Rucăr is a commune located in the north-eastern part of
Argeș County,
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 ...
, situated in the
Carpathian Mountains
The Carpathian Mountains or Carpathians () are a range of mountains forming an arc across Central Europe and Southeast Europe. Roughly long, it is the third-longest European mountain range after the Ural Mountains, Urals at and the Scandinav ...
. The commune is composed of two villages, Rucăr and Sătic, and its population as of 2021 was 5,259. Historically important for its role as a
border
Borders are generally defined as geography, geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by polity, political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other administrative divisio ...
region between
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
and its neighboring countries, it is today popular with tourists from
Bran Castle.
Etymology
In the earliest documents in which it is mentioned, Rucăr is referred to as ''Ruffa Arbor'' or ''Rot Bom'', both meaning "red tree" in
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
and
German, respectively. Early
Slavic and
Romanian documents use the names ''Rukel'', ''Rukal'', or ''Rucal'', translated as the same.
Historian Gheorghe Pârunță suggests that the area was named "after the copper leaves of the extensive
beech forests that existed at that time."
History
Human settlement in the area of Rucăr stretches at least as far back as the administration of
Roman Dacia
Roman Dacia ( ; also known as ; or Dacia Felix, ) was a province of the Roman Empire from 106 to 271–275 AD. Its territory consisted of what are now the regions of Oltenia, Transylvania and Banat (today all in Romania, except the last regi ...
, given the presence of
Roman forts in the region, such as the nearby
Jidava Castra. These existed as points along the Roman Empire's ''
limes'' in the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
region.
Ceramic remains found in Rucăr suggest settlement in the region even before the arrival of Roman administration.
The earliest documented mention of Rucăr is in the decree issued by
Louis I of Hungary
Louis I, also Louis the Great (; ; ) or Louis the Hungarian (; 5 March 132610 September 1382), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1342 and King of Poland from 1370. He was the first child of Charles I of Hungary and his wife, Elizabeth of ...
on November 19, 1377, that authorized the construction of
Bran Castle. The decree directs that Rucăr would be established as a location for the collection of
tributes should the territory of
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
come under
Hungarian control.
Though the region was never adopted into
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
, Rucăr remained an important locale through which trade, foreign travelers, and diplomats flowed, situated as it was near the border between
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
and
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 ...
. The schools established to train
customs officers in Rucăr later helped to facilitate the adoption of the
Romanian language
Romanian (obsolete spelling: Roumanian; , or , ) is the official and main language of Romania and Moldova. Romanian is part of the Eastern Romance languages, Eastern Romance sub-branch of Romance languages, a linguistic group that evolved fr ...
in place of
Old Church Slavonic
Old Church Slavonic or Old Slavonic ( ) is the first Slavic languages, Slavic literary language and the oldest extant written Slavonic language attested in literary sources. It belongs to the South Slavic languages, South Slavic subgroup of the ...
during the 16th century.

Rucăr saw several armies and
voivode
Voivode ( ), also spelled voivod, voievod or voevod and also known as vaivode ( ), voivoda, vojvoda, vaivada or wojewoda, is a title denoting a military leader or warlord in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe in use since the Early Mid ...
s pass through the region to engage with
Wallachia
Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...
's neighboring polities during its history. The area itself also sometimes became a ground for mountain battles during the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, as Wallachian voivodes fought against the
Kingdom of Hungary
The Kingdom of Hungary was a monarchy in Central Europe that existed for nearly a millennium, from 1000 to 1946 and was a key part of the Habsburg monarchy from 1526-1918. The Principality of Hungary emerged as a Christian kingdom upon the Coro ...
, the
Second Bulgarian Empire, and the
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...
.
According to some documents,
Vlad the Impaler took up residence in Rucăr from 1459 to 1460.
In the
Wallachian Revolution of 1848, the
provisional government
A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, a transitional government or provisional leadership, is a temporary government formed to manage a period of transition, often following state collapse, revoluti ...
escaped to Rucăr in order to organize its resistance against
Ottoman and
Russian intervention.
Later, in the
Battle of Dragoslavele during
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 ...
,
German forces passed through the town of Rucăr, destroying some 150 homes.
Geography
The commune is located at the intersection of five
relief units: the
Iezer Mountains, the
Făgăraș Mountains, the
Piatra Craiului Mountains, the
Leaota Mountains, and the
Bran–Rucăr Pass. Its
hydrology
Hydrology () is the scientific study of the movement, distribution, and management of water on Earth and other planets, including the water cycle, water resources, and drainage basin sustainability. A practitioner of hydrology is called a hydro ...
is dominated by the
Dâmbovița River and its
tributaries
A tributary, or an ''affluent'', is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ('' main stem'' or ''"parent"''), river, or a lake. A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean. Tributaries, and the main stem river into which the ...
, which flow through the
depressions created by the commune's varied terrain. Rucar is located near the border of
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 ...
, and national road
DN73 – which links
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, ...
and
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 ...
– passes through Rucăr.
By the end of the 19th century, the commune was part of the Dâmbovița Plain of the historical
Muscel County, which it shared with the village of
Dâmbovicioara. In 1931, Dâmbovicioara split from Rucăr to form its current commune, and in 1951 Rucăr became part of the
Argeș Region. In 1968, it joined the territory of the modern
Argeș County, and with the transfer of the village of Podul Dâmboviței to Dâmbovicioara acquired its current administration.
Notable people
*
Dan Nistor (born 1988), football player
*
Victor Slăvescu (1891–1977), economist and politician
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rucar
Communes in Argeș County
Localities in Muntenia