On 7 July 1947 the total rainfall in Curtea de Argeș was 205.7 mm (8.10 in) in 20 minutes, which is a world record.[3]
Etymology and names
The present name, literally The Court upon (river) Argeș, refers to the former status of the town as the capital of Wallachia. Some historians identify the Argeș River with ancient "Ordessos", however the name is unlikely to be derived from this name.[4] The oldest Slavonic documents use an "Arghiș" form, which might suggest a Cuman or Pecheneg etymology, from the root arghiš ("higher ground", "heights").[4]
The original name was Argeș, which was then used for the name of the river as well.[4]
History
Historical population
Year
Pop.
±%
1900
4,210
—
1912
6,279
+49.1%
1930
6,809
+8.4%
1948
9,180
+34.8%
1956
10,764
+17.3%
1966
16,423
+52.6%
1977
24,645
+50.1%
1992
35,824
+45.4%
2002
32,626
−8.9%
2011
27,359
−16.1%
2021
25,977
−5.1%
Source: Census data
Capital of Wallachia
Ruins of the medieval princely court in Curtea de Argeș
The tradition of Wallachian chronicles[which?] differ from the Hungarian documents: they don't mention Basarab I and instead, they claim that Argeș was founded in 1290 by Radu Negru who crossed the Carpathians from Transylvania to found the cities of Curtea de Argeș and Câmpulung.[5]
While Câmpulung is sometimes credited as the first capital of Wallachia, the Wallachian chronicles mention only Curtea de Argeș as being the capital, this being supported by the fact that the Hungarian documents mention that Charles I attacked the Argeș stronghold and not the Câmpulung one.[5]
After 1340, a new royal court was built at Argeș, containing a palace and a church, the whole compound having an area of 0.76 hectares (1.9 acres).[5] It was here that the Metropolitan Orthodox Church of Wallachia was founded in 1359.[5]
The town traded with Transylvania, focusing on the town of Sibiu, to which it had a direct road crossing the Olt Valley and Țara Loviștei [ro]. The commercial area of the town was around the court and the St. Nicholas in Târg Church, where the bazar was located.[6]
Decline
This Argeș court was the residence of the Wallachian hospodars until Mircea I of Wallachia, included.[5] The following rulers used both Argeș and Târgoviște as the seats of the court and traveler Johann Schiltberger mentioned that in 1396 both cities were capitals.[5]
From 1396 to 1460, Wallachia was tributary to the Sunni-Islamic Ottoman Empire, the hospodars being vassals of its Great Sultan.
During the 15th century, their court was used alternately with the one in Târgoviște, but in the 16th century, the capital was completely moved to Târgoviște and the Argeș court was rarely visited.[5]
Argeș was one of the most important towns in Wallachia in the 14th and 15th centuries, but starting with the 16th century, its importance began to fade. The Orthodox Metropolitan's seat was moved to Târgoviște in 1517, while the Catholic bishopric ended its activity in 1519. A fall in the trade with Sibiu and Brașov also led to a population decline.[7]
After the Curtea de Argeș Monastery was built during the rule of Neagoe Basarab, the rulers of Wallachia favored it and, apart from donations (part of the town's domain), they gave it rights over the town. The monastery presided over trials in the marketplace and it was allowed to build customs house and mills. This eroded the autonomy of the town and led to further economic slump.[7]
The Ștefănescu-Goangă brothers, Mihail and Florian, contributed to modernizing the city's infrastructure during 1920s and 1930s. As a mayor, Mihail Ștefănesu Goangă oversaw the building of the city's first paved roads, post office, and central market. Florian Ștefănescu-Goangă founded the summer school of the Babeș-Bolyai University in Curtea de Argeș, which later became the Vlaicu Vodă National College [ro], one of the most prestigious high schools in Romania.[citation needed]
During the Communist regime, state-led industrialization led to the construction of several major factories in the city, which became a major producer of agricultural proteins, porcelain, and textiles. During the 1990s, most of the communist-era industries closed down, but Curtea de Argeș remains a manufacturing center for textiles and high-end fashion.[citation needed]
Ecclesiastical History
Latin Bishopric of Argeș
In the first decades of the 14th century, a group of German Catholics from Saxony were brought under the authority of the Catholic bishop of (Hungarian) Transylvania and they were settled in the city. In 1381, the Latin Diocese of Argeș was founded as then-only Catholic bishopric in Wallachia, suffragan of the Hungarian Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kalocsa. No incumbent names are available.
It was suppressed in 1519/20 (just after the Orthodox Metropolis), its territory being used in 1590 to establish the Diocese of Bacău.
In the 17th century the bishopric moved to Bacău due to the decrease in the number of local Catholics.[9]
The city is the site of several medieval churches (among them the Curtea de Argeș Cathedral) having been an Orthodox bishopric again since the close of the 18th century.
The most important church is the Princely Church of Saint Nicholas built by Basarab I, completely renovated in 2003–2004. It resembles a stone fortress, connected through catacombs to a guard tower on a nearby hill. Ruins of the Prince's Palace Complex are still visible. It is mentioned in Alexandru Odobescu's Doamna Chiajna.
One of the most enduring and famous Romanian legends, the legend of Meșterul Manole, is related to the monastery's construction.[11]
Natives
Mattei Dogan (1920–2010), political sociologist and academic
Florian Ștefănescu-Goangă (1881–1958), psychologist, founder of the Romanian Institute of Experimental Psychology, and president of Babeș-Bolyai University
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