Dâmbovicioara is a

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

in Argeș County, Muntenia,

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

. It is composed of three villages: Ciocanu, Dâmbovicioara and Podu Dâmboviței. The

Dâmbovița River Dâmbovița can refer to these places in Romania: * Dâmbovița County * Dâmbovița (river) * Dâmbovița Center The Dâmbovița Center (also named Casa Radio) is an unfinished building in Bucharest, Romania, near Cotroceni, on the shore of ...

has its source in Podu Dâmboviței, on the Curmătura Oticului, a mountain pass that separates the

Iezer Mountains The Iezer Mountains ( ro, Munții Iezer / Munții Iezer-Păpușa) are a mountain range in the Southern Carpathians in Romania. It is part of the Făgăraș Mountains group. Its total area is . Its highest elevation is , at Roșu Peak. Location ...

from the

Făgăraș Mountains The Făgăraș Mountains ( ro, Munții Făgărașului ; hu, Fogarasi-havasok) are the highest mountains of the Southern Carpathians, in Romania. Geography The mountain range is situated in the heart of Romania, at . The range is bordered in th ...

Villages

Dâmbovicioara

Dâmbovicioara is the village of residence of the commune of the same name in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania.

Podu Dâmboviței

Podu Dâmboviței is a village with 745 inhabitants, located on DN73 29 km from

Câmpulung Câmpulung (also spelled ''Cîmpulung'', , german: Langenau, Old Romanian ''Dlăgopole'', ''Длъгополе'' (from Middle Bulgarian)), or ''Câmpulung Muscel'', is a municipality in the Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is situated amon ...

. The was for the first time mentioned in 16th-17th centuries.

Ciocanu

Geography

The village’s name, meaning “the hammer”, derives from its shape, with the tip pointing towards Dâmbovicioara village. It is surrounded by the Bucegi,

Piatra Craiului The Piatra Craiului Mountains (german: Königstein, hu, Királykő-hegység) are a mountain range in the Southern Carpathians in Romania. Its name is translated as ''Kings' Rock'' or ''The Rock of the Prince''. The mountain range is located ...

and Leaota Mountains. The village is located at the northern edge of the commune, at the foot of the

Piatra Craiului Mountains The Piatra Craiului Mountains (german: Königstein, hu, Királykő-hegység) are a mountain range in the Southern Carpathians in Romania. Its name is translated as ''Kings' Rock'' or ''The Rock of the Prince''. The mountain range is located ...

, on the

Rucăr-Bran Pass The Rucăr-Bran Pass, also called in English the Bran Pass (german: Törzburger Pass, hu, Törcsvári-szoros), is a mountain pass in Romania, linking the counties of Brașov and Argeș. It has some of the most spectacular natural views in Roma ...

. To the north, the next village is Șirnea, part of

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

History

Ciocanu was founded and named around 1850 by Iosif Căciulă, Teche Poponeci and Bucur Stinghe, three deserters from the Imperial Austrian Army who purchased land from the elders of

Rucăr Rucăr is a commune in the north-eastern part of Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. At the 2011 census, the population of the commune was 5,752. It is composed of two villages, Rucăr and Sătic. Located on the Rucăr-Bran Pass, it is popular with ...

. Until the

union of Transylvania with Romania The union of Transylvania with Romania was declared on by the assembly of the delegates of ethnic Romanians held in Alba Iulia. The Great Union Day (also called ''Unification Day''), celebrated on 1 December, is a national holiday in Roman ...

, it was a border village in the

Romanian Old Kingdom The Romanian Old Kingdom ( ro, Vechiul Regat or just ''Regat''; german: Regat or ) is a colloquial term referring to the territory covered by the first independent Romanian nation state, which was composed of the Romanian Principalities: Wallachia ...

, with

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...

on the other side. The crossing was known as the “cuckoo border”, because like the bird that flew freely between, it was quite permeable, with the inhabitants prospering from the traffic. The border is a natural one, with its location along a mountain crest. In ancient times, it divided

Thracian tribes This is a list of ancient tribes in Thrace and Dacia ( grc, Θρᾴκη, Δακία) including possibly or partly Thracian or Dacian tribes, and non-Thracian or non-Dacian tribes that inhabited the lands known as Thrace and Dacia. A great number o ...

of shepherds and farmers. A document of 1377 mentions this saddle as the first customs point over the mountains, under the name ''Ruffa Abor''. In the late 16th century, Doamna Florica, the daughter of

Michael the Brave Michael the Brave ( ro, Mihai Viteazul or ; 1558 – 9 August 1601), born as Mihai Pătrașcu, was the Prince of Wallachia (as Michael II, 1593 – 1601), Prince of Moldavia (1600) and ''de facto'' ruler of Transylvania (1599 – 1600). ...

, took possession of the village, in turn granting property to the Rucăr elders. In 1916, during the early stages of Romania’s participation in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, the area was the scene of heavy fighting. Reportedly, prior to the war, a German spy posing as a hunter had photographed the Romanian military’s local strategic defenses.

Gallery

File:Cetatea Oratea-zid si DN73.jpg, in Podu Dâmboviței, where

Vlad the Impaler Vlad III, commonly known as Vlad the Impaler ( ro, Vlad Țepeș ) or Vlad Dracula (; ro, Vlad Drăculea ; 1428/311476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most im ...

was once imprisoned File:Drumul roman de la Podu Dâmboviţei.jpg, Roman road in Podu Dâmboviței File:Gheorghe Tattarescu - Pestera Dambovicioara.jpg,

Gheorghe Tattarescu Gheorghe Tattarescu (; October 1818 – October 24, 1894) was a Moldavian, later Romanian Painting, painter and a pioneer of neoclassicism in his country's modern painting. Biography Early life and studies Tattarescu was born in Focşani i ...

painting of Dâmbovicioara Cave File:RomanianLandscape0010jpg.JPG, View of Dâmbovicioara File:RomanianLandscape0018jpg.JPG, View of Dâmbovicioara

References

External links

Communes in Argeș County Localities in Muntenia {{Argeş-geo-stub