VĀLCEA COUNTY - Geography and history
VĀLCEA county has an area of 5 765 km2 (2.4% of the country's territory). As of 31 December 2000, the administrative organisation of this county's territory was the following: 2 municipalities and 6 towns, 77 communes and 564 villages. The county is surrounded by the following counties: Sibiu (in the north), Arges (in the east), Olt, Dolj (in the south), Gorj, Hunedoara - and on a very small area - Alba (in the west). The county's capital city is Râmnicu VĀLCEA.
The relief varies and develops in steps: in the north there are the Fagaras and Lotru Mountains and the Capatânii and Coziei Mountains close to the Lovistei Depression. To the south a lower step follows, corresponding to the sub-carpathian area, dominated by prolonged hills and the Getic Plateau. The Olt river and its influents - the Lotru, Olanesti, Bistrita, Luncavatul, Oltet and Topologul rivers - generally cross the county's territory from north to south.
The temperate-continental climate, with short summers and long and cold winters, is wetter in the higher areas, while lower areas have poorer rainfalls and higher temperatures.
VĀLCEA is one of the oldest counties in the country, documentarily first attested to on 8 January 1392, in a law issued by Mircea the old giving each year's production of honey in VĀLCEA county to the Cozia monastery. The old land of VĀLCEA has a rich history, comprising special dates and facts. Human presence on VĀLCEA county's territory dates since immemorial times. The Copacel village, placed near Râmnicu VĀLCEA city and Brezoi town brought to light archaeological materials almost 8 thousand years old.
At Vladesti, Govora-village and the Raii Valley objects dating since the Bronze Age, and at Costesti-Ferigile objects since the Iron Age (the 6th - 4th centuries BC). The geto-dacian period is well represented by the materials found at Ocnita, Roesti, Gradistea, Ladesti, Ionesti, the discoveries made at Boisoara, Brezoi, and the and Raii Valley. The Romans built several sites on VĀLCEA's territory, whose ruins can still be seen at Rusidava (Dragasani), Pons Aluti (Ionesti), Buridava (Stolniceni), Castra Traiana (Sâmbotin), Arutela (Bivolari), Praetorium (Copaceni-Racovita) and Pons Vetus (Câineni).
New data, special events come along the ancient times, granting these lands with grandeur and beauty. Historical documents remind us of the presence of the Principality of Farcas in the VĀLCEA area, and over the Olt river, in Lovistea, the principality of Stanislau (the Saint John's Knights Diploma of 2nd June 1247).
The victory of the brave soldiers led by Basarab I at "Posada" Lovistei, dated 9-12 November 1330, against Charles Robert, represents a very significant moment in the history of the Romanian people. During the 14th century, VĀLCEA's lands really flourished. Romanian rulers built a country and its people, creating a solid foundation for them on these lands. The name of Mircea the Old is related to the documentary attestation of Râmnicu - as a capital city (4 September 1389), the building of the Cozia monastery on the board of the Olt river, to the north of Calimanesti. Beside him, other names give brightness to these lands: Dan II, Vlad the Monk, Radu the Great, Neagoe Basarab, Radu of Afumati, Radu Paisie, Michael the Brave, Matei Basarab, Constantin Brâncoveanu. Matei Basarab founded a printing house at Govora (1636 - 1642). Constantin Brâncoveanu built at Horezu a valuable arts monument, founding a library. Tudor Vladimirescu was present several times in VĀLCEA. The under mountains monasteries of Polovragi, Hurez, Bistrita and Cozia were at times a resistance means and fighters' shelter. On 26 May 1921 at Zavideni and on 29 May 1821 at Dragasani, Tudor's army last faced the Turkish troops.
Important natural resources - quartz pegmatite, feldspar and mica (in the Voineasa area), limestone (in the Costesti-Bistrita basin), salt (at Ocnele Mari), coal (Berbesti, Alunu, Copaceni), oil and natural gas (Babeni, Madulari and Fauresti), construction materials, rich and various mineral springs (Calimanesti - Caciulata, Baile Govora, Baile Olanesti), hydroenergetic resources (17 hydroenergetic plants with an installed power of almost 1 200 MW) as well as the large pastures areas, highlight the economic potential of VĀLCEA county.
Economy
The economy of VĀLCEA county has an industrial-agricultural orientation. The distribution of the economical activities on the county's territory highlights the industrial development in Râmnicu-VĀLCEA municipality, grains and vineyard in the south and forestry in the north. In 2000 there were 5 180 active companies, over 99% with private capital. By their main activity, of the total active companies, industry accounted for 14.8%, while services represented 79.8%.
Meanwhile, at the beginning of 2001, there were 380 functioning companies with foreign capital, whose foreign currency participation in the share capital was 20.6 million dollars.
The farming area of VĀLCEA county is 2 463.1 km2, representing 42.7% of the county's total area.
The total agricultural production in 2000 was 3 832.8 billion lei in current prices, of which 65.3% represented vegetal production. Regarding livestock, at the end of 2000 there were 71 thousand cattle, 110 thousand pigs, 95 thousand sheep and goats and 1 234 thousand poultry.
The county has units active in chemical industry, transport and distribution of electricity, heating, natural gas and hot water, food and beverage industry, coal extraction and processing. The chemical industry in VĀLCEA is represented by SC OLTCHIM SA and UZINELE SODICE GOVORA SA. Reach oil, natural gas and coal resources and the immense hydroenergetic potential allowed the development of the energetic industry.
Beside the thermal power station of Govora, with an industrial power of 307 MW, supplying the entire industrial platform with energy, there is also the Hydroelectric plant of Lotru-Ciunget, with 510 MW industrial power, two hydroelectric plants on Lotru river, at Bradisor (115 MW), Malaia (18 MW) and 11 others on the Olt river, with a 469 MW power. VĀLCEA county was at the end of 2000 on the first place in the country at ammonia ash, with 58% of the country's production and in caustic soda (with 70.6% of the total production) and on the second place in pesticides (37.5% of the total production) and in lime production (16.2% of the total production).
The functional railways as of 31 December 2000 totalled 164 km, with a density of 28.4 km per 1 000 km2 of territory. The public roads at the end of 2000 totalled 2 167 km, of which 490 km were national roads. The public roads density was 37.6 km per 100 km2 of territory.
8 localities (among which 3 towns) had a natural gas distribution network with a total simple length of 276.6 km.
As of 31 July 2000, the county had 24 hotels with 6 556 places, 4 motels with 290 places, 35 villas with 1 074 places, 2 chalets with 117 places, 8 pensions with 150 places, 6 camping areas with 617 places and 6 school camps with 1 210 places.
Population and social environment
As of 1 July 2000, the population of VĀLCEA county was 430 713 inhabitants, representing 1.9% of total country's population. Undergoing the national trend, the county's population decreased by 4 561 persons between 1996 and 2000. The urban population represented 41.1% of the county's population, and the rural population accounted for 58.9% of the total.
The county is characterised by a relatively young population (33% of the total). 60 years and older population represented 21%.
The population density as of 1 July 2000 was 74.7 inhabitants/km2, under the 94.2 inhabitants/km2 national average at that time.
The average age of the county's population was 38.1 years, above the country average (37.2).
The birth rate in 2000 was 9.8 per 1 000 inhabitants, decreasing compared to 1996 (10.3 per 1 000 inhabitants).
The death rate in 2000 was 11.4 per 1 000 inhabitants, decreasing compared to 1996 (12.8 per 1 000 inhabitants).
The infant mortality rate decreased significantly, from 16.1 deaths of children under 1 year per 1 000 live births in 1996 to 12.2 in 2000.
There were 2 546 marriages in 2000, 644 fewer than in 1996, resulting in a marriage rate of 5.9 per 1 000 inhabitants, compared to 7.3 per 1 000 inhabitants in 1996. In the urban area the marriage rate is higher (6.5 per 1 000 inhabitants) than in rural areas (5.4 per 1 000 inhabitants).
In 2000 the number of divorces was 609, 443 less than in 1996. The divorce rate in 2000 was 1.40 per 1 000 inhabitants, compared to 2.39 in 1996.
The life expectancy between 1998 and 2000 was 68.7 years for males and 75.2 years for females, above the country rate for both males and females.
Unemployed persons at the end of 2000 accounted for 25.7 thousand, and the unemployment rate was 12.5%, the same as in 1996. Females represented 47.9% of the total unemployed persons.
The educational institution network in the school year 2000/2001 included 344 kindergartens, 347 primary and secondary schools, 27 high schools and 2 vocational schools.
The health care in 2000 was provided by a specialised institution network made up of 8 hospitals, 11 clinics, 17 medical consultation centres, 2 health centres, 10 nurseries, 91 pharmacies and over 400 other types of health care institutions.
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