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Județul Vâlcea
Județul Vâlcea
County (Județ)
	The building of the Vâlcea County court from the interwar period, now the Râmnicu Vâlcea court.
	Coat of arms
Country	Kingdom of Romania
Historic region	Oltenia
Capital city (Reședință de județ)	Râmnicu Vâlcea
Area
• Total	4,081 km2 (1,576 sq mi)
Population (1930)
• Total	246,659
• Density	60/km2 (160/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+2 (EET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+3 (EEST)

Vâlcea County

Județul Vâlcea
Vâlcea County Județul Vâlcea
County
	Coat of arms
	Coordinates: 45°05′N 24°07′E / 45.08°N 24.11°E
Country	Romania
Development region	Sud-Vest
Historical region	Muntenia, Oltenia
Capital	Râmnicu Vâlcea
Government
• President of the County Board	Constantin Rădulescu [ro] (PSD)
• Prefect	Mihai Oprea
Area
• Total	5,765 km2 (2,226 sq mi)
• Rank	20th
Population (2021-12-01)
• Total	341,861
• Rank	26th
• Density	59/km2 (150/sq mi)
Telephone code	(+40) 250 or (+40) 350
ISO 3166 code	RO-VL
GDP (nominal)	US$ 2.436 billion (2015)
GDP per capita	US$ 6,855 (2015)
Website	County Council; County Prefecture

Vâlcea County (also spelt Vîlcea; Romanian pronunciation: [ˈvɨlt͡ʃe̯a]) is a county (județ) that lies in south-central Romania. Located in the historical regions of Oltenia and Muntenia (which are separated by the Olt River), it is also part of the wider Wallachia region. Its capital city is Râmnicu Vâlcea.

Demographics

In 2011, it had a population of 355,320 and the population density was 61.63/km².

Romanians - over 98%^[3]
Roma, others - c. 2%

Year	County population^[4]
1948	341,590
1956	362,356
1966	368,779
1977	414,241
1992	436,298
2002	413,247
2011	355,320
2021	341,861

Geography

This county has a total area of 5,765 km² (2,226 sq mi).

The North side of the county is occupied by the mountains from the Southern Carpathians group: the Făgăraș Mountains in the east with heights over 2,200 m (7,200 ft), and the Lotru Mountains in the west with heights over 2,000 m (6,600 ft). They are separated by the Olt River valley — the most accessible passage between Transylvania and Muntenia. Along the Olt River valley there are smaller groups of mountains, the most spectacular being the Cozia Mountains [ro].

Towards the South, the heights decrease, passing through the sub-carpathian hills to a high plain in the West side of the Wallachian Plain.

The main river is the Olt River crossing the county from North to South. Its main affluents are the Lotru River in the North and the Olteț River in the South.

Neighbours

Argeș County in the East.
Gorj County and Hunedoara County in the West.
Sibiu County and Alba County in the North.
Dolj County and Olt County in the South.

Economy

The predominant industries in the county are:

Chemical industry.
Food and beverage industry.
Textile industry.
Mechanical components industry.
Construction materials.
Wood and furniture industry.

In the West of the county coal and salt are extracted.

The area in the center of the county is well suited for fruit orchards, vineyards, and raising cattle. The South is better suited for growing cereals and vegetables.

Tourism

The main tourist destinations are:

The Olt River valley:
- The Călimănești-Căciulata resorts.
- The Cozia Monastery.
- The Turnu Monastery.
- The Cozia Mountains.
- Various small churches and fortifications.
The Lotru River valley:
- The town of Brezoi.
- The Lotru Mountains.
- The Voineasa resort.
- The Vidra resort
- The Obârșia Lotrului resort.
The city of Râmnicu Vâlcea.
The Băile Govora resort.
The Băile Olănești resort.

Politics

The Vâlcea County Council, renewed at the 2020 Romanian local elections, consists of 32 counsellors, with the following party composition:^[5]

	Party	Seats	Current County Council
	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	16
	National Liberal Party (PNL)	13
	Ecologist Party of Romania (PER)	3

Administrative divisions

The Tudor Vladimirescu street in Râmnicu Vâlcea (early 2010)

Vâlcea County has two municipalities, nine towns and 78 communes as follows:

Municipalities
- Râmnicu Vâlcea - county seat town (Romanian: Oraș reședință de județ); population: 93,151 (as of 2022)
- Drăgășani

Towns

Historical county

Historically, the county was located in the southwestern part of Greater Romania, in the northeast part of the historical region of Oltenia. Its capital was Râmnicu Vâlcea. The interwar county territory comprised a large part of the current Vâlcea County; however the territories situated to the east of the Olt River in the current county were not part of the historical county.

The county was bordered to the north by Sibiu County, to the east by the counties of Argeș and Olt, to the south by Romanați County, and to the west by the counties of Dolj and Gorj.

Administration

The county was in 1930 divided into five administrative districts (plăși):^[6]

Plasa Cerna, headquartered at Lădești
Plasa Cozia, headquartered at Călimănești
Plasa Drăgășani, headquartered at Drăgășani
Plasa Horezu, headquartered at Horezu
Plasa Zătreni, headquartered at Zătreni

By 1938, there were six districts, four previous and two new ones resulting from the reorganisation of the southwest part of the county:^[7]

Plasa Cerna, headquartered at Lădești
Plasa Cozia, headquartered at Călimănești
Plasa Drăgășani, headquartered at Drăgășani
Plasa Horezu, headquartered at Horezu
Plasa Bălcești, headquartered at Bălcești
Plasa Oltețu, headquartered at Oltețu

Population

According to the 1930 census data, the county population was 246,713 inhabitants, ethnically divided as follows: 97.4% Romanians, 1.6% Romanies, 0.2% Germans, 0.2% Hungarians, 0.2% Jews, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the population was 99.0% Eastern Orthodox, 0.4% Roman Catholic, 0.2% Jewish, as well as other minorities.

Urban population

In 1930, the county's urban population was 31,909 inhabitants, comprising 94.8% Romanians, 1.3% Romanies, 1.0% Germans, 0.8% Jews, 0.7% Hungarians, as well as other minorities. From the religious point of view, the urban population was composed of 96.4% Eastern Orthodox, 1.4% Roman Catholic, 0.8% Jewish, 0.7% Lutheran, 0.3% Greek Catholic, as well as other minorities.