Târgoviște (, alternatively spelled ''Tîrgoviște''; german: Tergowisch) is a
city and
county seat in
Dâmbovița County
Dâmbovița County (also spelt ''Dîmbovița'', ) is a county (județ) of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște, the most important economic, political, administrative and cultural center of the county.
It has an area of 4 ...
,
Romania. It is situated north-west 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 ...
, on the right bank of the
Ialomița River Ialomița may refer to:
* Ialomița County - a county of Romania
* Ialomița River - a river of Southern Romania that rises from the Bucegi Mountains
The Bucegi Mountains ( Romanian: ''Munții Bucegi'' ) are located in central Romania, south o ...
.
Târgoviște was one of the most important cities in the history of
Wallachia, as it was its capital between the early
15th and
16th centuries. At the
2011 census, the city had a population of 79,610 people,
making it the 26th largest in the country.
Name
The name ''Târgoviște'' is a Slavic name which the city acquired in the
Middle Ages. It is derived from the old Slavonic word for "
marketplace
A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...
", referring to the place rather than the market itself.
The name is found in placenames not only in South Slavic areas (Bulgarian
Търговище, Serbian
Трговиште and Croatian ''
Veliko Trgovišće
Veliko Trgovišće is a village and municipality in Krapina-Zagorje County in Croatia located just south-west from nearby town Zabok. According to the 2011 census, there are 4,945 inhabitants in the municipality.
History
In the late 19th and earl ...
''), but also in West Slavic such as Slovak ''
Trhovište
Trhovište ( hu, Vásárhely) is a village and municipality in Michalovce District in the Kosice Region of eastern Slovakia.
History
In historical records the village was first mentioned in 1220 as 'Vasarhel'.
Geography
The village lies at an e ...
'' or Polish ''
Targowica''. Additionally, places with the same name are found in Romania, in the regions of
Oltenia,
Banat
Banat (, ; hu, Bánság; sr, Банат, Banat) is a geographical and historical region that straddles Central and Eastern Europe and which is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania (the counties of ...
, and
Moldavia.
The Romanian and Bulgarian towns with the same name are also
twinned.
History
Early history
The area of Târgoviște which was first inhabited is located where the
Saint Nicholas-Geartoglu Church and
Stelea Veche Church
Bogdan Gheorghe Stelea (; born 5 December 1967) is a Romanian retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper, and a current coach.
Having played professionally into his 40s, he played for all three major Liga I clubs in his country's capital, a ...
stand today. It was in this place that the first fortifications were built: a small stone building surrounded by a brick
wall
A wall is a structure and a surface that defines an area; carries a load; provides security, shelter, or soundproofing; or, is decorative. There are many kinds of walls, including:
* Walls in buildings that form a fundamental part of the super ...
and a
moat, probably belonging to a local ruler. However, archaeological evidence is scarce and it is difficult to pinpoint exactly when it was erected.
Saxon colony
Another nucleus of the city was built by
Saxon colonists from
Transylvania, in the area where the Catholic
Saint Mary Church is located, a church that was built during the early years of the colony. A local tradition says that the church was built in 1300. The colonists came around the end of the 13th century and the beginning of the 14th century, the same period that
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 ...
was colonized. There is archeological evidence that the land occupied by the new colonists had been previously inhabited by locals, which leads to the conclusion that it had been approved by the local ruler.
The colonists influenced the local administration, as Târgoviște was the only town in Wallachia that had Transylvanian organization features, having official titles such as ''
birău'' and ''
folnog'', which are found in documents together with local officials, like ''
vornic
Vornic was a historical rank for an official in charge of justice and internal affairs. He was overseeing the Royal Court. It originated in the Slovak '' nádvorník''. In the 16th century in Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literall ...
'' and ''
pristav''. The town had a
night watch
Night Watch or Nightwatch may refer to:
Books
* ''The Night Watch'', a 1977 memoir by Central Intelligence Agency officer David Atlee Phillips
Novels
* ''Night Watch'', a 1972 novel by American screenwriter Lucille Fletcher
* ''Night Watch'', a 1 ...
which was also known by a Latin term (''viglu'' < ''vigilia'') instead of the local terms such ''pază'' or ''strajă''. Under
Mircea the Elder
Mircea the Elder ( ro, Mircea cel Bătrân, ; c. 1355 – 31 January 1418) was the Voivode of Wallachia from 1386 until his death in 1418. He was the son of Radu I of Wallachia and brother of Dan I of Wallachia, after whose death he inherited ...
(1383–1419), Târgoviște became the third capital of Wallachia.
After 1400, the town began to grow and become denser. In both the Saxon part (around the stronghold) and the Romanian part, there were several large dwellings with
cellars and
cocklestoves similar to those found in Central Europe. The wealth is also known based on the number of
treasure trove
A treasure trove is an amount of money or coin, gold, silver, plate, or bullion found hidden underground or in places such as cellars or attics, where the treasure seems old enough for it to be presumed that the true owner is dead and the hei ...
s discovered, the largest being a
hoard of 6,284 silver coins, found in the Saxon part of the town. The town gravitated around the Saxon part, this being valid until the Saxon community began its decline during the 16th century.
Capital of Wallachia
In the 15th century, the capital of Wallachia was
Curtea de Argeș, however, due to Târgoviște's economic growth, toward the end of the century, it became a secondary residence of the Wallachian hospodar. In 1396, Bavarian traveler
Johann Schiltberger mentions both Curtea de Argeș and Târgoviște as capitals of Wallachia. While
Mircea I lived in Curtea de Argeș,
Michael I, Mircea's son and co-prince lived in Târgoviște, where he continued to live even as a single ruler.
Dan II preferred Curtea de Argeș and he was the last hospodar to rule from that city, the court being finally moved to Târgoviște by
Alexandru Aldea in 1431.
Throughout the period it was the capital of Wallachia, the (''Curtea Domnească din Târgoviște'') had been constantly refurbished and extended. The compound was surrounded by
stone wall
Stone walls are a kind of masonry construction that has been used for thousands of years. The first stone walls were constructed by farmers and primitive people by piling loose field stones into a dry stone wall. Later, mortar and plaster ...
s and a
moat and a new church and a tower had been built.
Vlad III Dracula
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 imp ...
("the Impaler") later added the
Chindia Tower, now a symbol of the city.
Starting with 1565, for the next two centuries, the rulers alternated the capital between Târgoviște and Bucharest, often on political reasons, as the former was preferred by the rulers who were more friendly toward Transylvania and the King of Hungary. Throughout the 15th and 16th centuries, Târgoviște was a major trade hub, especially with Poland,
Brașov
Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County.
According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a pop ...
, and
Sibiu.
By the 16th century, the Romanians became majority in the city, as some Saxons left for Transylvania and others were assimilated. Greek merchants began to settle in the city, especially after 1500, while Greek monks settled in the nearby
Dealu and
Panaghia monasteries.
As the capital of Wallachia, Târgoviște faced numerous sieges and invasions. In 1395, it was sieged and set on fire by
Bayezid I
Bayezid I ( ota, بايزيد اول, tr, I. Bayezid), also known as Bayezid the Thunderbolt ( ota, link=no, یلدیرم بايزيد, tr, Yıldırım Bayezid, link=no; – 8 March 1403) was the Ottoman Sultan from 1389 to 1402. He adopted t ...
. In 1457, the townsfolk of Târgoviște were punished by Vlad III Dracula for their involvement in the assassination of his brother: the elite of city was killed, while the young people were sent to work at his
Poenari Castle
Poenari Castle (), also known as Poenari Citadel (''Cetatea Poenari'' in Romanian), is a ruined castle in Romania which was a home of Vlad the Impaler. at the Wayback Machine The citadel is situated high atop a mountain and accessed by climbing ...
.
The Ottoman invasion of 1462 did not reach the city, being prevented by Vlad III through
The Night Attack. In 1476, the city was taken by
Stephen V Báthory
Stephen Báthory of Ecsed ( hu, Báthory István, ; ro, Ștefan Báthory; 1430–1493) was a Hungarian commander, 'dapiferorum regalium magister' (1458–?), judge royal (1471–1493) and voivode of Transylvania (1479–1493). ...
following a fifteen-day siege intended to restore Vlad to the throne. Several other battles were fought near the city during the rules of
Neagoe Basarab and
Radu of Afumați
Radu of Afumați (? – 2 January 1529) was Voivode (Prince) of Wallachia between January 1522 and January 1529 (with intermittences in the first year, because he lost the throne between April–June and August–October 1522). He began his rei ...
.
In 1597, the Hajduks of
Mihai Viteazul
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). ...
and
Starina Novak fought and won a decisive battle against the
Ottoman Empire in Târgoviște.
Decline
After the capital was finally moved to
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 ...
during the rule of
Constantin Brâncoveanu
Constantin Brâncoveanu (; 1654 – August 15, 1714) was Prince of Wallachia between 1688 and 1714.
Biography
Ascension
A descendant of the Craiovești boyar family and heir through his grandfather Preda of a considerable part of Matei Bas ...
(1688–1714), Târgoviște lost its importance, decaying economically as its population decreased.
Modern history
Târgoviște was the site of the
trial and execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on 25 December 1989 during the
Romanian Revolution.
Geography
One village, Priseaca, is administered by the city.
Population
In 2011, there were 79,610 inhabitants. According to the 2002 census, 96.6% of the inhabitants were
Romanians and 2.84%
Roma people.
Transportation
Railway
Târgoviște is a
railway node, with branches serving
Titu
Titu () is a town in Dâmbovița County, Muntenia, Romania, with a population of 9,658 .
Location
The town in located in the southern part of the county, in the center of the Wallachian Plain. It lies at a distance of from the county seat, Tâ ...
(joining there the
Ploiești and
Pietroșița
Pietroșița is a commune in Dâmbovița 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, H ...
lines).
Today, the city is served by multiple stations:
*Târgoviște (south-west of the town).
*Romlux halt (north-west).
*Teiș halt (former Târgoviște-Vest) (north).
*Târgoviște Nord station (north-east).
*Valea Voievozilor halt (east).
The railway station is open for both passenger traffic - with sales/reservation office and electronic ticketing machine - and merchandise traffic. Local halts serves the large industrial operators of the city -
Mechel
Mechel (russian: ПАО «Мечел») is one of Russia's mining and metals companies, comprising producers of coal, iron ore in concentrate, steel, rolled steel products. Headquartered in Moscow, it sells its products in Russia and overseas, and ...
, , ,
Erdemir
Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları T.A.Ş. is a Turkish steel producer. The name is a contraction of the Turkish language ''Ereğli Demir ve Çelik Fabrikaları'', which means "Ereğli Iron and Steel Factories". Erdemir occupies the 43rd place ...
, , .
Roads
Located at a crossroads of ancient trade routes, the city can be easily approached from all sides. Târgoviște Municipality is located approximatively north-west of Bucharest, with a convenient access to
Henri Coandă International Airport
Bucharest Henri Coandă International Airport ( ro, Aeroportul Internațional Henri Coandă București) is Romania's busiest international airport, located in Otopeni, north of Bucharest's city centre. It is currently one of the two airports ...
, located in
Otopeni
Otopeni () is a town in Ilfov County, Muntenia, Romania, some north of Bucharest along the DN1 road to Ploiești. It has 15,850 inhabitants, of which 99.0% are ethnic Romanians. One village, Odăile, is administered by the city.
Henri Coandă ...
, to the north of Bucharest.
Also, a number of county roads pass the city:
* DJ 711 Târgoviște —
Bujoreanca
* DJ 712 Târgoviște —
Șotânga
Șotânga is a commune in Dâmbovița County, Muntenia, Romania with a population of 6.880 people. It is composed of two villages, Șotânga and Teiș. The Șotânga Coal Mine was a local open-pit and underground lignite
Lignite, often referr ...
—
Vulcana-Pandele —
Brănești —
Pucioasa
Pucioasa () is a town in Dâmbovița County, Muntenia, Romania. It administers six villages: Bela, Diaconești, Glodeni, Malurile, Miculești and Pucioasa-Sat.
The town is located on the middle course of the Ialomița River, north of Târgoviș ...
* DJ 718A Târgoviște —
Dealu Monastery
Dealu Monastery is a 15th-century monastery in Dâmbovița County, Romania, located 6 km north of Târgoviște.
The church of the monastery is dedicated to Saint Nicholas.
Necropolis
Dealu Monastery narthex is considered one of the largest ...
* DJ 719 Târgoviște —
Valea Voievozilor
* DJ 721 Târgoviște —
Colanu —
Văcărești —
Perșinari —
Gura Șuții —
Produlești —
Costești Deal
Public transport
In the city,
public transport is provided by
Public Transport and include bus and maxi-taxi. From 1995 until 2005,
trolleybus
A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or trol ...
es operated in the city. In 2005 public transport was developed and modernized, Public Transport becoming a passenger transport company in public-private partnership.
Twin towns – sister cities
Târgoviște is
twinned with:
*
Castellón de la Plana
Castellón de la Plana (officially in ca-valencia, Castelló de la Plana), or simply Castellón ( ca-valencia, Castelló, link=no) is the capital city of the province of Castellón, in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is located in the east ...
, Spain
*
Căușeni
Căușeni () is a town and the administrative center of Căușeni District, Moldova.
Its population at the 2014 census was 15,939, of which 12,056 Moldovans, 1,119 Romanians, 747 Russians, 545 Ukrainians, 204 Bulgarians, 69 Gagauzians, 12 Gyps ...
, Moldova
*
Corbetta, Italy
*
Ciudad Real
Ciudad Real (, ; en, "Royal City") is a municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Castile–La Mancha, capital of the province of Ciudad Real. It is the 5th most populated municipality in the region.
History
It was founded ...
, Spain
*
Gioia del Colle, Italy
*
Guilin
Guilin (Standard Zhuang: ''Gveilinz''; postal map romanization, alternatively romanization of Chinese, romanized as Kweilin) is a prefecture-level city in the northeast of China's Guangxi, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region. It is situated on th ...
, China
*
Karadeniz Ereğli
Karadeniz Ereğli (or Ereğli) is a city and district in Zonguldak Province of Turkey on the Black Sea shore. Population of the city proper is 121,237 as of 2020. The mayor of the city is Halil Posbıyık. Mehmet Yapıcı is the District Governor ...
, Turkey
*
Kazanlak, Bulgaria
*
Nefteyugansk
Nefteyugansk (russian: Нефтеюга́нск) is a city in Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug, Russia, located south of the Ob River, close to the larger city of Surgut. Population:
History
It was founded on October 16, 1967, after an oil fi ...
, Russia
*
Santarém, Portugal
*
Targovishte
Targovishte ( bg, Търговище, also transliterated ''Tǎrgovište'', , tr, Eski Cuma) is a city in Bulgaria, the administrative and economic capital of Targovishte Province.
It is situated at the northern foot of the low mountain of Pr ...
, Bulgaria
*
2nd district of Budapest, Hungary
Sport
The city has one football club,
FC Chindia Târgoviște
FC may refer to:
Businesses, organisations, and schools
* Fergusson College, a science and arts college in Pune, India
* Finncomm Airlines (IATA code)
* FranklinCovey company, NYSE stock symbol FC
* Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force in Pakist ...
which plays in the first tier of Romanian football, the
Liga I
The Liga I (; ''First League''), also spelled as Liga 1, is a Romanian professional league for men's association football clubs. Currently sponsored by betting company Superbet, it is officially known as the SuperLiga. It is the country's top ...
.
Târgovişte is also home to
Municipal MCM Târgovişte
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
basketball club which competes in the
Romanian League and the
EuroCup.
Natives
*
Grigore Alexandrescu (1810–1885), poet
*
Vasile Atanasiu
Vasile Atanasiu (April 25, 1886 – June 6, 1964) was a Romanian general in World War II.
Biography
He was born in Târgoviște, Romania in 1886, in a Greek-Romanian family, the son of Ștefan and Paulina Atanasiu. He graduated from the "Mili ...
(1886–1964), general
* (1881–1943), actor
*
Ioan Alexandru Brătescu-Voinești (1868–1946), writer
*
Sorana Cîrstea
Sorana Mihaela Cîrstea (; born 7 April 1990) is a Romanian professional tennis player. In singles, she achieved a career-high ranking of world No. 21 on 12 August 2013. In doubles, her career-high ranking is No. 35, which she reached on 9 March ...
(born 1990), tennis player
*
Cornel Dinu
Cornel Dinu (born 2 August 1948) is a Romanian retired professional footballer and manager who played as a sweeper or a defensive midfielder.
He started out his playing career at hometown club Metalul Târgoviște in 1965, and went on to spe ...
(born 1948), football player
*
Florin Pripu (born 1980), professional football player
*
Ion Heliade Rădulescu (1802–1872), writer, philologist, politician
* (born 1991), poet
*
Theodor Stolojan
Theodor Dumitru Stolojan (; born 24 October 1943) is a Romanian politician who was Prime Minister of Romania from September 1991 to November 1992. An economist by training, he was also one of the presidents of the National Liberal Party (PNL) be ...
(born 1943), economist, politician
*
Matei Vlădescu (1835–1901), general and politician
Gallery
File:Târgoviște - Curtea Domnească 5.jpg, Princely Church
File:TurnulChindiei.jpg, Chindia Tower
File:Targoviste Catholic church 2.jpg, Roman Catholic Church
File:RO DB - Muzeul de Artă Targoviste (fosta Prefectura județeană).jpg, Art Museum (former County Prefecture)
File:Targoviste city hall 2.jpg, City Hall
File:Muzeul de istorie Dâmbovița.JPG, History Museum
Notes
References
*
External links
A presentation of the Medieval Princely Court of Târgoviştencludes 25 contemporary photos, 3 ancient images, 2 layouts, a reconstruction of the Court, bibliography and many other info (in Romanian and in English).
Museums of Targoviste and of Dambovita county (in Romanian)
City Hall siteLocal Community Social Network
{{DEFAULTSORT:Targoviste
Cities in Romania
Capitals of Romanian counties
Former capitals of Romania
Populated places in Dâmbovița County
Localities in Muntenia
Market towns in Wallachia
Place names of Slavic origin in Romania