The city is located in the southwestern part of the county; it stands across the Danube from the Bulgarian city of Tutrakan.
The national roadDN4 connects Oltenița to Bucharest, 64 km (40 mi) to the northwest. Road DN31 [ro] connects it to the county seat, Călărași, 69 km (43 mi) to the east, and road DN41 [ro] connects it to Giurgiu, 76 km (47 mi) to the west.
The Oltenița train station, located near the intersection of those three roads, serves the CFRLine 801, which connects the city to Bucharest (Titan Sud and Obor stations).
The first mention of a town bearing the name Oltenița appears in 1515 during the reign of Neagoe Basarab.[3]
In November 1853, at the start of the Crimean War the Ottoman forces attempted to cross the river at this point and inflicted heavy losses on the Russian forces at the Battle of Oltenița.[4]
During the Russo-Turkish War, 1877–1878, Oltenița was an important crossing point into Bulgaria for Romanian troops called to aid the Russian Army during the siege of the Pleven (Plevna) stronghold.
During World War I at Turtucaia, across the Danube from Oltenița, Battle of Turtucaia ended in a significant defeat for the Romanian Army and subsequently the garrisons of Oltenița and Turtucaia engaged in numerous artillery skirmishes.
Education
There are three high schools in Oltenița: Neagoe Basarab National College, Ion Ghica Technologic High School, and Nicolae Bălcescu Technologic High School.