Vâlcea County (also spelt ''Vîlcea''; ) is a county ( județ) that lies in south-central

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 ...

. Located in the

historical regions History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

Oltenia Oltenia (), also called Lesser Wallachia in antiquated versions – with the alternative Latin names , , and between 1718 and 1739 – is a historical province and geographical region of Romania in western Wallachia. It is situated between the Da ...

and

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 ...

(which are separated by the

Olt River The Olt ( Romanian and Hungarian; ; or ', , ''Alytos'') is a river in Romania. It is long, and its basin area is . It is the longest river flowing exclusively through Romania. Its average discharge at the mouth is . It originates in the Hă ...

), it is also part of the wider

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 ...

region. Its capital city is

Râmnicu Vâlcea Râmnicu Vâlcea (formerly ''Râmnic'', ) is a city in Romania. Located in the south-central part of the country, in the historical province of Oltenia, it is the seat of Vâlcea County and its main urban settlement. According to the 2021 Romanian ...

Demographics

In 2011, it had a population of 355,320 and the

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 61.63/km². *

Romanians Romanians (, ; dated Endonym and exonym, exonym ''Vlachs'') are a Romance languages, Romance-speaking ethnic group and nation native to Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. Sharing a Culture of Romania, ...

- over 98% * Roma, others - 2%

Geography

This county has a total area of . The North side of the county is occupied by the mountains from 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 ...

group: 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 ...

in the east with heights over , and the Lotru Mountains in the west with heights over . They are separated by the

valley — the most accessible passage between

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 ...

and

. Along the Olt River valley there are smaller groups of mountains, the most spectacular being the . Towards the South, the heights decrease, passing through the sub-carpathian hills to a high plain in the West side of the

Wallachian Plain The Romanian Plain () is located in southern Romania and the easternmost tip of Serbia, where it is known as the Wallachian Plain (). It is part of the larger Eurasian Steppe. It is located in the historical region of Wallachia, and bordered by ...

. The main river is the

crossing the county from North to South. Its main affluents are the Lotru River in the North and the Olteț River in the South.

Neighbours

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 ...

in the East. *

Gorj County Gorj County () is a county () of Romania, in Oltenia, with its capital city at Târgu Jiu. ''Gorj'' comes from the Slavic ''Gornji'' Jiu (“upper Jiu”), in contrast with Dolnji (“lower Jiu”). Demographics At the 2011 census, the count ...

and

Hunedoara County Hunedoara County () is a county (''județ'') of Romania, in Transylvania, with its capital city at Deva, Romania, Deva. The county is part of the Danube–Criș–Mureș–Tisa Euroregion. Name In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as , ...

in the West. *

Sibiu County Sibiu County () is a county () of Romania, in the historical region of Transylvania. Its county seat () is the namesake town of Sibiu (). Name In Hungarian, it is known as ''Szeben megye'', and in German as ''Kreis Hermannstadt''. Under the ...

and

Alba County Alba County () is a county (județ) of Romania located in the historic region of Transylvania. Its capital is Alba Iulia, a city with a population of 63,536. Name "Alba", meaning "white" in Latin and Romanian, is derived from the name of the ...

in the North. *

Dolj County Dolj County (; originally meant ''Dol(no)-Jiu River, Jiu'', "lower Jiu", as opposed to ''Gorj'' (''upper Jiu'')) is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in Oltenia, with the capital city at Craiova. Demographics In 2011, ...

and

Olt County Olt County () is a county (județ) of Romania on the border with Bulgaria, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (the regions are separated by the Olt River, Olt river). The capital city is Slatina, Roma ...

in the South.

Economy

The predominant industries in the county are: * Chemical industry. * Food and beverage industry. * Textile industry. * Mechanical components industry. * Construction materials. * Wood and furniture industry. In the West of the county

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

and

salt In common usage, salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl). When used in food, especially in granulated form, it is more formally called table salt. In the form of a natural crystalline mineral, salt is also known as r ...

are extracted. The area in the center of the county is well suited for fruit orchards,

vineyard A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

s, and raising cattle. The South is better suited for growing cereals and vegetables.

Tourism

The main tourist destinations are: * The

valley: ** The Călimănești-Căciulata resorts. ** The Cozia Monastery. ** The Turnu Monastery. ** The Cozia Mountains. ** Various small churches and fortifications. * The Lotru River valley: ** The town of Brezoi. ** The Lotru Mountains. ** The Voineasa resort. ** The Vidra resort ** The Obârșia Lotrului resort. * The city of

. * The Băile Govora resort. * The Băile Olănești resort.

Politics

The Vâlcea County Council, renewed at the

2020 Romanian local elections Local elections were held in Romania on 27 September 2020. Initially planned for June 2020, the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic led the Government of Romania to postpone the elections to a date no later than 31 December 2020, and extending al ...

, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:

Administrative divisions

Vâlcea County has two municipalities, nine towns and 78 communes as follows: * Municipalities **

- county seat town (); population: 93,151 (as of 2022) ** Drăgășani * Towns **

Băbeni Băbeni is a town located in Vâlcea County, Romania. The town, elevated to that status in 2002, administers six villages: Bonciu, Capu Dealului, Pădurețu, Români, Tătărani, and Valea Mare. It is situated in the historical region of Oltenia. ...

** Băile Govora ** Băile Olănești ** Bălcești ** Berbești ** Brezoi **

Călimănești Călimănești, often known as Călimănești-Căciulata, is a town in Vâlcea County, southern Romania. It is situated in the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Oltenia and the northern part of the county, on the traditional rou ...

** Horezu ** Ocnele Mari * Communes ** Alunu ** Amărăști ** Bărbătești ** Berislăvești ** Boișoara ** Budești ** Bujoreni ** Bunești ** Câineni ** Cernișoara ** Copăceni ** Costești ** Crețeni ** Dăești ** Dănicei ** Diculești ** Drăgoești ** Fârtățești ** Făurești ** Frâncești ** Galicea ** Ghioroiu ** Glăvile ** Golești ** Grădiștea ** Gușoeni ** Ionești ** Lăcusteni ** Lădești ** Laloșu ** Lăpușata ** Livezi **

Lungești Lungești is a commune located in Vâlcea County, Oltenia, 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 t ...

** Măciuca ** Mădulari ** Malaia ** Măldărești ** Mateești ** Mihăești ** Milcoiu ** Mitrofani ** Muereasca ** Nicolae Bălcescu ** Olanu ** Orlești ** Oteșani ** Păușești ** Păușești-Măglași ** Perișani ** Pesceana ** Pietrari ** Popești ** Prundeni ** Racovița ** Roești ** Roșiile ** Runcu ** Sălătrucel ** Scundu ** Sinești ** Șirineasa ** Slătioara ** Stănești ** Ștefănești ** Stoenești ** Stoilești ** Stroești ** Șușani ** Sutești ** Tetoiu ** Titești ** Tomșani ** Vaideeni ** Valea Mare ** Vlădești ** Voicești ** Voineasa ** Zătreni

Historical county

Historically, the county was located in the southwestern part of

Greater Romania Greater Romania () is the Kingdom of Romania in the interwar period, achieved after the Great Union or the related pan-nationalist ideal of a nation-state which would incorporate all Romanian speakers.Irina LivezeanuCultural Politics in Greate ...

, in the northeast part of the historical region of

. Its capital was

. The interwar county territory comprised a large part of the current Vâlcea County; however the territories situated to the east of the Olt River in the current county were not part of the historical county. The county was bordered to the north by

, to the east by the counties of Argeș and Olt, to the south by Romanați County, and to the west by the counties of Dolj and Gorj.

Administration

The county was in 1930 divided into five administrative districts ('' plăși''): #Plasa Cerna, headquartered at Lădești #Plasa Cozia, headquartered at

#Plasa Drăgășani, headquartered at Drăgășani #Plasa Horezu, headquartered at Horezu #Plasa Zătreni, headquartered at Zătreni By 1938, there were six districts, four previous and two new ones resulting from the reorganisation of the southwest part of the county: #Plasa Cerna, headquartered at Lădești #Plasa Cozia, headquartered at

#Plasa Drăgășani, headquartered at Drăgășani #Plasa Horezu, headquartered at Horezu #Plasa Bălcești, headquartered at Bălcești #Plasa Oltețu, headquartered at Oltețu

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 246,713 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 97.4% Romanians, 1.6% Romanies, 0.2% Germans, 0.2% Hungarians, 0.2% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 99.0% Eastern Orthodox, 0.4% Roman Catholic, 0.2% Jewish, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 31,909 inhabitants, comprising 94.8% Romanians, 1.3% Romanies, 1.0% Germans, 0.8% Jews, 0.7% Hungarians, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 96.4% Eastern Orthodox, 1.4% Roman Catholic, 0.8% Jewish, 0.7% Lutheran, 0.3% Greek Catholic, as well as other minorities.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valcea County Counties of Romania Geography of Wallachia 1879 establishments in Romania 1938 disestablishments in Romania 1940 establishments in Romania 1950 disestablishments in Romania 1968 establishments in Romania States and territories established in 1879 States and territories disestablished in 1938 States and territories established in 1940 States and territories disestablished in 1950 States and territories established in 1968