Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1330 and declared Wallachia to be independent. The region is considered to be the first of
the three main Romanian lands to gain independence.
The 14th century was a kind of golden age for the Wallachian princes, who established
their first capital at Câmpulung Muscel, before moving on to Curtea de Argeş and Târgov-
işte. To this day, you can see the remains of the Princely Courts in both Curtea de Argeş
and Târgovişte. Eventually, the Wallachian capital moved to Bucharest.
After the fall of Bulgaria to the Turks in 1396, Wallachia faced a new threat, and in
1415 Mircea cel Bătrân (Mircea the Old; r 1386-1418) was forced to acknowledge Turk-
ish suzerainty. Other Wallachian princes, such as Vlad Ţepeş (r 1448, 1456-62, 1476) and
Mihai Viteazul (r 1593-1601), became national heroes by defying the Turks and refusing
to pay tribute.
Vlad Ţepeş' legendary disposition and gruesome tactics against the Turks served as in-
spiration for Bram Stoker's
Dracula
, four centuries on, although the author located the
'Prince of Darkness' in Transylvania.
In 1859 Wallachia was united with the province of Moldavia, paving the way for the
modern Romanian state.
Ploieşti
POP 197,542
Ploieşti, the main city in the Prahova region, is the centre of Romania's oil production and
ranks as one of the country's most important industrial cities. It's had an oil-refining in-
dustry since 1857 and this is a source of enormous pride for its inhabitants. That said, it's
not a leading destination for visitors, and your main reason for coming is likely to be prac-
tical - the city sits at the centre of the country's rail network, with excellent connections to
both Bucharest and Braşov. There are several good hotels and restaurants and some decent
museums to pass the time.
