Situated in the South-South-West of Romania, the county of Dolj is located between 44??00' and 44??30' latitude North and 22??00' and 23??00' longitude East and is traversed from North to South by the Jiu river, whose name it bears - Doljiu, meaning Lower Jiu. Its total surface of?? 7.717 km2 accounts for 3.1 % of the country`s surface. Dolj county neighbors the counties of Mehedinti to the West, Gorj and Valcea to the North, Olt to the East and the Danube to the South, over a length of 150 km, which also represents a part of the natural border between Romania and Bulgaria. Its climate is mild with an annual, average temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius and its relief is made up of plains, hill areas and the banks of the Danube. From South to North, the county`s terrain soars from 30 meters to 350 meters, creating the impression of a wide amphitheater facing the Sun. This bountiful land is the home of approximately 770.000 people grouped in 2 cities, 3 municipalities and 94 communes, with the cities accounting for 51 % of the total population.
The land of Dolj has been blessed with the spiritual and material wealth created by its inhabitants over the course of time. The ancient cultures of Cârna, Verbicioara, Salcuta, Cîrcea and Coţofeni, dating from the Paleolithic and the Neolithic stand testament to this claim, as well as its numerous Dacian and Roman archeological sites. These sites give testimony to the existence of a prosperous life in the cities and villages in the land of the Jiu, Getodacian society having reached its zenith here during the reign of kings Burebista and Decebal. Such a site is the Pelendava castrum, whose name was adopted by the Romans and recorded in the Tabula Peutingeriana, which is cartograpically atested circa 225 A.D. The county`s teritory was defended by fortifications, the most important of which, "Brazda lui Novac" (or Novac`s Wall), was created in the IVth century A.D. and runs the length of the county from West to East. The large number of settlements and the population boom of the beginning of the second millennium lead to a socio-economic dynamic which culminated in the creation of several prestate political formations.
In the first half of the XIIIth century we have the grand duchy lead by the knyaz Ioan the First, known from documents as being descended from the great family of the Craiovesti nobles, a family of the utmost importance in the political life of the feudal Wallachian state. Also, the Craiovesti family rules one of its most important institutions - The Great Marque of Oltenia - mentioned as early as 1475 in a scroll belonging to the ruler Laiota Basarab. Towards the end of the XVth , Craiova would became the seat of the Marque of Oltenia and, later, in the XVIIIth century, of Caimacamia. Over the years, the Craiovestii family has given many rulers to the country : Neagoe Basarab , Radu ofAfumati , Radu Serban , Matei Basarab , Constantin Serban , Serban Cantacuzino and Constantin Brâncoveanu. The Great Marque of Oltenia becomes a very important institution during the reign of Mihai Viteazul (Michael the Brave), when the title of Great Marquis (or Mare Ban) was entrusted to Preda Buzescu. During the age of the phanariot kings, the nobles of Craiova would express their hostility towards the kings imposed on them by the Ottomans. Austrian dominance in Oltenia during the period between 1718 and 1739 lead to a considerable worsening of the economic and fiscal burdens placed on both urban and rural producers, which lead to a the birth of a powerful highwayman (haiduci) movement and even acts of rebellion from the nobles against the Habsburg administration.
Between 1770 and 1771, Craiova served as the capital of the Wallachia or the Romanian Country. One of the great noble families of Craiova, the Bibescu family, gave Wallachia its last rulers, Grigorie Dimitrie Bibescu and Barbu Dimitrie Stirbei.
The people of this land have taken part in all of the great moments of our national history. A great number of people from Dolj took part in the 1821 Revolution, led by Tudor Vladimirescu. In 1848, a provisional revolutionary government was formed in Craiova, presided by : Nicolae Balcescu, Gheorghe Magheru, I. Heliade Radulescu and Costache Romanescu, from Craiova. The War of Independence of 1877-1878 called to arms a great many young men from this area, which was also directly involved from a territorial standpoint, through its Danube towns of Calafat and Poiana Mare, where the High Command of the Romanian Army was stationed.
The period following the war was a time of great economic and cultural progress, so much so that, by the end of the XIXth century, the city of Craiova, with its 40.000 inhabitants, had many small factories producing agricultural machinery, chemical products, textiles, construction materials and also had tanneries that produced leather and many more. By 1910, Craiova had 51.400 inhabitants and was the second largest city in Romania, after Bucharest.
During the First World War, the population of Dolj fiercely resisted the occupation forces, tens of thousands of soldiers sacrificing their lives for the dream of Great Romania. The postwar period was predominantly agrarian from an economic standpoint, the process of industrialization having become slow and cumbersome, with great landowners putting all of their money in palaces, commercial institutions and banks. After the Second World War, the car and machine industry develops in Dolj, as well as the chemical, aeronautical, food, constructions, electronic and energy industries.
At present, the 770.000 inhabitants of Dolj are distributed this way:
1. The city of Craiova, with 300.000 inhabitants, the urban and administrative center of the county. Has numerous industrial units from the machinery industry (Electroputere, the Heavy Machinery Company, The Airplane Company, The Locomotive Repair Company, Tractors and Agricultural Machinery etc), electronic industry (Electroputere), the chemical industry (Doljchim), the food industry (The Beer Factory, Lactido, Frigorifer, Bachus SA, etc), the textile industry (The Confections Plant), construction materials (ELPRECO), furniture, the automotive industry (Ford).
2. The town of Calafat with 22.000 inhabitants - an urban center with a rich history. It has industrial units related to the food and textile industries, is a port and an important point stop on the border between Romania and Bulgaria.
3. The town of Bailesti, with 22.000 inhabitants. This is an agro-industrial town, with important agricultural capacity, but also units specialized in electronics, metallurgy, and non-ferrous metals processing.
4. The town of Filiasi, with 20.000 inhabitants, dabbles in electronics, mechanics, automotives and wood working.
5. The town of Segarcea, with 8.500 inhabitants, is an important agricultural center
6. The town of Dabuleni, with a population of 13.700 residents, is an important agricultural and winery center.
7. The town of Bechet, with its 3.800 residents, is a port on the Danube and a point of passage by ferry between Romania and Bulgaria.
The rest of the county`s population resides in 104 communes, totalling 364 villages.
Dolj county represents 3.1 % of the country`s surface and holds 3.9% of the agricultural surface. Agriculture provides the majority of jobs and accounts for most of the county`s GDP. It has 590.000 hectares of arable land of which 302.000 is irrigated and 470.000 is privately owned. The fact that 40 % of the land has chernozem soils speaks volumes about the agricultural potential of the county. Over time, many businesses related to agriculture have a appeared: millers, bakeries, milkeries, production and refinement of edible oils, sugar, beer, processing of meat, vegetables, as well as alcohol distillation. All of these installations, maintained by qualified personnel, constitute a source of maximum importance of high quality goods both for internal and for external commercialisation and consumption.
The county has about 81.500 hectares of forests, of which 11.500 have private owners. The forests are home to diverse wildlife, especially valuable as game, such as deer, boars, foxes.
Ponds and creeks occupy 22.000 hectares, of which 5.000 are privately owned. The abundance of fish in these waters, especially in the past, is what has led to the fish becoming the symbol of the county. Another important resource are the fruit harvested from the area of about 10.000 hectares occupied by fruit trees.
The transportation network is comprised of over 221 km of railroad tracks, 424 km of national roads, 1691 km of county and communal roads, as well as an airport.
The Craiova Chamber of Commerce has 18.500 individual economic entities on file in their registry. There are also 600 companies with foreign capital, although it is mostly minority capital. The greatest number of entities, 15.500, can be found in urban areas, and only 3.000 in rural areas.
Over the centuries, the inhabitants of this place have been characterised by their belief in God and the tolerance the exhibit towards their fellow beings. Craiova is the see of the oltenian orthodox church through the Archbishop of Craiova and the Metropolis of Oltenia. One can find not only Orthodox worshipping sites in Dolj, but also Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Adventist and Jewish. Many of these buildings are historical and architectural monuments of great value.
Next tot the church, schools are what contribute essentially to the formation of younger generations. At first it was dependent on the Church. In 1775, the first school is founded under the supervision of the Obedeanu Monastery, transformed into a "Royal School" in 1822. "Obedeanu" also teached, aside from the Romanian language, Freench and Greek.
At present, there are approximately 900 educational units in Dolj, teaching over 150.000 youngsters, of which 10 % are students, teached by over 12.000 professors. The precollege network is comprised of over 400 kindergartens, 380 schools, 48 highschools, 28 vocational schools. The 15.000 students are grouped in two Universities with 16 faculties, aside from which we also find private establishments, preparing students for almost all types of activities : technical, humanist, economic, medical, sporting, law and technological.
The quality of teaching in this area of the country has given Romania no fewer than 75 important academic figures from The "Charles I" National College in Craiova, among them we have names like : Gheorghe Titeica and Simion Stoilov - mathematiciens, Ilie Murgulescu and Eugen Angelescu - chemists, C. Radulescu Motru - philosopher, Stefan Milcu and Dimitrie Gerota - medics, C. S. Nicolaescu Plopsor - archeologist, the great diplomat Nicolae Titulescu . This prestigious high school is also where notable plastic artists like Constantin Lecca , Theodor Aman, Ion Tuculescu and writers Mihail Drumes , Gib. Mihaescu , Alexandru Macedonski graduated.
It was unthinkable for such an area to not have an important place in the cultural setting of the country. Inside the 19 museums, there are works of great importance and artistic value, both to the present and to the past. The Oltenian Museum in Craiova has sections for history, ethnography and natural science. The Art Museum holds masterpieces of Romanian and universal art, including the famous "Kiss" work in the "Constantin Brancusi" hall.
The library in Craiova, established by Alexandru and Aristia Aman, along with the other 400 libraries, maintain and enhance the spiritual life of Dolj, through cultural events in which works of art such as paintings and books are presented to the public in these spaces.
The Oltenia State Philharmonic, founded in 1850, and the Opera and Operetta Theater, founded in 1861, provide, through repertoire and interpretation, for the satisfaction of musical inclination. The puppet theatre, founded in 1949, despite its cramped venue, has gained national and international notoriety.
The Craiova National Theater, created in 1850, has always had performances of the highest calibre. Since 1992, it has effectively conquered the hearts of minds of the people in every country they have had shows, and has won many awards. It was to be expected that it would play host to the "William Shakespeare" International Theater Festival.
Dolj county also has an important role in the Romanian sporting scene, through table sports, athleticism and also team sports. Dolj sportsmen have some pretty resounding names among them - world and Olympic champions. A pride of Dolj sports is represented by the "Universitatea Craiova" football team, which is already a recognised European presence.
For the health of the inhabitants, Dolj county maintains 95 medical checkpoints, 12 hospitals and an asylum, providing work for 10.000 medical personnel. The County Hospital has a capacity of 1600 beds, being an important emergency care facility even for neighboring counties.
Tourists visiting the county are provided with 1100 beds in hotes, inns, motels and tourist villas. Besides historical venues, architectural landmarks and works of art, tourists visiting Dolj must also include in their schedule a stroll through the Romanescu Park, a monument of landscapind and, arguably, the most beautiful park in the country.