The

Hippodrome The hippodrome ( el, ἱππόδρομος) was an ancient Greek stadium for horse racing and chariot racing. The name is derived from the Greek words ''hippos'' (ἵππος; "horse") and ''dromos'' (δρόμος; "course"). The term is used i ...

can be found within the

Nicolae Romanescu Park Nicolae Romanescu Park ( ro, Parcul Nicolae Romanescu), known over time as the Bibescu Park, the Independence Park or the People's Park, is a park in Craiova, Romania. Located on the site of the mid-19th century estate and gardens of the Bibescu ...

in the South of

Craiova Craiova (, also , ), is Romania's 6th Cities in Romania, largest city and capital of Dolj County, and situated near the east bank of the river Jiu River, Jiu in central Oltenia. It is a longstanding political center, and is located at approximatel ...

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 ...

. Today, the park is included in the National monument list on the 98th position. The hippodrome occupies about 20,50 hectares from a total of 96 that belong to the park. Opened for the public in 1903, in a period of great importance for

equestrianism Equestrianism (from Latin , , , 'horseman', 'horse'), commonly known as horse riding (Commonwealth English) or horseback riding (American English), includes the disciplines of riding, Driving (horse), driving, and Equestrian vaulting, vaulting ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

and

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, the hippodrome was indispensable for the social and economic life of the city. himself, in his book about the designing and building of the park states that ''"This hippodrome will obtain for the city the necessary funds that will be added to the maintenance of the park"''.Redont Edouard, ''Ville de Craiova'', Paris, 1904, pg. 37 The grandstand designed by Redont was never built due to lack of funds, a smaller tribune was built instead. Made of wood, it burned to the ground soon after the inauguration of the hippodrome, being rebuilt in concrete. After

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 ...

the races stopped at the hippodrome, never to be restored. A

Show Jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including th ...

field was set in front of the tribune, and another stand was built on the other side of the field. From 1957 until 2000 many

events took place here, including the first Balcanic Equestrian Games in Romania. From the year 2000, due to the lack of money, the hippodrome's activity diminished considerably. Currently, the hippodrome is affiliated to the Romanian Equestrian Federation and it is managed by the Municipal Sports Club of Craiova.

Notes

Bibliography

*Redont Edouard, ''Ville de Craiova'', Paris, 1904 *Firan Florea, Parcul Poporului din Craiova, Comitetul de cultură şi artă al municipiului Craiova, 1975

External links

Unofficial page of the Craiova Hippodrome (Romanian)Romanian Equestrian Federation
{{coord, 44.295227, 23.80909, display=t, type:landmark Horse racing venues in Romania