Dâmbovicioara is a commune in

Argeș County Argeș County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Muntenia, with the county seat at Pitești. Demographics At the 2021 Romanian census, 2021 census, the county had a population of 569,932 and the population density was . At the 2011 Ro ...

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 rarely used ''Valahia'' are synonyms in Ro ...

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

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

Geography

Nestled on the southern slopes of the

Southern Carpathians The Southern Carpathians (also known as the Transylvanian Alps; ; ) are a group of mountain ranges located in southern Romania. They cover the part of the Carpathian Mountains located between the Prahova River in the east and the Timiș and ...

, the commune is located in the northeastern extremity of Argeș County, on the border with

Brașov County Brașov County () is a county (județ) of Transylvania, Romania. Its capital city is Brașov. The county incorporates within its boundaries most of the Medieval "lands" (''țări'') Burzenland and Făgăraș. Name In Hungarian language, Hungari ...

. It is crossed by

national road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

DN73 DN73 () is a national road in Romania which links Pitești with Brașov. It is a high-traffic road and the preferred route for trucks. Near Câmpulung the road crosses the Southern Carpathians along the Dâmbovița River. The road crosses severa ...

, which connects the county seat,

Pitești Pitești () is a city in Romania, located on the river Argeș (river), Argeș. The capital and largest city of Argeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in th ...

, to the southwest, to the municipality of

Brașov Brașov (, , ; , also ''Brasau''; ; ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the county seat (i.e. administrative centre) of Brașov County. According to the 2021 Romanian census, ...

, to the northeast. The

Dâmbovița River Dâmbovița can refer to these places in Romania: * Dâmbovița County Dâmbovița County (; also spelt Dîmbovița) is a county () of Romania, in Muntenia, with the capital city at Târgoviște, the most important economic, political, administ ...

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

Iezer Mountains The Iezer Mountains () 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 The Iezer Mountains are located between th ...

from the

Făgăraș Mountains The Făgăraș Mountains ( ; ) 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 the north by the Făgăraș Depression, through wh ...

Villages

Dâmbovicioara

Dâmbovicioara is the village of residence of the commune of the same name. It has a population of 298 inhabitants.

Podu Dâmboviței

Podu Dâmboviței is a village with 745 inhabitants, located on DN73, at a distance of from

Câmpulung Câmpulung (also spelled ''Cîmpulung'', , , Old Romanian ''Dlăgopole'', ''Длъгополе'' (from Middle Bulgarian), or ''Câmpulung Muscel'') is a municipiu, city in Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is attested on the Fra Mauro map fro ...

. The village mentioned was for the first time in the 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 (, ) 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 in Brașov County, Brașov and Argeș Coun ...

, 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 (, ) 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 in Brașov County, Brașov and Argeș Coun ...

, on the Rucăr-Bran Pass. To the north, the next village is

Șirnea Fundata (; ) is a commune in Brașov County, Romania, in the historic region of Transylvania. It is composed of three villages: Fundata, Fundățica (''Kleinkertzberg''; ''Kisfundáta''), and Șirnea (''Schirnen''; ''Sirnea''). The place offers pa ...

, part of

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

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 located in the north-eastern part of Argeș County, Romania, situated in the Carpathian Mountains. The commune is composed of two villages, Rucăr and Sătic, and its population as of 2021 was 5,259. Historically important for ...

. 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 Public holidays in Romani ...

, it was a border village in the

Romanian Old Kingdom The Romanian Old Kingdom ( or just ''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 and Moldavia. The union of the ...

, with

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

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 () 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 of Ancient Greek tribes live ...

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 ( 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 Principality of Transylvania (1570–1711), Transylvani ...

, 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the area was the scene of heavy fighting (see '' Battle of Dragoslavele''). 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 ( ) or Vlad Dracula (; ; 1428/31 – 1476/77), was Voivode of Wallachia three times between 1448 and his death in 1476/77. He is often considered one of the most important rulers in Wallachian hi ...

was once imprisoned File:Drumul roman de la Podu Dâmboviţei.jpg,

Roman road Roman roads ( ; singular: ; meaning "Roman way") were physical infrastructure vital to the maintenance and development of the Roman state, built from about 300 BC through the expansion and consolidation of the Roman Republic and the Roman Em ...

in Podu Dâmboviței File:Gheorghe Tattarescu - Pestera Dambovicioara.jpg,

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

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

References

External links

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