Topalu

Topalu
Commune
Location in Constanța County
Location in Constanța County
Topalu is located in Romania
Topalu
Topalu
Location in Romania
Coordinates: 44°33′N 28°3′E / 44.550°N 28.050°E / 44.550; 28.050
CountryRomania
CountyConstanța
SubdivisionsTopalu, Capidava
Government
 • Mayor (2020–2024) Constantin Baltă[1] (PSD)
Area
79.29 km2 (30.61 sq mi)
Population
 (2021-12-01)[2]
1,517
 • Density19/km2 (50/sq mi)
Time zoneEET/EEST (UTC+2/+3)
Vehicle reg.CT
Websitewww.primariatopalu.ro

Topalu is a commune located on the right bank of the Danube in Constanța County, Northern Dobruja, Romania.

Administration

The commune includes two villages:

  • Topalu (historical name: Turkish: Topal)
  • Capidava (historical names: Calichioi, Turkish: Kaleköy)

Demographics

Historical population
YearPop.±%
2002 1,951—    
2011 1,785−8.5%
2021 1,517−15.0%
Source: National Institute of Statistics[3]

At the 2011 census, Topalu had 1,707 Romanians (99.94%), 1 others (0.06%).[4]

History

Capidava on Tabula Peutingeriana (upper center)

Tabula Peutingeriana

Capidava is depicted in the form Calidava/Calidaua in Segmentum VIII of Tabula Peutingeriana (1st-4th century AD) on a Roman road between Axiopolis and Carsium.[5][6] The map provides accurate data on the distances between Axiopolis, Capidava and Carsium. These distances coincide with the distances between the present localities of Hinog - Capidava and Capidava - Hârșova. This is also verified by the discovery of military marking pillar at Seimenii Mici that indicates the distance of 18,000 feet (27 km) from Axiopolis to Capidava.[7]

Ancient times

Ruins of the Geto-Dacian fortress Capidava

The village Capidava is the site of the fortified Geto-Dacian center with the same name, Capidava.

After the Roman conquest of Dacia it became a Roman city and castra in the province of Scythia Minor (modern Dobruja).

Etymology

Capidava is a Getic toponym, meaning the "curve fortified settlement".[7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Results of the 2020 local elections". Central Electoral Bureau. Retrieved 15 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. ^ "Constanta (Romania) - Cities, Towns, and Communes". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  4. ^ "Constanța County at the 2011 census" (PDF) (in Romanian). INSSE. February 2, 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 24, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
  5. ^ Anonymous. "Segmentum VIII,3". Tabula Peutingeriana (in Latin). 1-4th century AD.
  6. ^ Olteanu, Sorin. "Categorii de toponime în funcţie de origine şi aşezare" [Toponymy categories according to origin and location]. Linguae Thraco-Daco-Moesorum (in Romanian). Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 3 January 2010.
  7. ^ a b Florescu, Radu; Manea, Florentina. Oberländer-Târnoveanu, Irina; Bor, Corina (eds.). "Capidava". Bucharest, Romania: Institute for Cultural Memory (Institutul de Memorie Culturală) - cIMeC. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 2 February 2011.

Further reading

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Topalu, Constanța.