industrial plants in the textile industry sector. The town underwent major changes after the

Nicolae Ceaușescu Nicolae Ceaușescu ( , ; – 25 December 1989) was a Romanian communist politician and dictator. He was the general secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and the second and last Communist leader of Romania. He was ...

regime was overthrown by the December 1989 Revolution, with many factories collapsing under the pressure of privatisation.

Demographics

Natives

Gheorghe Argeșanu Gheorghe Argeșanu (28 February 1883 – 26/27 November 1940) was a Romanian cavalry general and politician who served as a Prime Minister of Romania for about a week in September 1939. Biography Born in Caracal, he was promoted to a leade ...

* Marius Bunescu *

Virgil Carianopol Virgil Carianopol (March 29, 1908–April 6, 1984) was a Romanian poet. Born in Caracal, his parents were Grigore Carianopol, a court clerk, and his wife Atena (''née'' Popescu). He attended primary school (1916–1920) and the first two grade ...

Dan Diaconescu Dan Cristian Diaconescu (; born December 9, 1967 in Caracal, Socialist Republic of Romania) is a Romanian journalist, politician, presenter, the founder and owner of the former DDTV and OTV television channels. He graduated from the Faculty of M ...

Aurelian Titu Dumitrescu Aurelian ( la, Lucius Domitius Aurelianus; 9 September 214 October 275) was a Roman emperor, who reigned during the Crisis of the Third Century, from 270 to 275. As emperor, he won an unprecedented series of military victories which reunited t ...

* Iancu Jianu *

Haralamb Lecca Haralamb George Lecca (; – March 9, 1920), also known as Haralamb Leca, Har. Lecca,C. D. Fort., "Recenzii. Cărți. ''Antologia poeților olteni, de I. C. Popescu-Polyclet''", in ''Arhivele Olteniei'', Nr. 45–46/1929, p. 546"Noutăți. Știri ...

Radu Șerban Radu Șerban (? – 23 March 1620) was a Wallachian nobleman who reigned as the principality's ''voivode'' during two periods from 1602 to 1610 and during 1611. A supposed descendant of Neagoe Basarab, he attained high office during the reign of ...

Marius Tucă Marius Tucă (born 29 July 1966, in Caracal, Olt County, Romania) is a Romanian journalist and TV host. He distinguished himself in the 1990s as a political analyst and a TV host. He also contributed to the transformation of the '' Jurnalul Naţi ...

* Pirjol 'Zombilau' Alexandru

References

External links

Caracal Museum
{{Authority control Cities in Romania Populated places in Olt County Localities in Oltenia Capitals of former Romanian counties