Olt County
Having participated in all the major events of the Romanian nation,
Olt county preserves traces and vestiges of an outstanding material
and spiritual culture. Archaeological diggings revealed the existence
of human settlements in all ages, this illustrating the continuity
of civilisation in this area. The finds unearthed belong to
the pebble culture, the Cris culture, the Vadastra culture and the
Salcuta culture (human settlements of the closed type). The existence
of Celtic-type weapons attests that commercial exchanges were often
made with tribes in Transylvania. The zone was part of the big Thracian
cultural complex known as Basarabi. The first Dacian coin was minted
in the 4th century under Burebista. The capital of Dacia Malvensis
was at Romula Malva near Caracal. The first written attestations of
statal bodies are to be found in the Diploma of the Joannite Knights
dating back to 1247. The inhabitants of Olt county participated in
1821 in the revolution led by Tudor Vladimirescu and in the 1848 revolution.
Radu Sapca from Celei-Corabia and Iorgu Valeanu, the county’s head,
attended the Assembly on the Izlaz Field. The county even took part
in the very first Union, under Michael the Brave, who had a princely
court at Caracal and founded the Clocociov Monastery at Slatina. Given
its strategic position, Olt county backed the 1877 Independence War,
the Third Regiment of Gendarmes from Slatina winning praise, while
the sacrifice of the Third Olt Regiment in WW1 in 1916 entered the
history of the Romanian army. The events and the political life after
the Union of December 1, 1918 were marked by the specific situation
of the whole country.
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Geographical
Outline
Situated in southern Romania, on the lower Olt, the county belonged
in the category of counties bordering on the river Danube. It is crossed
by the meridian of 24°C East longitude and by the parallel of 44°C
North latitude. From the historical-geographical point of view, it
is part of the old provinces of Oltenia and Wallachia. Neighbours:
in the north-west Valcea county, in the east Arges and Teleorman counties,
in the west Dolj county and in the south, along a 47-km distance,
the river Danube. The county appears as an incline sloping from the
north to the south, measuring 138 km in this line and 78 km east to
west. The county’s area is of 5,600 sq km. or 2.3 per cent of Romania’s
area. The climate is continental temperate, influenced by chilly north-easterly
winds and by the dry westerlies, which account for harsh winters and
very dry summers. The average annual temperature ranges between 11.2°C
in the south and 9.8°C in the north. In the south, at Corabia, on
the Danube bank, the highest summer average is recorderd. It is here
that were also recorded extreme temperatures (+44°C in July 1945 and
-32°C in January 1924 and 1942). Rainfalls average an annual 500 mm,
with lower values in the south and higher in the north. The rains
are short, heavy and often accompanied by hail. The physical features
comprise hills in the centre and north and plains in the south: the
Caracal, Boian and Burnas plains. The capital of Olt county is the
municipality of Slatina, a city situated in the centre-north, left
of the river Olt. Slatina is crossed west to east by the European
road E70 and lies 50 km from Craiova, 75 km from Pitesti and 220 km
from the International Airport Otopeni Bucharest. Other urban centres
are the municipality of Caracal, the towns of Corabia, Bals, Draganesti
Olt, Scornicesti and Piatra Olt. The rural population lives in 96
villages.
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Touristic
Information
Situated
in the Southern part of Romania, the Olt county has a surface
of 5,507 sq.km. The main hydrographic axis is the Olt River,
which is mostly arranged to produce electric power. The relief
consists in three main parts: the Cotmeana Plateau, to the North;
the Boianu Plain, in center; the terraces of the Danube River,
to the South. The temperature is temperate. with cold winters
and warm summers. The flora and fauna are the specific ones
to the forest zone, to the North, and to the steppe, to the
South. The population, at the last census. was of 520,871 inhabitants.
There are two municipalities (Slatina, the capital city, and
Caracal), five towns (Bals, Corabia, Draganesti-Olt, Piatra-Olt
and Scornicesti). The vestiges of different cultures dated back
for 1,000,000 years prove that this region is among the cradles
of the humanity. The archaeological vestiges dated back from
the inferior and middle palaeolithic prove that this land was
inhabited by hunters and fruit harvesters. The Neolithic is
represented by the Vadastra and Cucuteni cultures and the Salcuta
culture too. The Dacian and Roman Antiquity is represented by
the Romula, Limes, Transalutacuus, Rusidava, Sucidava fortresses
which were developed on the ruins of some Dacian buildings.
The main points of tourist interest are: the Geto-Dacian fortified
settlement from Sprancenata (the II-nd century B.C.), the walls
of the Roman-Byzantine fortress of Sucidava (Celei-Corabia)
with its "Secret Fountain", an unique monument of
Roman-Byzantine architecture; the church of the Caluiu Monastery
- "the wonderful one" with original frescos of Mihai
Viteazu's wife and Buzesti brothers, captains of the ruler;
the Brancoveni's Monastery; the mediaeval Watch Tower from Hotareni;
the fortress from Campu Mare; the memorial house of outlaw Iancu
Jianu in Caracal; the memorial Center of Nicolae Titulescu in
the village with a same name; the Clocociov Monastery, built
on a settlement of Voievode Mihai Viteazu; the Trinity Church
in Corabia - an imposing religious architectural monument; the
wooden church from Cornatelu (Poboru) built in 1812; the All
Saints Church in Caracal; the Parish Church from Valeni which
is impressive by its monumental proportions; the wooden church
in Parosi-Leleasca; the Parisch Church in Stoicanesti painted
by Gheorghe Tattarescu a.o. With these and many other suggestions
for a tourist routes,the Olt county waits for you.
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Economy
Profile
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