The county of Olt is located in the south part of the country, on the lower river flow, that gave its name. It is part of the Danube riverside counties. Through the Danube port Corabia, the county has access to the Black Sea. The total area of 5498 square kilometres, representing 2.3% of the country’s territory, positions the county 22nd nationwide. It borders to the North with the Valcea County, to the East with the Arges and Teleorman Counties, to the West with Dolj County and finally to the South with the Danube River for a distance of 45 kilometres, separating it from Bulgaria.

Olt is divided administratively in two municipalities (Slatina and Caracal), 6 cities (Bals, Corabia, Draganesti-Olt, Piatra Olt, Potcoava, Scornicesti) and 93 communes.

Through participation in all the main events of the Romanian nation, the County of Olt keeps the traces and vestiges of an amazing culture. Archaeological excavations attest the existence of human settlements throughout the entire history, proving the continuity of civilization in this area. The remains brought to daylight belonged to the Cris, Vadastra and Salcuta Cultures.

The existence of Celtic type weapons attests the commercial trade, made with the people of Transylvania. The area was part of the vast Thracian cultural complex, known as Basarabi. The Capital city of Dacia Malvensis was at Romula Malva, near Caracal. The first written attestation of this state organization is contained in the Diploma of the Joannites, dating back to 1247.

The population of the Olt County participated in the revolution of 1821, led by Tudor Vladimirescu and the revolution of 1848. Radu Sapca din Celei-Corabia and Iorgu Valeanu, the county leaders, attended the Assembly of Islaz. This County also took part in the first union, under the reign of Mihai Viteazul, who established his princely court at Caracal and founded the Clocociov monastery, in Slatina.

Due to its strategic position, the County of Olt participated in the Independence War of 1877 with the 3rd Gendarmes Regiment from Slatina, while the 3rd Olt Regiment entered the history of the Romanian army in 1916, during the World War I. The events and political life after the Union on 1st December 1918 marked the whole country.

In 2010, the Olt County, according to the National Institute of Statistics, had a population of 465 019, of whom 59% lived in rural areas and 41% in urban areas. The structure by genders showed that, in the same year, 49% of the population was male and 51% female.

The NIS Statistics show that, on July 1st, 2010, the density of the population was 84,2 inhabitants/sq km. The overall life expectancy at birth for Olt County in 2010 was 72,55 years.

According to the 2002 Census, the ethnic and religious structure looks like this:

*The above mentioned percents are calculated on the total number of the population, mentioned in the first column

From the religious point of view, in the 2002 Census 99,35% of the population declared themselves to be orthodox. Other common religious cults are the Seventh-day Adventists and the Pentecostals.

A craft, well known in the Olt County is the pottery that appeared since the Neolithic era and flourished continuously in the area. Today there are three pottery centres in Olt: Oboga, Romana, Corbeni, where unglazed and glazed ceramic is produced in various shapes, sizes and decorations. Other well preserved popular crafts in the Olt County are: furriery − Vadastra, spinning, and sewing − Priseaca, Curtisoara, Icoana, and Cezieni, wood and bone carving − Campia Boianului, folk painting on wood and glass − Corbu, masks and gags − Osica, iron fittings − Brancoveni. The traditional folk costumes of the Olt County occupy a distinctive place due to all the features, enriching the repertoire of the Romanian traditional ornamentation with genuine motives, having a particular artistic value. The most spectacular and best preserved customs are the winter rituals, carol singing, the group gathering, the wishing well for marriages. The spring traditions marked different stages of the agricultural work. Among the year-round rituals, for the Pentecost in the Olt County the ritual of “calus” is organized. This is the most prominent folklore manifestation, in which dance has a leading role. “Through costumes, traditions and songs, each and every village guards its specific aura” used to say Lucian Blaga, praising the Romanian village.

Numberof people479 826

Romanian Roma Othernationalities

98,06% 1,86% 0,08%

OLTOLTLet’s meet our

neighbours with „Welcome to the County of Olt“

Let’spresent

ourselves to ourneighbours

OLTOLT

The Resca Forest National Reserve is located near the villages Resca (the Dobrosloveni commune), Chilii (the Farcasele commune) and Hotarani (the Farcasele commune), in the Olt river valley, on the terrace of Campia Caracalului. Situated at an altitude of 72 m and 107 m, the natural reserve is a true natural botanical garden, its roots going far back in history. The reserve houses natural monuments − the Snake’s Head tulip, Nae’s oak, rare plant species − the yellow tulip, the yellow iris, or exotic plants such as the swamp cypress, the hickory etc.

Branistea Catarilor Forest National Reserve is located on the territory of Obarsia commune, in the south-western part of Campia Romanatiului. It is a forest with an area of 301.3 ha., 165.9 ha. of it is a strictly protected area. The vegetation of wood is dominated by grey oak, aged 150-190 years, and acacia; there is also common ash, Norway maple, Small-leaved Lime, cherry plum, walnut, populus euramericana, common hawthorn, blackthorn, dog rose. One of the grey oak exemplars is aged 450 − 500 years and has a trunk diameter of approx. 2 m., having been declared a natural monument. The Brancoveni Monastery − the commune Brancoveni, a vast and important monastic ensemble, rebuilt and fortified by Matei Basarab, completed in 1640 by Constantin Brancoveanu. The value of this foundation is enhanced by the richness of the painted decorations as well as by the beauty of the stone sculptures. The Calui Monastery − Calui commune, is a valuable example of the Muntenia architecture of the XVIth century; the construction was started by the Craiovesti boyars in 1516, during the reign of Neagoe Basarab, the church’s construction was finalized in 1588 by the Buzesti brothers. The monastery architecture is remarkable for the grand proportions of the church tower and the facade decorations. The Clocociov Monastery (1645), where there is a site museum, harbouring an important collection of old Romanian art: icons, decorative silver art pieces, embroidery, fabrics and wood carvings, books with illustrations, engraved in wood. Impressive are the four royal icons: Jesus Christ Pantocrator, Mother Mary with Jesus, St. Nicholas and The Assumption, pieces of large proportions.

The Sucidava Fortress. Sucidava, the ancient capital of the Suci Dacian tribe, is located in the hearth of Corabia city, on the territory of the former village Celeiu. The defence walls with eight towers, can still be observed on the upper terrace of the Danube River; nowadays fully unveiled, they belonged to the later Roman city Sucidava (IV-VI centuries), which, together with the current county, covers a parts of a less known Roman city, dated II-III c. A.D. There have been identified also some Roman baths (thermae), a Paleo-Christian basilica (V-VI c. A.D.) and some paved roads. The fortress is remarkable because of its “secret well”, a masterpiece of engineering, meant to provide water to the fortress during sieges.

The main branches of the Olt county economy are: metallurgy, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, power industry, oil, food, textiles and agriculture. The industry of the Olt County is represented by all industrial branches, the major share belonging to metallurgy, to the aluminium production and processing.

The primary sector is represented by the mining industry − Schela Ciuresti and the secondary by ALRO Slatina, owned by the International Group Vimetco. The Aluminium plant is the largest aluminium producing company in Central and Eastern Europe (except Russia), and the main economic force in the county, as well as one of the largest in Romania. Since 2008, the car manufacturer Ford took over the company “Automobile Craiova”, giving it a new name − Ford Romania. In 2006, the Italian group Pirelli opened a tire factory, which created not only new jobs, but also favourable prospects for new investments; currently under construction is the second factory in the city.

Other Municipality representative companies with a significant share in the County’s economy are: Electrocarbon JSC, a leading producer of Carbon products needed in the metallurgy industry, manufacturing and marketing normal electrodes UHP and HP, chlorine electrodes, graphitized plates, Sodeberg paste. Over 6% of the annual production is exported. Prysmian Slatina is a representative entity for the production of reinforced and non-reinforced aluminium electric cables. Over 20% of the annual turnover is realized on foreign markets.

Regarding the agricultural development, the Olt County is a large grain producer. The Olt County has an agricultural area of 438.821 ha, of which vineyards − 8.356ha; fruit trees plantations − 6.693 ha; meadows − 48.882 ha, arable land − 374.890 ha.

In terms of its agricultural potential structure, the following stand out:

− The important wine potential in the communes: Carlogani, Dobroteasa, Morunglav, Vitomiresti, Strejesti, Maruntei;

− The important fruit growing potential in: Topana, Strejesti, Spineni, Plesoiu, Leleasca, Cungrea, Fagetelu;

− The important vegetable potential: in the locations in the Danube river valley and along the rivers Olt and Oltet.

Let’s show neighbours

our favouritesites

Let’s present the neighbours

our leading organizations

OLTOLT

Mircea Eliade is one of the greatest Romanian men of culture of the twentieth century, managed to establish himself as no other scholar in the world culture. He studied philosophy in Bucharest, concluded with a thesis on the Renaissance philosophy (1928), in Calcutta, (India, 1928 to 1931) he obtained his doctorate in philosophy with a thesis on the thought and practice of Yoga (1932). Mircea Eliade has imposed himself to get to know the Indian language and culture, and also the practice of Yoga through personal experience. The experience, gathered in India is to be found in Mircea Eliade’s essays, but also in the works: “Maitreyi” (1939), “Isabel and the Devil’s Waters” (1930), “Dr. Hunigberger’s Secret” (1940).

Pan M. Vizirescu (1903-2000), a remarkable poet and writer, a distinguished essayist, gifted with a perfect oratorical talent. Pan M. Vizirescu is part of the gallery of eminent Romanian culture personalities of this century. His works, as well as his life, developed under the influence of two commands: the unshakable faith in the Divine Power, and love for the Romanian nation and homeland. He was the last representative of the “Gandirea” by Nichifor Crainic, and of the traditional Orthodox thinking current. In this position, surrounded by some young, deserving people, he founded a new magazine series of the “Gandirea” published after the liberation of the country from communism. “I consider it a blessing that I came into the world in this nation that I was not diverted elsewhere. My belonging to the Romanian nation is indeed a joy and a gift from heaven”, he confessed in 1995, at the volume of religious poetry “A gift of light and grace”.

Other prominent representatives of Olt County literature are: Ion Minulescu − a poet, writer and journalist, Eugen Ionesco − a writer, Romanian-born French play writer, creator of the theatre of absurd, a member of the French Academy, born in Slatina. Dumitru Caracostea was an academic, philologist, critic and literary historian, folklorist. Barbu Paris Mumuleanu was a poet.

In the Olt County leading political personalities may be mentioned such as Nicolae Titulescu − a diplomat, Minister of Foreign Affairs and President of the League of Nations, Petre S. Aurelian, an academician, economist, agronomist, and politician. Other well known personalities are the soprano Felicia Filip, Spiru Vergulescu − a painter, George Craioveanu − a footballer, Cristian Gheorghisor − a boxer.

The County of Olt took its name from the river Olt (in Latin language Aluta or Alutus), which it borders to the West. Within this land, in ancient times, there was the old road of merchants to Oltenia; the customs for these merchants was present in Slatina since the time of Vlaicu (1368).

Iancu Jianu (born 1787, died December 14, 1842) − he was a famous outlaw of Oltenia. Descriptions, dated somewhere in his lifetime, show that he was a perfect master of arms and an exceptionally talented rider. It was said that he was unparalleled in the country in a fair fight, though physically he was not impressive, but rather short and slender. However, he was highly skilled with weapons, bold, energetic and had a remarkable charisma. He was the son of a quite wealthy family of retainers on the boyar’s lands in Romanati.

At the peak of his power, Iancu Jianu led around 2000-3000 outlaws and three cannons. His actions were directed not only against the boyars, but had also a strong national orientated character (anti-phanariot, anti-Habsburg and especially anti-Ottoman). For some time, he substituted the royal power in the region. The climax was reached with his campaign waged by outlaws in 1809 south of the Danube River, during which the cities of Vidin and Pleven were burnt, and the pasha of Vidin was killed. All of these actions were a response to the attack of the pasha against Craiova and several villages in Oltenia. During this campaign, also the Turkish settlement of Turnu Magurele was destroyed to the grounds, and the Turks never managed to rebuild it again. Iancu Jianu began acting like a gentleman, started to make donations to churches, to construct buildings for the sake of the community of Craiova and Caracal.

The first Romanian flag, the flag held by Tudor and made by Petrache Poenaru, at the entry in Bucharest, a flag, which is exposed to the public in the Central Military Museum Bucharest, was donated to the Romanian Government by a descendant of the Jianu Family. Following Tudor Vladimirescu’s death, the flag was brought by a pandour to Iancu Jianu, who built it, as a precious treasure, in the walls of the house of one of his sons, where the flag stayed over one hundred years. Iancu Jianu died of natural causes at 55 years, away from the outlaw turmoil. The famous outlaw is buried in the Assumption Church, located in the city of Caracal and founded by the Jianu family. An outlaw or a small landlord, Iancu Jianu remains a legendary and a romantic figure in a troubled period of the Romanian Country.

Let’s tellthe neighbours why

Mircea Eliademeans a lot for us

Let’s tellthe neighbours

one ofour stories