Left to right: Nicolae Simache Clock Museum, St. John the Baptist Cathedral, the former Creditul Prahovei, the Ghiță Stoenescu House, the Radu Stanian House.
The city grew beginning with the 17th century on an estate bought by rulerMichael the Brave from the local landlords, gradually replacing nearby Wallachian fairs ofTârgșor,Gherghița, and Bucov. Its development was accelerated by heavy industrialisation during the mid-19th century, with the world's first large-scalepetroleum refinery being opened between 1856 and 1857. Following massive exploitation of the oil deposits in the area, Ploiești earned the nickname of "the Capital of Black Gold". In the present, a significant part of its economic activity is still based on oil processing, the city having three large refineries and other industries related to this branch.
Ploiești is also an importanttransport hub, linking the capital with the regions ofTransylvania andMoldavia. The city has direct access toPrahova Valley, one of the most important alpine tourism areas in Romania.
Though likely settled much earlier,[original research?] Ploiești first appeared in documents in the 16th century during the reign ofMichael the Brave, the Prince ofWallachia (r. 1593–1601). It flourished as a center for trade and handicraft-manufacturing in the 17th and 18th centuries. The road connecting Ploiești toBrașov was opened in 1864, and the railway arrived in 1882. Many schools and hospitals date from this period.
In the mid-19th century, the region of Ploiești became one of the world's leadingoil-extraction and-refinery sites. The Mehedințeanu brothers opened theworld's first large refinery[9] in Ploiești in 1856–1857. History also remembers the city as the site of the self-styledRepublic of Ploiești, a short-lived 1870 revolt against theRomanian monarchy.
Following the war, the newCommunist régime of Romanianationalised theoil industry, which had largely been privately owned, and made massive investments in the oil- and petroleum-industry in a bid to modernise the country and to repair the war damage.
The population of Ploiești went from 56,460, as indicated by the December 1912 census, up to 252,715 in January 1992. However, since thefall of Communism, the city's population continues to gently fall due to both emigration and a declining birth rate. At the 2002 census, the population was reduced to 232,527.[13] As of the2011 census data, Ploiești had a population of 209,945, while the proposedPloiești metropolitan area would number 266,457 persons.[14] As of the2021 census data, Ploiești had a population of 180,540.[2]
The majority of the inhabitants are ethnic Romanians (90.64%), but aRoma minority (2.4%) is present in several neighborhoods of the city—predominantly Bereasca, Mimiu and Radu de la Afumați.[15] For 6.65% of the population, the ethnicity is unknown.[16] Most of the people living in Ploiești declare themselves asOrthodox Christians (90.7%).[17]
The population of Ploiești grew at a rapid pace because of the intense economic development of the area. In 1810, during the years of the Ottoman occupation, there were only around 2,024 inhabitants in the present-day city. In 1837 this grew to 3,000 inhabitants, 11 years after the Union in 1859 the population was 26,458, while in 1884 the number stood at 32,000. During the early 20th century, the population of Ploiești grew even more, due to the expansion of the petrol industry. Even though the city was bombed during World War II, the population of Ploiești recovered, numbering 95,632 inhabitants in January 1948.
TheA3 motorway links Ploiești with Bucharest, 60 km (37 mi) to the south.The City hall, formerly the headquarters ofPetrom, a Romanian oil company and the largest corporation in the country
After the Romanian Revolution of 1989, Ploiești experienced rapid economic loss. The city is situated at just 60 km (37 mi) north ofBucharest, with promising infrastructure projects currently underway. It is a strong industrial center, focused especially on the oil production and refining industry. Although oil production in the region is declining steadily, there is still a thriving processing industry with four operatingoil refineries, linked bypipelines toBucharest, theBlack Sea port ofConstanța and theDanube port ofGiurgiu. Ploiești also has a long history as a textile manufacturing center.
The German retailerTengelmann built a depot in Ploiești to support a €200 million regional expansion plan. With its Interex (ro) operation, the French independent retailerIntermarché intends to become a distribution leader in the Balkans. In Romania the first Interex store was opened in June 2002 in Ploiești. The Interex depot and facilities were bought byPenny Market XXL in 2014.[18]
Unilever has a detergent plant in Ploiești. By transferring their food production to Ploiești, the company will concentrate all its activities in Romania at the same location. At the beginning of March 2006,Unilever announced they would invest money to build one production center in Romania, and the construction of the new food plant is part of this plan.[19]
The city's public transportation system is run byTCE Ploiești and includes an extensive network of buses,trolleybuses and trams/streetcars. Ploiești's distinctive yellow bus fleet is one of the most modern in Southeastern Europe, providing connections to all areas within the city, for a daily average of 150,000 passengers. The municipal roads comprise over 800 streets with a total length of 324 km (201 mi), 241 km (150 mi) being modern. Around 5,300 vehicles transit Ploiești each day, with East and West ring belts diverting much traffic. The municipal vehicle fleet comprised 256 buses, 36 trams and 25 trolleybuses carrying about 70 millions passengers annually. There are 33 bus lines, with a total length of 415.46 km (258.15 mi); two trolley-bus lines having a total length of 19.9 km (12.4 mi) and two tram lines having a total length of 23.8 km (14.8 mi).[citation needed]
There are many cultural and architectural monuments, including the Cultural Palace; the Clock Museum, featuring a collection of clocks and watches gathered by Nicolae Simache; the Oil Museum; thePloiești Art Museum, donated by the Quintus family; and the Hagi Prodan Museum, dating to 1785: the property of a merchant named Ivan Hagi Prodan, it contains elements of old Romanian architecture and for a short time afterWorld War I it hosted the first museum in Ploiești, "Prahova Museum".In August 2011, Ploiești hosted the Golden Carpathian European Film & Fair andGoran Bregovic concert. A number of Ploiesti's most notable buildings, including the central market, were designed byToma T. Socolescu, who was born in the city and later became its mayor. Many of Socolescu's designs were destroyed by Allied bombing in World War II, and during the Ceaucescu regime, due tosystematization policies and his refusal to join the Communist party.
The Mio-Pliocene Zone in the Ploiești region has been exploited forhydrocarbons and coal since the 19th century.[23] The zone extends from theflysch on the north to theMoesian Platform on the south.[24] The zone is marked by alternating deposits ofclay,marl,shale andsand,conglomerate, salt andlimestone.[25]Structural traps andstratigraphic traps are formed from saltdiapirism which gave rise toanticline folds and faulting.[25] There are four major alignments of the anticlines, all parallel to the Carpathian Range.[25] Pliocene sands are the main oil and gas producers, in particular the Meotian (60%) and Dacian (29%), followed by theMiocene Sarmatian (5%) but some oil exists in Miocene Helvetian andOligocene sandstones.[26] Major producing structures include Moreni-Gura Ocniței, Băicoi-Țintea and Boldești.[25]
Stratigraphic column of Eastern Carpathians and Moesian Platform[27]
Teleajen River inPrahova CountyAerial photograph of Ploiești from the west, 2025
Ploiești lies in the center ofMuntenia, in the central-northern part of theWallachian Plain. It lies close to the capital city Bucharest and it had close connections with the capital city throughout the centuries. Ploiești lies at the 25°E meridian and the 44°55’N parallel (north). The city occupies a total surface of around 60 km2 (23 sq mi), out of which 35 km2 (14 sq mi) is suburban settlements. There exist two rivers in the proximity of the city: thePrahova River, on the south-west, briefly passes through the city through theBrazi settlement and theTeleajen River passes through theBlejoi,Bucov,Berceni villages. The city lies onDâmbu River, which springs from the hills around theBăicoi town. Nowadays the Dâmbu River does not have a high flow rate.
The climate is similar to that of the nation's capital,Bucharest. According to theKöppen climate classification, the city falls within the temperatehumid continental climate (Dfa) of the hot summer type. The average annual temperature is 10.5 °C (50.9 °F), with record minimum registered on 25 January 1952 of −30 °C (−22 °F) while record maximum was registered on 19 July 2007 of 43 °C (109 °F). On average, around 17 days are very cold, 26 cold, 99 warm and 30 tropical, while the rest have a moderate temperature.
Average annual precipitations are 600 mm (24 in); 30–40 mm (1.2–1.6 in) in January and 88 mm (3.5 in) in June. Precipitations range between 963.9 mm (37.95 in) registered in 1901 and 305.3 mm (12.02 in) registered in 1930. Throughout the year, there are on average 104 days with rain, 26 with snow, 112 with clear skies, 131 with clouds and 122 with no sunshine. The climate of Ploiești is influenced by the winds coming from north-east (40%) and south-east (23%), having an average speed of 3.1 m/s (10 ft/s). On average, there are 11 days throughout the year with wind speed exceeding 11 m/s (36 ft/s) and only two days characterised by winds over 16 m/s (52 ft/s). Atmospheric pressure is 748.2 mm (29.46 in).
The city lies on theWallachian Plain, having an average altitude of 150 m (490 ft). The surrounding landscape is influenced by its position around the Prahova River, whose stream bed lies 25 km (16 mi) to the west. TheTeleajen River passes through the city while theDâmbu River passes through the north-eastern neighbourhoods.
The vegetation of Ploiești used to be characterised by a plain forest, made up predominantly of pedunculate oak trees (Quercus robur). Other varieties of oak trees such as the sessile oak (Quercus petraea) also existed. Remnants of the old forest still exist and some trees are currently protected, such as two old oak trees inGhighiu, on the southern periphery of the city.
In current times the vegetation is typical of urban settlements, made up of ornamental plants, plantations ofchestnuts,aspen andblack locust. Parks and other green areas are limited: the main boulevard area, the park next to the Sala Sporturilor, the park from the northern part of the city, the "Mihai Viteazul" park and another park next to the Bucov barrier. These occupy only around 85.5 ha (211 acres), resulting in 3.2 m2 (34 sq ft) of green space per inhabitant.
Central park
Around the city one can also observe several endangered trees, which are protected by law. These include the giant redwood (Sequoiadendron giganteum) from the garden of the "Paul Constantinescu" museum. There also exist trees that have adapted to the local climate, such asfigs. In some neighbourhoods more fruit trees and flowers are currently being planted.
There exist approximatively 88,104 flats that are located in 21,172 buildings. 93% of the households have access to clean water, 90% have access to the sewage network, 98% have access to electricity and 78% are connected to the district heating system.
The metropolitan area of Ploiești comprises 13 satellite towns. The area will become an important transit for two Pan-European motorway and rail corridors. The central administration of the area will coordinate the communication and transport networks, technological development and the reduction of the carbon footprint.
^1 Sources provide differing estimates regarding Romanian production:
1942:The Axis Oil Position in Europe, November 1942 by the Hartley Committee estimated that "Romanian oil fields" contributed 33% of Axis supplies.[31]
1944: "Ploiești, thirty-five miles (56 km) from Bucharest, supplied one-third of all the oil fuel Germany required for war purposes."[32]
1999: The fragile, concentrated Bucharest facilities provided "60% of Germany's crude oil supply"[33]
^"U.S. Air Force photo" [sic] [diagram] inGurney, Gene (Major, USAF) (1962). "The War in the Air: a pictorial history of World War II Air Forces in combat". New York: Bonanza Books: 121.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Burg, David F. (2010).Almanac of World War I. L. Edward Purcell. University Press of Kentucky. p. 336.ISBN9780813137711. Retrieved2012-10-29.7 December 1916 [...]Falkenhayn'sNinth Army turns to the north in hopes of capturing the oil fields and refineries at Ploesti, but Falkenhayn is too late: John Norton-Griffiths has done his work. The oil fields at Ploesti, Targoviste, and elsewhere are aflame and their refining facilities in ruins – a severe loss to the German war effort, as it will be months before production can be restored.
^Paraschiv, P., and Olteau, G., Oil Fields of Ploiești District, Romania, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Fields, AAPG Memoir 14, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1970, p. 401.
^Paraschiv, P., and Olteau, G., Oil Fields of Ploiești District, Romania, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Fields, AAPG Memoir 14, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1970, p. 399.
^abcdParaschiv, P., and Olteau, G., Oil Fields of Ploiești District, Romania, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Fields, AAPG Memoir 14, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1970, p. 425.
^Paraschiv, P., and Olteau, G., Oil Fields of Ploiești District, Romania, in Geology of Giant Petroleum Fields, AAPG Memoir 14, Halbouty, M.T., editor, Tulsa: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 1970, p. 415.
^Pawlewicz, M., Total Petroleum Systems of the Carpathian-Balkanian Basin Province of Romania and Bulgaria, US Dept. Interior USGS Bulletin 2204-F, 2007, p. 9
^Pawlewicz, M., Total Petroleum Systems of the Carpathian-Balkanian Basin Province of Romania and Bulgaria, US Dept. Interior USGS Bulletin 2204-F, 2007, p. 6
^Pawlewicz, M., Total Petroleum Systems of the Carpathian-Balkanian Basin Province of Romania and Bulgaria, US Dept. Interior USGS Bulletin 2204-F, 2007, p. 5
^US Secretary (January 1943).Casablanca Conference: Papers and Minutes of Meetings. Dwight D.Eisenhower Presidential Library; COMBINED CHIEFS OF STAFF: Conference proceedings, 1941–1945; Box 1: Office of the Combined Chiefs of Staff. pp. 40–43, 88, 256.Brehon Somervell[inside front cover] … DECLASSIFIED … 10/29/73 … U.S. SECRET … BRITISH MOST SECRET … COPY NO. 32[inside back cover]{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)
^Turner, S.J., F. R. G. S – maps (1944).Vol. 2 [September 3, 1941 – August 15, 1943]. Wm. H. Wise & Co., Inc. pp. 519–1020 [986].{{cite book}}:|work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^Modrovsky, Robert J. (April 1999).1 August 1943 – Today's Target is Ploesti: A Departure from Doctrine. p. 4.
RepublicaPloiești.net(in Romanian) is a site specializing in architectural history of the City of Ploiești. It contains numerous photographs of the city taken between the beginning of the twentieth and 1945.
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