Slobozia () is the capital city of
Ialomița County,
Muntenia
Muntenia (, also known in English as Greater Wallachia) is a historical region of Romania, part of Wallachia (also, sometimes considered Wallachia proper, as ''Muntenia'', ''Țara Românească'', and the seldom used ''Valahia'' are synonyms in R ...
,
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 ...
, with a population of 41,550 in 2021.
Etymology
Its name is from the
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
***Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
**Romanian cuisine, traditional ...
"slobozie", which meant a recently colonized village which was free of taxation. The word itself comes from the
Slavic word "slobod" which means "free". As it is located in the middle of flat land (
Bărăgan Plain
The Bărăgan Plain ( ro, Câmpia Bărăganului ) is a steppe plain in south-eastern Romania. It makes up much of the eastern part of the Wallachian Plain. The region is known for its black soil and a rich humus, and is mostly a cereal-growing are ...
), it was very vulnerable to
Tatar
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different and
Ottoman incursions. To encourage peasants to settle there, they were exempted from some taxes, hence the name.
Geography
Slobozia lies roughly in the middle of the county, on the banks of
Ialomița River, at about east of
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
and west of
Constanța
Constanța (, ; ; rup, Custantsa; bg, Кюстенджа, Kyustendzha, or bg, Констанца, Konstantsa, label=none; el, Κωνστάντζα, Kōnstántza, or el, Κωνστάντια, Kōnstántia, label=none; tr, Köstence), histo ...
, important port at the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Roma ...
. The city is within of the Bucharest-Constanța A2 Motorway (Autostrada Soarelui).
The total area of the municipality is . In the present administrative form, Slobozia consists of Slobozia proper and the neighbourhoods of Bora and Slobozia Nouă.
Economy
The main activity in the area is agriculture, processing of the agricultural products and light industry.
Culture
In 1990 the Cultural Centre was inaugurated, bearing the name of the conductor and composer
Ionel Perlea, a city native. The building houses exhibition and performance rooms, bookstores, cultural institutions. In 1999 the Cultural Centre ''Ionel Perlea'' entered the
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
circuit.
The city is the headquarters of the
Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Slobozia and Călărași The Diocese of Slobozia and Călărași ( ro, Episcopia Sloboziei și Călărașilor) is a diocese of the Romanian Orthodox Church. Its see is the Ascension Cathedral, Slobozia, Ascension Cathedral in Slobozia and its ecclesiastical territory covers ...
, established in 1993.
Demographics
At the 2002 census, 97.6% of inhabitants were
ethnic Romanians
The Romanians ( ro, români, ; dated exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group. Sharing a common Culture of Romania, Romanian culture and Cultural heritage, ancestry, and speaking the Romanian language, they l ...
and 2.2%
Roma
Roma or ROMA may refer to:
Places Australia
* Roma, Queensland, a town
** Roma Airport
** Roma Courthouse
** Electoral district of Roma, defunct
** Town of Roma, defunct town, now part of the Maranoa Regional Council
*Roma Street, Brisbane, a ...
. 98.6% were Romanian Orthodox, 0.4%
Seventh-day Adventist and 0.2%
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
.
Tourism
The main tourist attraction consists of the nearby
Lake Amara
Lake Amara ( ro, Lacul Amara) is a Seawater, saltwater Liman (landform), fluvial liman lake located on the Slobozia - Buzău road near Amara, Romania, Amara in Ialomița County, Romania.
The lake has a surface area of , a water volume of , a leng ...
, situated away. Amara Resort is also a balneoclimateric resort. Access to Amara is by minibuses that leave every 15 minutes from the Slobozia Train Station. As part of a private tourist complex, there is a small copy of the
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower ( ; french: links=yes, tour Eiffel ) is a wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
Locally nicknamed "'' ...
high.
Twin towns – sister cities
Slobozia is
twinned with:
*
Nanyang
Nanyang is the romanization of two common Chinese place names. It may refer to:
Written as 南洋 (Southern Ocean)
* Nanyang (region), a Chinese term denoting the Southeast Asian lands surrounding the South China Sea
;China
* Nanyang Fleet, Qing ...
, China
*
Razgrad
Razgrad ( bg, Разград ) is a city in Northeastern Bulgaria in the valley of the Beli Lom river that falls within the historical and geographical region of Ludogorie (Deliorman). It is an administrative center of Razgrad Province.
Etymolo ...
, Bulgaria
*
Silistra
Silistra ( bg, Силистра ; tr, Silistre; ro, Silistra) is a town in Northeastern Bulgaria. The town lies on the southern bank of the lower Danube river, and is also the part of the Romanian border where it stops following the Danube. Sil ...
, Bulgaria
*
Veles, North Macedonia
Notable people
*
Alin Badea
Alin Badea (born 1 June 1988) is a Romanian sabre fencer, who won the team silver medal in the 2013 World championships.
Biography
Badea began fencing at age 10 at his local club, CS Slobozia, under coach Marin Mihăiță. In 2008 he transferr ...
(born 1988), sabre fencer
*
Mihaela Bulică
Mihaela Bulică (born 10 February 1990) is a Romanian sabre fencer.
Career
Bulică took up fencing when she was eight under the coaching of Marin Mihăiță at CSS Slobozia. She won the bronze medal at the 2008 U23 European Championships in Mon ...
(born 1990), sabre fencer
*
Mircea Dinescu (born 1950), poet, journalist, and editor
*
Petre Dumitru
Petre Dumitru (born 11 November 1957) is a retired Romanian weightlifter. He competed at the 1980 and 1984 Olympics and won a silver medal in 1984.
References
1957 births
Living people
Olympic weightlifters for Romania
Weightlifters a ...
(born 1957), weightlifter
*
Petru Filip
Petru Filip (; born 23 January 1955 in Slobozia, Romania) is a Romanian politician, member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD). Since 2008, he has been a member of the Senate, representing Bihor County.
Biography
Filip served as mayor of Orade ...
(born 1955), politician
*
Cristina Gheorghe (born 1986), handballer
*
Adrian Mihalcea
Adrian Dumitru Mihalcea (born 24 May 1976 in Slobozia) is a Romanian professional football manager and former player, currently in charge of Liga II club Gloria Buzău.
Career
Mihalcea spent many years playing with one of the top Romanian tea ...
(born 1976), footballer
*
Minelli (born 1988), singer, songwriter, and lyricist
*
Doina Spîrcu
Doina Spîrcu ( Craciun, born 24 July 1970 in Slobozia
Slobozia () is the capital city of Ialomița County, Muntenia, Romania, with a population of 48,241 in 2011.
Etymology
Its name is from the Romanian "slobozie", which meant ...
(born 1970), rower
*
Iulian Teodosiu (born 1994), sabre fencer
*
Adrian Ursea (born 1967), football player and manager
*
Elena Voicu (born 1990), handballer
References
External links
*
*
{{Ialomiţa County
Populated places in Ialomița County
Localities in Muntenia
Cities in Romania
Capitals of Romanian counties
Place names of Slavic origin in Romania