Pitești (Romanian pronunciation:[piˈteʃtʲ]ⓘ) is a city inRomania, located on the riverArgeș. The capital and largest city ofArgeș County, it is an important commercial and industrial center, as well as the home of two universities. Pitești is situated in the historical region ofMuntenia. It lies on theA1 freeway connecting the city directly to the national capitalBucharest, being an important railway junction, with aclassification yard in nearbyBălilești. The city houses theArpechim oil refinery, and is a marketing center for theautomotive industry, in particular,Automobile Dacia.
Inhabited sinceprehistoric times but first mentioned in the 14th century, it developed as a trading town in northernWallachia, serving as an informal residence for variousWallachian Princes until the 18th century. From the 19th century and until the interwar period, it was an important political center for theNational Liberal Party and the main residence of theBrătianu family of politicians. During the early stages of thecommunist regime, it was one of the main sites of political repression, with thePitești Prison becoming home to an experiment inbrainwashing techniques.
The earliest traces of human settlements in this area relate to thePaleolithic.[3] Coins minted by theDacians during the 3rd century BC, copying the design ofThraciantetradrachmon issued byLysimachus, have been discovered here.[4] A smallRomancastrum was built sometime in the 3rd centuryAD in the vicinity of present-day Pitești (part of a protection system forRoman Dacia andMoesia).[5] During theAge of Migrations, the Pitești area was, according to historianConstantin C. Giurescu, the site of trading betweenVlachs andSlavs, which, in his opinion, was the origin ofTârgul din Deal ("The Market on the Hill"), a separate locality.[6]
The first recorded mention of Pitești itself was on May 20, 1386, whenWallachian PrinceMircea I granted agristmill in the area toCozia Monastery.[3][7] Pitești was subsequently one of the temporary residences of Wallachian Princes.[3] Due to its positioning on the junction of major European routes (and its proximity to theSaxon markets inHermannstadt,Transylvania), the city originally developed as an important commercial center.[8] By the late 14th century, it became home to a sizableArmenian community.[9]
At the time, the locality was only extending on the left bank of the Argeș, and gradually expanded over the river, reaching the hill slopes to the west[3] (in the 19th century, it completely absorbedTârgul din Deal).[6] While Pitești was commonly designated as a high-ranking town, a village of Pitești was still mentioned as late as 1528, which led some historians to conclude that the village and urban area coexisted within the same boundaries.[7]
Constantin Șerban financed the building of theOrthodox Saint George Church, completed in 1656.[3][7] His building program also included a (since-lost) palace and adjacent gardens.[7] Around that time, the city hosted travelers of renown, such as Arab chroniclerPaul of Aleppo and Swedish politicianClaes Rålamb.[10] It was during Brâncoveanu's rule that the city was home toStolnicConstantin Cantacuzino, who was exchanging letters with English statesmanWilliam, Baron Paget.[7] A tower and other princely houses, built by Brâncoveanu outside the town, gradually deteriorated over the 18th and 19th centuries (the last standing structure was lost in the 20th century).[7] In 1689,Habsburg troops led byLouis William of Baden occupied the city as part of theGreat Turkish War (they were repelled later that year).[10]
In 1780,Tuscan numismatistDomenico Sestini passed through the Argeș region, and described the town as having 250 houses and 7 churches.[10] In 1804, the citizens requested to have an upper school opened (to offer lectures in Greek, the educational language of the time); their request was denied by PrinceConstantine Ypsilantis.[11] During the 1790s, Pitești was visited byLuigi Mayer, a German pupil ofGiovanni Battista Piranesi, who left etchings of the region (including the very first one of Pitești);[10] they were published in London in 1810, with text by a T. Bowyer, whose caption for Pitești read "nothing more wild or romantic can be conceived".[12]
The town was an important location for events relating to the last stage of theWallachian uprising of 1821 and the first stages of theGreek War of Independence: it was here that, in late spring 1821, the Wallachian rebel leaderTudor Vladimirescu settled after retreating fromBucharest. His departure raised suspicion from hisEterist allies that he was planning to abandon the common cause. Vladimirescu was captured in the nearby locality ofBăilești and executed soon after, on orders fromAlexander Ypsilantis.[13]
Pitești experienced urbanization and economic development with several changes in landscape and a number of regional firsts. In 1868–1869, Pitești was the first city in Romania to have a recordedSeventh-day Adventist community, formed aroundMichał Belina-Czechowski, aPolish preacher and former Catholic priest who had returned from the United States (theSeventh-day Adventist Church in Romania was established only after 1918).[17] By 1906, Pitești was home to a thrivingcooperative bank,Banca Populară Pitești, which was also the first-ever financial institution in the Argeș County.[18] In 1907, factory manager Edmond Landauer performed the very firstTayloristic experiments in Romania, at Pitești Weaving Mill.[19]
In the 1950s, while serving as capital ofRegiunea Argeș, Pitești gained an ill notoriety, when thecommunist authorities used the local detention facility to subject political detainees to "reeducation", in which violence between inmates was encouraged to the point of being mandatory (seePitești prison). The experiment was carried out by theSecuritate secret police and overseen byAlexandru Nicolschi; its goal was to psychologically destroy the capacity for outside attachment and outside loyalty, creating the brainwashedNew Man prototype ofLeninism.[25] The program was canceled after some five years. At a trial held in 1953–1954, twenty-two inmate-participants were sentenced, with sixteen being condemned to death for their role in the experiment.[26] In 1957, a new trial convicted certain members of the prison staff, who received light sentences; they were later pardoned.[27]
In parallel, Pitești underwent numerous changes in landscape, including the completion of theA1 freeway, the first road of its kind, during the 1960s, and the acceleration ofindustrialization with a focus on the chemical and automotive industries. Around 1950, Pitești area accommodatedELAS refugees from theGreek Civil War (some of the buildings erected for this purpose were later used to house resettled peasants).[14]Florica wasnationalized in 1948, and was later partly devastated byRomanian Communist Party activists (for a while during the 1970s, it was a residence of the communist politicianIon Dincă).[14] The bust ofIon Brătianu, standing in front of Saint Nicholas Church, was removed and melted, and the church itself was demolished in 1962.[14]
The city is part of thehistorical region of Wallachia, situated in its north and in the westernmost part of itsMuntenian subregion. It lies on the right bank of the Argeș, where the river meets its tributary,Râul Doamnei.
Pitești is situated 280 metres (918.64feet)above sea level, on terraces formed by the Argeș, and belongs to the southernmost section of theGetic Plateau (an area of foothills leading up to theSouthern Carpathians).[28] The Plateau is at its narrowest in the Pitești area, where it only reaches 30 km (19 miles) in width, as opposed to the 70–80 km (43–50 miles) average.[29] The city has access to a piedmont plain, known asCâmpia Piteștilor ("Pitești Plain") and characterized bywater-meadows.[30] To the west, it abuts theTrivale Forest, which has been partly set up as a leisure park.
Pitești is adjacent to two reservoirs on the Argeș, in its Prundu area and in nearbyBascov (the Budeasa Dam).[31] It is situated downstream fromLake Vidraru and upstream from the reservoir in Bălilești.[31]
According to theKöppen climate classification, the city lies within thehumid continental climate (Dfb) category. Average annual temperatures range between 9 °C and 10 °C. The average January temperature is -2.4 °C, while the average July temperature is 20.8 °C.[32]
The population of Pitești grew between the 1830s and the 1990s, with the most sustained period of growth occurring after the 1950s, when industrial development created jobs and attracted residents from nearby settlements. The population peaked at an estimated 187,000 in 1997, then stagnated until 2001, and has gradually decreased since that time. The drop is particularly noticeable among the male population: this segment not only has a higher mortality and lower life expectancy, but also, due to de-industrialization, emigrated in search of work in significant numbers.[42]
Pitești is one of the most industrialized cities in Romania. It is the center of the automotive industry in the country: theAutomobile Dacia automaker is situated in the nearby town ofMioveni, and several other automobile parts manufacturers are located within its urban area (Dräxlmaier Group,Lear Corporation andValeo). The city also houses theArpechim oil refinery, part of thePetrom group. The plant, established as a state-owned company during communism, has traditionally been the center of controversy over itsair pollution records. In 2007, theMinistry of the Environment withdrew Arpechim's permit, but Petrom contested the decision in court.[43] The plant is scheduled to gradually reduce its activity over a period of several years, pending eventual closure.[43]
The city is surrounded by hills rich in wineries and plum orchards. The latter give one of the finest Romanianțuicas:țuica de Pitești. The Ștefănești winery, situated on the opposite bank of the Argeș River, is one of the best known in Romania.
Pitești is home to a County Theater; established in 1948, it was named in honor of playwrightAlexandru Davila a decade later. Its branches include apuppet theater (created in 1949), theEstrada section for open-air performances (1958), and afolklore section (1970).[44] The Theater's Studio 125 was established in May 1975 by directorLiviu Ciulei.[44]
The first written record of a theatrical performance in the city dates to 1848, whenConstantin Halepliu set up a troupe. Followingthat year's revolution, several actors, Halepliu included, were arrested, and the theatre closed until 1856. A Communal Theatre was built in 1914–1916. Since 1948, the local acting ensemble has performed both in other Romanian cities and abroad, including in Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain.[44]
A public library, named after intellectual figureDinicu Golescu, was planned in 1869 by Paraschiva Stephu, a female member of the upper class, who drew up a will leaving 200 Austrianducats for the purpose of creating a library. The institution became operational in 1880, and a large part of the volumes were bequeathed by historianGeorge Ionescu-Gion immediately following his death in 1904. His donation included over a thousand books in Romanian, French and Italian.[46][47] The library moved into its current headquarters in the city center in 2003.[47]
Each year during springtime, Pitești is host to a festival and fair known asSimfonia lalelelor (the "Tulip Symphony"). Tulips were introduced locally in 1972–1973, when around 3,000 bulbs brought fromArad andOradea were planted in its central area, along with other flowers.[48] Pitești consequently acquired a reputation as a tulip-growing area, and the flower-themed festival was first organized by the local authorities in 1978.[48] Typically held in the cultural centre building (Casa Cărții), the festival also includes folk music performances, international scientific conferences, an art exhibit and youth sport competitions.[49]
Pitești is home to anOlympic size swimming pool, the home ground forCSM Pitești, and a public outdoor swimming pool in the Tudor Vladimirescu area. NearbyBascov also has a public swimming place, on grounds adjacent to the Budeasa Dam. The nationalcanoe racing also trains at the Budeasa Dam sports base, and the location is also used for recreational fishing. Atennis challenger tournament (Turneul challenger feminin Pitești) takes place each year, on grounds in Bascov.
^Alex Drace-Francis,The Making of Modern Romanian Culture: Literacy and the Development of National Identity, I. B. Tauris, London, 2006, p.50.ISBN1-84511-066-8
^Earl A. Pope, "Protestantism in Romania", in Sabrina Petra Ramet (ed),Protestantism and Politics in Eastern Europe and Russia: The Communist and Postcommunist Eras,Duke University Press, Durham, 1992, p.186.ISBN0-8223-1241-7
^C. Popescu-Cadem,Document în replică, Mihail Sadoveanu City Library, Bucharest, 2007, p.204-205.ISBN978-973-8369-21-4
^Tudor Ciumara, "Contributions to the History of Management Consulting in Communist Romania", inProcedia Economics and Finance, 8/2014, p.176
^Pamfil Șeicaru,La Roumanie dans la Grande guerre, Éditions Minard, Paris, 1968, p.332-334
^Nicolae Ciobanu, "Armand Călinescu: Jertfă pentru liniștea și independența țării. «Omul de oțel» împotriva Gărzii de Fier", inDosarele Istoriei, 6/IV (1999), p.60
^Dennis Deletant,Hitler's Forgotten Ally: Ion Antonescu and His Regime, Romania, 1940–1944, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2006, p.191.ISBN1-4039-9341-6
^Charles E. Francis, Adolph Caso,TheTuskegee Airmen: The Men Who Changed a Nation, Branden Books, Wellesley, 1997, p.149.ISBN0-8283-2029-2
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