Curtea de Argeș | |
|---|---|
.JPG) "Olari" Dormition of the Theotokos Church .JPG) The former Royal Hotel  Train station | |
 Coat of arms | |
 Location in Argeș County | |
  Location in Romania | |
| Coordinates:45°08′21″N24°40′45″E / 45.13917°N 24.67917°E /45.13917; 24.67917 | |
| Country | Romania |
| County | Argeș |
| Government | |
| • Mayor(2020–2024) | Constantin Panțurescu[2] (PSD) |
Area | 75 km2 (29 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 450 m (1,480 ft) |
| Population (2021-12-01)[1] | 25,977 |
| • Density | 350/km2 (900/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+02:00 (EET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+03:00 (EEST) |
| Postal code | 115300 |
| Area code | (+40) 02 48 |
| Vehicle reg. | AG |
| Website | www |
Curtea de Argeș (Romanian pronunciation:[ˈkurte̯adeˈardʒeʃ]ⓘ) is acity inRomania on the left bank of the riverArgeș, where it flows through a valley of theSouthern Carpathians (theFăgăraș Mountains), on the railway fromPitești to theTurnu Roșu Pass. It is part ofArgeș County. The city also administers one village, Noapteș.
On 7 July 1947 the total rainfall in Curtea de Argeș was 205.7 mm (8.10 in) in 20 minutes, which is a world record.[3]
The present name, literallyThe Court upon (river) Argeș, refers to the former status of the town as the capital of Wallachia. Some historians identify theArgeș River with ancient "Ordessos", however the name is unlikely to be derived from this name.[4] The oldest Slavonic documents use an "Arghiș" form, which might suggest aCuman orPecheneg etymology, from the rootarghiš ("higher ground", "heights").[4]
The original name wasArgeș, which was then used for the name of the river as well.[4]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1900 | 4,210 | — |
| 1912 | 6,279 | +49.1% |
| 1930 | 6,809 | +8.4% |
| 1948 | 9,180 | +34.8% |
| 1956 | 10,764 | +17.3% |
| 1966 | 16,423 | +52.6% |
| 1977 | 24,645 | +50.1% |
| 1992 | 35,824 | +45.4% |
| 2002 | 32,626 | −8.9% |
| 2011 | 27,359 | −16.1% |
| 2021 | 25,977 | −5.1% |
| Source: Census data | ||
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One of the oldest towns inWallachia, Curtea de Argeș was the capital of a small local state which was thestart for the unification of the lands south of the Carpathians.[4] The oldest archeological evidence of it being the seat of such a ruler dates from the 13th century.[4]
Câmpulung was the seat ofBasarab I, thevoivode of Wallachia, who was first mentioned in a document written in 1324 at the court ofCharles I of Hungary. The next year, a conflict broke out between the two and in 1330, Charles I organizedan expedition against the "unfaithful" Basarab and destroyed the Argeș stronghold.[5]
The tradition of Wallachian chronicles[which?] differs from the Hungarian documents: they don't mention Basarab I and instead, they claim that Argeș was founded in 1290 byRadu Negru who crossed the Carpathians fromTransylvania to found the cities of Curtea de Argeș and Câmpulung.[5]
WhileCâmpulung is sometimes credited as the first capital of Wallachia, the Wallachian chronicles mention only Curtea de Argeș as being the capital, this being supported by the fact that the Hungarian documents mention that Charles I attacked the Argeș stronghold and not the Câmpulung one.[5]
After 1340, a new royal court was built at Argeș, containing a palace and a church, the whole compound having an area of 0.76 hectares (1.9 acres).[5] It was here that theMetropolitan Orthodox Church of Wallachia was founded in 1359.[5]
The town traded withTransylvania, focusing on the town ofSibiu, to which it had a direct road crossing theOlt Valley andȚara Loviștei [ro]. The commercial area of the town was around the court and theSt. Nicholas in Târg Church, where thebazar was located.[6]
This Argeș court was the residence of the Wallachianhospodars untilMircea I of Wallachia, included.[5] The following rulers used both Argeș and Târgoviște as the seats of the court and travelerJohann Schiltberger mentioned that in 1396 both cities were capitals.[5]
From 1396 to 1460, Wallachia was tributary to the Sunni-IslamicOttoman Empire, the hospodars being vassals of its Great Sultan.
During the 15th century, their court was used alternately with the one inTârgoviște, but in the 16th century, the capital was completely moved to Târgoviște and the Argeș court was rarely visited.[5]
Argeș was one of the most important towns in Wallachia in the 14th and 15th centuries, but starting with the 16th century, its importance began to fade. The Orthodox Metropolitan's seat was moved to Târgoviște in 1517, while the Catholic bishopric ended its activity in 1519. A fall in the trade withSibiu andBrașov also led to a population decline.[7]
After theCurtea de Argeș Monastery was built during the rule ofNeagoe Basarab, the rulers of Wallachia favored it and, apart from donations (part of the town's domain), they gave it rights over the town. The monastery presided over trials in the marketplace and it was allowed to build acustoms house and mills. This eroded the autonomy of the town and led to further economic slump.[7]
The united country's first modern king,Carol I of Romania renovated the Curtea de Argeș Monastery and designated it as a royal necropolis in 1886. Curtea de Argeș became the burial place for theRoyal House of Romania (a branch of theHohenzollern-Sigmaringen dynasty), including Carol I,Ferdinand I andQueen Marie, andMichael I andQueen Anne. King Carol I also built a railway linking Curtea de Argeș toBucharest; the city's railway station, designed by architectAndré Lecomte du Noüy [ro] and constructed by engineerElie Radu in 1898, stands out as one of the distinctive architectural masterpieces of the city.[8]
The Ștefănescu-Goangă brothers, Mihail and Florian, contributed to modernizing the city's infrastructure during 1920s and 1930s. As a mayor,Mihail Ștefănesu Goangă oversaw the building of the city's first paved roads, post office, and central market.Florian Ștefănescu-Goangă founded the summer school of theBabeș-Bolyai University in Curtea de Argeș, which later became theVlaicu Vodă National College [ro], one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania.[citation needed]
During theCommunist regime, state-led industrialization led to the construction of several major factories in the city, which became a major producer of agricultural proteins, porcelain, and textiles. During the 1990s, most of the communist-era industries closed down, but Curtea de Argeș remains a manufacturing center for textiles and high-end fashion.[citation needed]
In the first decades of the 14th century, a group of German Catholics fromSaxony were brought under the authority of the Catholic bishop of (Hungarian)Transylvania and they were settled in the city. In 1381, the Latin Diocese of Argeș was founded as then-only Catholic bishopric in Wallachia,suffragan of the Hungarian MetropolitanArchdiocese of Kalocsa. No incumbent names are available.
It was suppressed in 1519/20 (just after the Orthodox Metropolis), its territory being used in 1590 to establish theDiocese of Bacău.
In the 17th century the bishopric moved toBacău due to the decrease in the number of local Catholics.[9]
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A Greek Orthodox archbishopric of Argeș was established in 1396, under authority of theEcumenical Patriarch of Constantinople byCallistus I, but disputed by theBulgarian Patriarchate of Ochrid.[10]
The Orthodox Metropolitan's seat was moved toTârgoviște in 1517, just before the Catholic bishopric ended its activity.[7]
However, at the close of the 18th century, it again became the seat of the modernRomanian Orthodox Archdiocese of Argeș and Muscel, under theMetropolis of Wallachia and Dobrudja.
The city is the site of several medieval churches (among them theCurtea de Argeș Cathedral) having been an Orthodoxbishopric again since the close of the 18th century.
The most important church is thePrincely Church of Saint Nicholas built byBasarab I, completely renovated in 2003–2004. It resembles a stone fortress, connected throughcatacombs to a guard tower on a nearby hill. Ruins of the Prince's Palace Complex are still visible. It is mentioned inAlexandru Odobescu'sDoamna Chiajna. One of the most enduring and famous Romanian legends, the legend ofMeșterul Manole, is related to the monastery's construction.[11]
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