Râmnicu Vâlcea
The Tudor Vladimirescu street in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania (in early 2010)
The Tudor Vladimirescu street in Râmnicu Vâlcea, Romania (in early 2010)
Location in Vâlcea County
Location in Vâlcea County
Râmnicu Vâlcea is located in Romania
Râmnicu Vâlcea
Râmnicu Vâlcea
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 45°6′17″N 24°22′32″E / 45.10472°N 24.37556°E / 45.10472; 24.37556
CountryRomania
CountyVâlcea
Established1388 (first mention)
Government
  Mayor (20202024) Mircia Gutău[1] (PER)
Area
89.52 km2 (34.56 sq mi)
Elevation
250 m (820 ft)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
93,151
  Density1,000/km2 (2,700/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Postal code
240xxx
Area code(+40) 02 50
Vehicle reg.VL
Websitewww.primariavl.ro

Râmnicu Vâlcea (also spelled Rîmnicu Vîlcea or, in the past, Rîmnic-Vâlcea, Romanian pronunciation: [ˈrɨmniku ˈvɨlt͡ʃe̯a]) (population: 93,151 as per the 2021 Romanian census) is the county seat town (Romanian: Oraș reședință de județ) and also the largest urban settlement of Vâlcea County, central-southern Romania (in the historical province of Oltenia).

Geography and climate

The town centre of Râmnicu Vâlcea in winter (December 2010)

Râmnicu Vâlcea is situated in the central-south area of Romania and is the county capital of Vâlcea County. Set at the foothills of the Southern Carpathians, the town is located at about 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from the Cozia Mountains and about 40 kilometres (25 mi) from the Făgăraș and Lotrului Mountains. The southern limit of the city is formed by the Getic Plateau (Romanian: Platoul Getic) and the Olt River valley.

The E81 road (a road of European interest) and one of the main national railway routes cross the town.

According to Köppen climate classification, the climate of the town is defined as Dfa (humid continental with warm summers) bordering Cfa (humid subtropical). Precipitation amount is higher in the summer, although not high enough in order to be a "Dwa" type climate.

The table below highlights climate data for Râmnicu Vâlcea between 1981 and 2010, detailing the average high temperature, the average low temperature, the average precipitation (in mm/inches) as well as the average precipitation days throughout all of the months of one year.

Climate data for Râmnicu Vâlcea (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 19.8
(67.6)
23.1
(73.6)
24.3
(75.7)
31.2
(88.2)
34.2
(93.6)
36.4
(97.5)
40.6
(105.1)
40.7
(105.3)
36.0
(96.8)
32.6
(90.7)
25.2
(77.4)
18.1
(64.6)
40.7
(105.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 4.4
(39.9)
7.2
(45.0)
12.4
(54.3)
18.3
(64.9)
23.4
(74.1)
27.2
(81.0)
29.4
(84.9)
29.5
(85.1)
24.1
(75.4)
17.8
(64.0)
10.9
(51.6)
5.3
(41.5)
17.5
(63.5)
Daily mean °C (°F) −0.4
(31.3)
1.6
(34.9)
6.2
(43.2)
11.7
(53.1)
16.7
(62.1)
20.5
(68.9)
22.4
(72.3)
22.1
(71.8)
16.9
(62.4)
11.4
(52.5)
5.9
(42.6)
0.9
(33.6)
11.3
(52.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −4.0
(24.8)
−2.4
(27.7)
1.4
(34.5)
6.4
(43.5)
11.0
(51.8)
14.7
(58.5)
16.3
(61.3)
16.3
(61.3)
11.8
(53.2)
7.1
(44.8)
2.4
(36.3)
−2.2
(28.0)
6.6
(43.9)
Record low °C (°F) −19.4
(−2.9)
−17.8
(0.0)
−5.2
(22.6)
1.3
(34.3)
4.0
(39.2)
7.2
(45.0)
6.4
(43.5)
1.7
(35.1)
−5.6
(21.9)
−12.3
(9.9)
−17.9
(−0.2)
−22.9
(−9.2)
−22.9
(−9.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 38.7
(1.52)
30.3
(1.19)
39.9
(1.57)
57.4
(2.26)
82.0
(3.23)
100.7
(3.96)
83.7
(3.30)
77.7
(3.06)
58.3
(2.30)
58.6
(2.31)
49.1
(1.93)
51.4
(2.02)
727.8
(28.65)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 5.9 5.3 6.4 7.7 9.9 9.8 7.3 6.8 6.2 6.2 6.2 6.8 84.5
Mean monthly sunshine hours 90.1 111.3 157.3 185.9 233.8 260.1 289.1 274.2 201.8 156.0 96.4 72.7 2,128.7
Source: NOAA[3]

History

A market in Râmnicu Vâlcea, 1869 watercolor by Amedeo Preziosi
Romanian War of Independence monument (erected 1915)
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1912 9,628    
1930 15,648+62.5%
1948 17,238+10.2%
1956 18,984+10.1%
1966 23,867+25.7%
1977 66,321+177.9%
1992 113,624+71.3%
2002 107,656−5.3%
2011 92,573−14.0%
2022 93,151+0.6%
Source: Romanian census data

The area has been inhabited since Dacian and Roman times, and was the site of a castrum (known as Buridava or Burridava, previously a Dacian town). A new fortress was built on the location during the Middle Ages. Râmnicu Vâlcea was first attested during the rule of Prince Mircea cel Bătrân, as "the princely town of Râmnic" (4 September 1388), and confirmed as the seat of a Vâlcea County during the same period (8 January 1392).

The town seal dates to 1505. Cetățuia, the actual fortress, served as the residence of Oltenian Bans and, from 1504, of the Orthodox bishops of the Râmnic Diocese; in 1529, Prince Radu of Afumați was killed in Cetățuia by a boyar conspiracy.

During the rules of Matei Basarab and Constantin Brâncoveanu, it became an important cultural center. It was here where the first paper mill and printing press in Romania were built (see Anthim the Iberian). The town was heavily damaged during the Habsburg monarchy's takeover of Oltenia which lasted between 1718 and 1739, and its purpose was again reduced to that of a fortress.

During the Wallachian Revolution, on 29 July 1848, Deșteaptă-te, române! (the current national anthem of Romania), with lyrics written by Andrei Mureșanu and music composed by Anton Pann (whose memorial house lies in the center of the town), was sung for the first time in Râmnicu Vâlcea.

Gheorghe Magheru gathered his military force in Râureni, now part of the town, in an attempt to face the anti-revolutionary forces of Imperial Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

In the 1980s, the town was completely rebuilt in a style combining socialist realism with local vernacular architecture (of Brâncovenesc style).

The town was the center and peak point of the path of total darkness of the Solar eclipse of 11 August 1999. Around 2005, the town gained notoriety as a centre of cybercrime.[4]

Politics

The Prosecutor's Office in Râmnicu Vâlcea

The mayor of Râmnicu Vâlcea is Mircia Gutău of the Romanian Ecologist Party (PER), following the 2020 Romanian local elections. The Râmnicu Vâlcea Municipal Council, elected at the 2020 local elections, consists of 23 councillors, with the following party composition:[5]

    Party Seats Current Council
  National Liberal Party (PNL) 9                  
  Social Democratic Party (PSD) 6            
  Ecologist Party (PER) 5          
  Save Romania Union (USR) 3      

Sports

Râmnicu Vâlcea is home to SCM Râmnicu Vâlcea, which is a women's handball club that competes traditionally in the EHF Champions League. At football, the town was previously known for its now dissolved local football club Chimia Râmnicu Vâlcea which won one Romanian cup in 1973. It briefly participated in the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup/European Cup Winners' Cup during one season (namely in 1973–1974) for just one round (more specifically the first one) against Northern Irish side Glentoran F.C. which subsequently went on to the quarter-finals.

Villages

The city administers thirteen villages: Aranghel, Căzănești, Copăcelu, Dealu Malului, Fețeni, Goranu, Lespezi, Poenari, Priba, Râureni, Săliștea, Stolniceni, and Troian. Goranu, Fețeni, Lespezi, and Săliștea were a separate commune, Goranu, until 1996, when they were merged into the town.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 8 June 2021.
  2. "Populaţia rezidentă după grupa de vârstă, pe județe și municipii, orașe, comune, la 1 decembrie 2021" (XLS). National Institute of Statistics.
  3. "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Râmnicu Vâlcea". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 11, 2024.
  4. Bhattacharjee, Yudhijit (2011-01-31). "How a Remote Town in Romania Has Become Cybercrime Central". Wired. Vol. 19, no. 2. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2019-10-17.
  5. "Rezultatele finale ale alegerilor locale din 2020" (Json). Autoritatea Electorală Permanentă. Retrieved 2020-11-02.
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